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expat2001
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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 Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:02 pm Post subject: Life in Wonju |
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I was offered a job in Won ju. Whats it like to live there?
Will i have trouble finding a star bucks or dominoes?
What about night life?health clubs? |
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Cohiba
Joined: 01 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:24 pm Post subject: Wonju |
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Hahahahahaha, hahahahahahaha, OK, seriously. If most people
were to spend more than about 5 minutes in a place like that they
would running around screaming and covering their apartment walls
in feces.
Remember "Cohiba's Rule":
Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogeneous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: French, Greek, Indian or any other ethnic
foods. Markets that sell sherry, pate, pastrami, ricotta cheese.
Specialty shops that sell dart accessories, cuban cigars or
cowboy boots.
The FFF RULE: FFF=Fun For Foreigners.
If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.
This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.
I, unfortunately, live in Incheon where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know! |
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PRagic
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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I got an offer from a university there a couple of years ago. They wanted too many contact hours.
When I asked around, I got pretty much the same info offered by Cohiba. Basically, it's a dump, and it smells like a dog track. |
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expat2001
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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| thanks |
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jbpatlanta
Joined: 02 Jun 2007
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:02 am Post subject: |
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I lived there from 2000 to 2002. Unless it has changed it is small, dirty, and there is absolutely nothing to do. When i was there, there were only about 12 native teachers in the town and about two dosen at the university. I think there are more teachers there now. Two army bases so loads of drunk 18 and 19 year old brats running around on the weekends. I was really bored there when I wasn't drinking.
I suggest if you value social interaction look some place else. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:04 am Post subject: Re: Wonju |
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| Cohiba wrote: |
Hahahahahaha, hahahahahahaha, OK, seriously. If most people
were to spend more than about 5 minutes in a place like that they
would running around screaming and covering their apartment walls
in feces.
Remember "Cohiba's Rule":
Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogeneous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: French, Greek, Indian or any other ethnic
foods. Markets that sell sherry, pate, pastrami, ricotta cheese.
Specialty shops that sell dart accessories, cuban cigars or
cowboy boots.
The FFF RULE: FFF=Fun For Foreigners.
If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.
This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.
I, unfortunately, live in Incheon where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know! |
This should really be made a sticky. |
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Rapacious Mr. Batstove
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Location: Central Areola
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:05 am Post subject: |
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| There's life in Wonju? Woah, I seriously though the U.S government unloaded depleted uranium there in the 60's and the area was cordoned off as a wild-life reserve. |
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Snowkr
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:08 am Post subject: |
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I lived in Wonju for a year and loved it. No, it's not Seoul... thus the basis of its appeal.
Koreans live there. Love it, love it, LOVE IT!
To the OP... actually there is a pretty decent sized community of foreigners there both at Yonsei and in hogwans and public schools. I go back to visit as often as possible! |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:33 am Post subject: Re: Wonju |
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| Cohiba wrote: |
Hahahahahaha, hahahahahahaha, OK, seriously. If most people
were to spend more than about 5 minutes in a place like that they
would running around screaming and covering their apartment walls
in feces.
Remember "Cohiba's Rule":
Think twice before you live outside of Seoul. "In Seoul" and
"outside of Seoul" are like two different countries. Seoul
is an interesting place with variety and venues for most
tastes. Outside of Seoul you will find a homogeneous Korean
culture. I don't mean this in a bad way, but you will never
find things like: French, Greek, Indian or any other ethnic
foods. Markets that sell sherry, pate, pastrami, ricotta cheese.
Specialty shops that sell dart accessories, cuban cigars or
cowboy boots.
The FFF RULE: FFF=Fun For Foreigners.
If FFF in Seoul = 100, then FFF decreases at
1/distance. So 2km from Seoul FFF=1/2(100)=50;
10km from Seoul FFF=1/10(100)=10. This rule is
a rule for nightlife, food and foreign products only.
Nature etc. is on a different scale altogether.
This means you will be wasting a lot of time commuting
to Seoul. This is especially a drag if you have been
boozing on a Friday night and there are no buses or
trains.
I, unfortunately, live in Incheon where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know! |
In all due respect to Cohiba, all of these things can be found at the foreign food markets in Shin-Jeju City. Also, foreign restaurants like the ones pointed out in your letter are located in many a small city in Korea. |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 3:36 am Post subject: |
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| jbpatlanta wrote: |
I lived there from 2000 to 2002. Unless it has changed it is small, dirty, and there is absolutely nothing to do. When i was there, there were only about 12 native teachers in the town and about two dosen at the university. I think there are more teachers there now. Two army bases so loads of drunk 18 and 19 year old brats running around on the weekends. I was really bored there when I wasn't drinking.
I suggest if you value social interaction look some place else. |
Korean and U.S. military or just the latter?
Tomwaitsforone lived there for several months in 2004. P.M. him for an opinion of the place. |
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europe2seoul
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 4:16 am Post subject: Re: Wonju |
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| Cohiba wrote: |
I, unfortunately, live in Incheon where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know! |
Dude I dunno where are you from, but Incheon is just a satelite city of Seoul. Same with Bundang, Anyang, Ilsan, etc. Milions of people go to Seoul every day to work/study/have fun/go out/date/shop/etc. It is all one large metropolitan area, thus I can't comprehend your complaint at all. Its not like you are in a different province where you actually have to travel to Seoul. |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 4:20 am Post subject: Re: Wonju |
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| europe2seoul wrote: |
| Cohiba wrote: |
I, unfortunately, live in Incheon where the FFF factor
is almost in the negative range. I know! |
Dude I dunno where are you from, but Incheon is just a satelite city of Seoul. Same with Bundang, Anyang, Ilsan, etc. Milions of people go to Seoul every day to work/study/have fun/go out/date/shop/etc. It is all one large metropolitan area, thus I can't comprehend your complaint at all. Its not like you are in a different province where you actually have to travel to Seoul. |
Also, Incheon City has millions and millions of people. Isn't it the 4th biggest city in this nation? |
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Dlee
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Lived there for 5 months- don't do it! |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 3:16 am Post subject: |
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| Snowkr wrote: |
I lived in Wonju for a year and loved it. No, it's not Seoul... thus the basis of its appeal.
Koreans live there. Love it, love it, LOVE IT!
To the OP... actually there is a pretty decent sized community of foreigners there both at Yonsei and in hogwans and public schools. I go back to visit as often as possible! |
what a whopping lie this is !!!
even the Ks head out first chance they get - the traffic to and from is horrible - it's also somehow very low or something? like maybe it was a swamp once? is extremely humid - more so than surrounding areas - and yes, it DOES SMELL HORRIBLE - like a meat packing plant is close by - or worse a DOG PACKING PLANT
run, run as fast as you can!  |
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winterwawa
Joined: 06 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:08 pm Post subject: Re: Life in Wonju |
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| expat2001 wrote: |
I was offered a job in Won ju. Whats it like to live there?
Will i have trouble finding a star bucks or dominoes?
What about night life?health clubs? |
I live in wonju now but will be moving soon. At first I didn't like it, but now I wish I was staying. If you are one of these going to Sangji University, don't get too comfortable. Your first year contract is a "probationary" contract. Then your next contract will be for 2 years, but they have not renewed a first year contract in over 4 years. They hired me and two other professors last year, and refused to renew all three of us this year. There is only 2 native speakers there who have been there over 4 years. They own the department.
If you are going to one of the other unis in Wonju, go with an open mind. Wonju is actually a nice city once you learn your way around. There are nice resturants, health clubs and a good night life. Just ask around and you'll be fine. |
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