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Which city do you live in in Korea?
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Jasmine



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Hongkers!

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:45 pm    Post subject: Which city do you live in in Korea? Reply with quote

What do you like about it and what drives you nuts?
Rolling Eyes
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Hotuk



Joined: 10 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I live in Kwangju where I'm driven nuts by the lack of real cheddar cheese, and the absence of any "international" restaurants.

There's no Thai, Indian, Mexican, etc... just a couple Italian-by-way-of-Kwangju places, at least one of which is really good. The Indian restaurant that opened last year closed down from lack of support, I think. The city has 1.5 million people but a miniscule international population. Not very cosmopolitan. But that's why we have Seoul and Pusan, I suppose.

On the positive side, the air is clean and the mountains are beautiful. And I like my job. Smile


Last edited by Hotuk on Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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william beckerson
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeonsu-dong, Yeonsu-Ku, Incheon.

Pros: Quiet. Almost everything I need is nearby.

Cons: Quiet. Almost everything I need is nearby.
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Jasmine



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Hongkers!

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll be in Kwangju in February 9am in Canada now) and I've already stashed away a years supply of taco seasoning as well as Alfredo mix.
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mathmatica



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hongdae area in Seoul.

Not nuts:
Underground art/music scene - regular festivals, flea markets, public art installations, concerts, several live music clubs
Excellent CD and book stores
Some great cheap restaurants (Korean and non-), cheap, creatively decorated bars with decent music
Interesting people - artists, musicians - like groovy, man!
No pre-dawn vegetable trucks (at least not in my dong)

Nuts:
The foreigners with backpacks who start arriving about 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays
Large amounts of frozen vomit on Saturdays and Sundays
Doors Bar

Can't imagine living anywhere else


Last edited by mathmatica on Thu Jan 23, 2003 3:18 am; edited 1 time in total
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kimcheeking
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 11:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ewha University area...

good - it's convenient to downtown.

bad - it's noisy, my neighboors are psychotic, and my apartment has roaches

the really really good - will be moving in august - somewhwere residential
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simulated stereo



Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: municipal flat block 18-A Linear North

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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<-----------------here
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Brian B



Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: South of Seoul, north of Busan

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm in Gimcheon (Between Daejeon and Daegu)

I love that:
* It's not crowded, and people seem friendly here.
* My job is beyond good.
* It's conveniently located for travel to other areas (Three hours to Seoul, 2.5 to Busan)
* We have an E-Mart.

I hate that:
* It's a small place so I HAVE to go somewhere else if I want to see or do anything interesting.
* I'm so isolated. There are almost no other foreigners here. (Not that this is always a bad thing, but it would be nice to hang out with people who "get" me from time to time.)
* It's nearly, no, it IS impossible to get a decent cup of coffee in this town.

If I could have the job I have now in a larger city I'd be a happy camper, or at least a happily caffinated one.

Brian
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Dan



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Sunny Glendale, CA

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bucheon here

small rant about "shin do si" aka korean idea of a suburb

COULD THEY POSSIBLY BUILD A FEW MORE APARTMENT COMPLEXES!?

And is it the korean lack of imagination, or is EVERY APARTMENT IN KOREA THE EXACT SAME DESIGN THAT THEY'VE BEEN USING FOR THE LAST 10+ YEARS?!?!!?
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Bulsajo



Joined: 16 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah, Puchon! My nickname for it is 'the sphincter of Seoul'. 'Nuff said.

Lived in Kansok-dong, Inchon for 1 year (worked in Dong-Inchon at the time).

Lived in Irwon-dong, Kangnam-gu, for 4 years (while working in Daechi-dong, Gaepo-dong, and Bundang). G/Kangnam was great, had all the amenities you could hope for, decent night-life, lots of other foreigners, and in general the people were used to foreigners so they were either nice to you or pretty much ignored you.

Yeah, it's high-rise central, but those high-rise apts. are pretty sweet after you've lived in a couple of dumpy old 'villas'.

