Korean Job Discussion Forums

sheilabocchine · Joined: 11 Feb 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ

Hello!!!

My last set of questions had the most helpful answers. I leave on May 10th and cannot wait to arrive in Suwon! I even bought a pair of white and pink plaid rainboots so I can splash around during typhoon season! I have a few more questions:

*Water. Since it's not good for drinking, where does one get water for drinking and cooking?

*Things I'll need like bath towels, sheets, hair dryer with a diffuser... Will I be able to find them as soon as I arrive. Do the hair dryers have diffusers, my hair is curly and absolutely needs to be dried with one. OR should I pay for an extra suitcase and bring the items with me?

*Electricity. I'll be be bringing my laptop and possibly my hair dryer. What do I need in order for those 2 items to work? Can I get it in the states before I arrive?

*Libraries. Do they have libraries with English books? I don't want to buy books while I'm in Korea. I just got rid of over 1000 books. I am on a no book buying ban. I use my library in Phoenix, pretty often. I read ALOT.

*Shots. I'm not getting any before I leave the states. Are any recommended once I arrive?

*Mailing packages. Do you know how much it would cost to mail a very small package. About the size of 10 rolls of film. My current lab is going to continue developing and scanning my film. They are going to send the negatives to my parents and upload the scans to an FTP. It's so perfect!! BUT I'll be sending them film monthly and was wondering about very small package prices.

*Clinique make-up. Will I be able to find that in Seoul? Are there any major American department stores in Seoul like Macy's or Nordstroms?

*Colonics. Know of any places that give them in Suwon or Seoul? My body enjoys a regular colonic and I know after changing and adapting to a Korean diet my body will need a few.

*Alternative medicine? Meditation Centers? Spas? Where can I find info on these sorts of places?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

Have a wonderful day,
Sheila

Howard Roark · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Canada

1. You can get bottled water anywhere and everywhere. There are shops and supermarkets everywhere you look and they all have water. A 2L s around $1. You can also have your school arrange for water delivery, they'll bring like 3 10L bottles for around $10.

2. You can definitely find all those things at a big department store such as Emart, Home Plus, or Lotte Mart. Just get someone to show you where one of those is when you arrive. I can't say for sure about the diffuser so MAYBEEEE bring your own. If you bring a hairdryer, don't forget the adaptor. If you're picky about your bedding, like silk or flanel or something particular then bring it but I wouldn't bother as there is plenty to be found here.

3. All you need is a plain old adaptor. You can def buy one from Walmart, electronics store, or at the airport. You can easily get one here too at Emart, Home Plus, Lotte Mart or a electronics store. They can be anywhere from $1-15. They usually say on the packaging what country they are for. I just bought the multi-pack worldwide one for $15. My laptop and straightener both work perfectly.

4. I have no idea about libraries. Depends on where you will live certainly. In bigger cities there will be lots of other foreigners to exchange books with, some foreigner bars in smaller cities have books you can just borrow, and there are second hand bookstores in Seoul.

5. You should contact your public health nurse for this info. I wouldn't want to say.

6. Postage is cheap. I sent my ipod to England the other day, airmail, cost $3 and took 4 days.

7. Yes you can get Clinique in department stores, same as home. Price is similar.

8. Dont know.

9. There are a lot of this type of thing. Oriental medicine is popluar for example. I suggest you ask people who live in your area where to go. Suwon is very near to Seoul and Seoul is like any big city, it has pretty much everything imaginable.

10. I also suggest an excellent gynaecologist in Seoul, near Itaewon. The number is 02-790-0802 and they speak English. Her name is Dr Sung and she is an absolute God-send when you are in need of mecial care and she has many foreign patients.

Good luck!

Underwaterbob · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito

Jammer113 · Joined: 13 Oct 2008

*Water. Since it's not good for drinking, where does one get water for drinking and cooking? [/]

It's not bad for drinking, as in... it won't kill you. We use tap water for cooking occasionally. The government tries to encourage drinking it. It doesn't taste good. Every store sells liter bottles of water. At the convenience store near my house, 2 liter bottles are 1000 won, and a six pack is 4000 won. Cheap enough that that's all I use.

[b]*Things I'll need like bath towels, sheets, hair dryer with a diffuser... Will I be able to find them as soon as I arrive. Do the hair dryers have diffusers, my hair is curly and absolutely needs to be dried with one. OR should I pay for an extra suitcase and bring the items with me?

Most Korean towels are very small. You can find decent sized towels, but it'll be a search, and you may have to search for beach towels. Sheets are a different matter. Koreans traditionally slept on blankets and mats, so the fitted sheets they sell are designed to imitate a blanket, ie they have padding. I have yet to see a normal sheet. I don't know about hairdryers, but I'm sure they'll have everything. If you bring your hair dryer, make sure it'll work with 220 volt power. A power converter would cost a fair bit of money... too expensive for a hair dryer.

*Electricity. I'll be be bringing my laptop and possibly my hair dryer. What do I need in order for those 2 items to work? Can I get it in the states before I arrive?

Make sure your laptop is rated for 220 volt power. Most likely, all you're going to have to replace is your power cord. Your power cord converts electricty into a form useable by your laptop. Your power cord should have a box in the middle of it that has a bunch of writing on it. One of the things it talks about is the power rating. You need to see something like "90V-240V" dor "110V-220V". If it says "110V-140V" you'll need a new power cord. Similar rules for your hairdryer, but it doesn't have a power converter.

*Libraries. Do they have libraries with English books? I don't want to buy books while I'm in Korea. I just got rid of over 1000 books. I am on a no book buying ban. I use my library in Phoenix, pretty often. I read ALOT.

I have never seen nor heard of a library with good English books. Good luck on your search.