I'm back in Canada these days, but in many ways I miss living in Gangnam. (Of course in many other ways I don't miss it at all, but I don't think I need to spell that out for anyone here, right?.)
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teacher



Joined: 16 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 6:11 pm    Post subject: Ugly Ulsan? Reply with quote

It's interesting to note, this is what I thouht. Reconsidering, I've found Ulsan quite environmentally friendly, precisely because it is environmentally friendly compared to the less environmentally conscious places I've seen elsewhere. It has huge parks, a riverwalk, playing fields, and good infrastructure. The buildings are modern and more state-of-the-art looking than dilapidated and dirty Busan or Daegu. It has a nice uptown area, convenient shopping, and most of all, the people "don't stare at you here." They're used to foreigners because there are a lot of industries with foreign engineers.
On the bad side, the air can be bad in certain areas. But I've experienced worse in Seoul and elsewhere. There isn't much in the way of good bargains here, entertainment is lacking, and there are a lot of "salons" and bars.
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weatherman



Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I live in Kwangju, and generally I like it. I can't remember the last time I went to Seoul or Busan. What is good about Kwangju? I don't really know, I have grown with it, and I have developed a spirit of place (I guess you call it), for the city. For 1.5 million people, it doesn't have a big urban feel, or the urban amenities you would expect. So many people in Kwangju come from the rural counties all around it, that the feel is like a big market town, for the sentiments of its inhabitants are still in the countryside. The architecture is proletariat 70's and 80's with a few hints here and there of something older and a few left over Japanese buildings too. The Kwangju citizens? Well, as a large part of the cities economy is services, and a lot of employment comes through these endeavors, the Korean work attitude prevails. And that is long hours doing nothing. Demographically it is a bit younger than the other big cities expect Seoul, and there is an indifference from the locals, almost like they see you, but you don't or can't really exist to them. When you are noticed it is the usual, overly kind, or a bit nasty. You made a good question, and I see I am rambling, because I haven't really thought about the character of Kwangju enough.
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tomato



Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2003 7:05 pm    Post subject: Post subject: Which city do you live in in Korea? Reply with quote

I live in Hongsong in the Chungnam province.
Outside the classroom, I hate for Koreans to speak to me in English.
I may be over-sensitive, but that implies to me that my Korean is bad, I have no chance of ever learning to speak Korean any better, and my effort to learn Korean is not worth even two minutes of another person's time.

The smaller the community, the less often the Korean people speak to foreigners in English.
Here in Hongsong, there are a few drugstores and stationery stores where the clerks have spoken to me in English, but I avoid those stores and do my shopping elsewhere.

The first city I live in was Gimcheon.
Brian B, say hello to everybody for me.
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Derrek



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2003 8:35 pm    Post subject: Kwangjin-Ku here Reply with quote

I live in East Seoul (Kwangjin-Ku) near Gangbyeon on the Green Line and Techno-mart. Subway is about 12 minutes from my house using Western Legs. There is Konkuk University close by, but that's more exciting for the younger crowd in their lower 20's.

I will be happy to leave the area simply because I'm tired of it. Most friends I make seem to live in either Kangnam, near the Hongdae area, or near Itaewon. Am tired of traveling so much to see them in the spare moments that they do get a break from working so much.
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Not Angry



Joined: 31 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2003 8:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I live in Bundang

I love:

My Job. Who said all Hogwans are evil. Mine is great! They give us gifts, take us out for meals, and take us skiing!!
My apartment is huge by Korean standards. Twice as big as anyone's I've seen.
The friendliness of so many people I have met. My Korean is terrible but hey I'm trying.
Kangnam may be 45 minutes away but on the plus side I get a lot of reading done!

My only complaints are the lack of decent Mexican food! Does anyone know where to get a decent Torta around Seoul? And the lack of a dryer. Who else's t-shirts are so streched out they almost look like dresses?
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