*Shots. I'm not getting any before I leave the states. Are any recommended once I arrive?

Not really. It's a developed country with a solid public health system. There aren't crazy tropical diseases running around. There's the standard health scares, such as bird flu and Hep A.. a lot of chickens were killed last year.. but you're far more likely to die from a car accident. It never hurts to update your vaccinations, though.

*Mailing packages. Do you know how much it would cost to mail a very small package. About the size of 10 rolls of film. My current lab is going to continue developing and scanning my film. They are going to send the negatives to my parents and upload the scans to an FTP. It's so perfect!! BUT I'll be sending them film monthly and was wondering about very small package prices.

Yesterday I mailed my taxes. It was two large envelopes with approx. 15 pages of documents, and I sent them express delivery (3 days). The cost was 30,000 won. It's much cheaper if you don't use express delivery.

*Clinique make-up. Will I be able to find that in Seoul? Are there any major American department stores in Seoul like Macy's or Nordstroms?

Yes, to makeup but expensive. Department stores are different here. In a department store, each company rents out its own space and staffs its own people. So every small sub-section has a person selling a single brand. You get annoyingly attentive service.

*Colonics. Know of any places that give them in Suwon or Seoul? My body enjoys a regular colonic and I know after changing and adapting to a Korean diet my body will need a few.

I would suggest bringing your own supplies. I don't know specifically, but my guess is that colonics are more of a western thing than eastern. I'm sure there are places which do them, but they may be small, and their standards of practice may be iffy. I just wouldn't trust it. I could be very off on this, but that's my initial reaction.

*Alternative medicine? Meditation Centers? Spas? Where can I find info on these sorts of places?

They exist. "Alternative medicine" as defined by westerners is very common here. It isn't really considered 'alternative'. Specifically, you will find many practitioners of eastern medicine. You should be careful as western bodies react differently to eastern medicine than eastern bodies. If your doctor isn't aware of that, he may injure you. As there are already so many western and eastern style doctors, Koreans already have a lot of choice for treatment. You may have trouble finding a specific type of alternative practice.

As for meditation centers, I've never searched for them, but they will exist. It may be different than what you're expecting. Yoga is very common, as is buddhism.

Spas are very common. Get a Korean girlfriend to take you to the good ones.

sheilabocchine · Joined: 11 Feb 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ

Thank you so much!!

I know I'm in for a huge lifestyle change and I welcome it, but I still have questions. I talk to so many people that say living in the Seoul area is like living in any other major city. Obviously that's not entirely true, so when I have questions and get answers, I'm a happier person.

I've lived in NYC, Chicago and Phoenix. I adore metropolis's and am so eager to explore this one! It will be unlike anything I've ever experienced. I lived in Italy as a child and have traveled extensively around the US and Europe, but have never been to Asia.

I have a picture of South Korea in my head, but I know from everything I've read, it won't be anything like it.

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

Colonics? That's the last of your worries. After your first few Korean meals, things just take care of themselves. Wink

If you'll be working for a hakwon, you won't have half the amount of time you'll need to even think about most of the things your asking. Roll with it. One of the best parts of living overseas is learning to operate OUT of your comfort zone, not learning how to reproduce one.

Nierlisse · Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Location: South Korea

As for the hairdryer, yours from home MAY work. The first time I plugged mine in (with a plug adapter, of course) it worked fine, but the second time it died on me. Once I reset it, it would no longer run on the HIGH setting, just on LOW. There was a button on mine to change it to 220V but of course I didn't notice that at first. So mine works...but not like it does back home. In fact I'm not entirely sure I didn't break it altogether so it will no longer work on HIGH when I get back home...

The previous tenant in my apartment happened to leave a Korean hairdryer behind, which I use now. Anyway, they are easy to find in stores, so I would save the suitcase space and perhaps just bring a diffuser.

thurst · Joined: 08 Apr 2009 Location: Seoul

i guess i'll just ask my question here instead of making a new thread,

i'm just doing some last minute packing right now for my flight (which is in about 12 hrs lol) and i'm just trying to think if i'm missing anything big that i should be getting considering i'm notorious for packing light and just rolling with whatever comes.

besides clothes all i'm bringing is my laptop, mp3 player, a few of my korean books and toiletries. does this sound ok or more like a recipe for disaster?

AD35 · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:26 pm Post subject:

thurst · Joined: 08 Apr 2009 Location: Seoul

by money, i assume you mean cash. is it really a good idea to be walking around with more than $200? i mean i'm not paranoid but i barely feel safe with more than $50-60 in my pocket here in jersey...but then again i don't live in the best neighborhood anyway lol.

Underwaterbob · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito

Underwaterbob · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito

AD35 · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:52 pm Post subject:

Mr Freeze · Joined: 28 Sep 2007

I think one of the other responses mentioned this. This place is nothing like America. There are department stores and whatnot, but don't expect to live a life that is similar to that in the states. You should probably expect to be let down if you are expecting that.

I've been to Suwon many times. Hwaseong Fortress is nice. However, Suwon itself (especially downtown near Suwon station) is kind of dirty. First thing you'll notice after you leave Suwon station is a giant prostitution district. If you're walking down the streets downtown, you'll bump into it at some point. Trust me they dont try to hide it. Also I found the people in Suwon to be jerks.

I've lived in Seoul. I hated it. Too crowded and I felt like a number. You can't go anyplace nice without it being crowded and stuffy. I've been in Daejeon for the last two years. I love it here.

Anyway, my point is that you'll learn stuff along the way. I hope you enjoy and have a great time here. I didnt mean to bring you down, just stress that you'll have to get used to a new way of living.

Adventurer · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

Best of luck to you, Sheila. Learn as much Korean as you can when you get here. I hope your job goes well for you and all.