Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poeticjustice]

There is a large rift between my friends and I.

We all chose to come to Korea and many of us have chosen to stay for more than one year. I know that I'll at least be staying for one more year after this one and they probably will too.

The difference between myself and them is that I own a lot of stuff here and they don't. My logic is that I'm going to be here for awhile and I'll know well in advance that I'm going to leave which will give me plenty of time to sell all my stuff, whereas they don't own much more than what they came with because they're always worried about having to leave on a moment's notice (even though we all work stable PS jobs and we're all relatively content).

Me: Large TV (want to get rid of it--never use it), nice/large custom built desktop computer, tons of random stuff for storage and organization, a motorcycle, silverware/dishes that are mine and not my schools, tables that are mine, chairs that are mine, tonnes of books/movies etc...

The majority of my friends: no forms of transportation (just bicycles), laptops from home, only furniture/things given to them by their schools and other than that, only what they absolutely need.

I actually need to get rid of a lot of stuff and they won't take it because they "might be leaving soon," even though I know and they know thats not going to happen.

How about you?

[blackjack]

six months ago i had enough to fit in a goswhon, now, I have a full flat worth of stuff. Big screen TV, two beds (one queen) sofa, fridge, coffe maker, rice cooker, desk, tv cabinet, over 200 books, full kitchen set ...

[The Gipkik]

I do have a nice big TV, but the school gave me that. The computer the school gave me was not nice, so I bought a nice big Apple imac--highly recommended. Got myself a mountain bike, used. No rice cooker as cooking rice is just too easy in a pot. Lots of books, a pile of dvds, and utensils, cutlery, dishes the school gave me. I live pretty spartan, but I am comfortable.

[OiGirl]

We live here, it's not like a temporary sojourn. And we don't have housing provided, so we have enough stuff to be comfortable here.

[VanIslander]

I've moved twice on the last six months, the second time just last week, so I'm very aware of how much stuff I have. I guess you could say I live like a King, but no servants helped me move.

+ a 2005 black Korando with tinted windows and turbo-injected 4.0 diesel and no back seats, room to haul stuff
+ a 42" flatscreen full-HD t.v.
+ a 24" flatscreen computer monitor
+ two tower computers
+ a printer/scanner/photocopier
+ about 200 novels
+ nearly 100 ESL textbooks
+ two bookcases of original DVDs
+ one bookcase of CDs
+ the three aforementioned bookcases plus two more for the books
+ one heavy box of tapes (three-quarters are from the eighties and nineties, one quarter from this century believe it or not - I still listen to them when I drive as my jeep has a tape player - I am low techy.)
+ a double bed (minus the frame which I ditched on this last move - just too much hassle unassembling/assembling)
+ a large dresser (the only thing heavier than the boxes of books)
+ three 100L plastic bags of socks, undies, shorts and tees
+ two 100L plastic bags of shoes and boots (I know, I know, but I have hard-to-find-in-Korea size 13 and so shop everytime am elsewhere and haven't thrown old footwear out in seven years here)
+ one 50 L bag full of sports equipment (tennis rackets, football, soccer, frisbee, etc)
+ one box of family photos and heirlooms (mined from my trip home last year when selling family home after dad died)
+ one decent sized air cleaner (cost about half a million won, Hauzer model, bought last winter, works like a charm, HEPA and charcoal filters)
+ one mountain bike
+ two boxes of school things (board games, crayons, activities, holiday theme items, etc)
+ three small boxes and one big box of notebooks, pens, desk stuff, lamp
+ two boxes of imported dry goods
+ one box of dishes (threw out a lot of old junk finally, to get newer)
+ a lot of drycleaning that had to be moved carefully (seven suits, dozens of dress shirts, about twenty pairs of pants, a hundred neckties - NOT wanting creases, hate ironing)
+ poles for hanging clothes (they are quick and compact to transport)
+ clothes drying tree
+ two dumbbells 10 kg each
+ one carpet, 8x6 feet
+ a small, light vinyl sofa chair
+ two suitcases full of sweaters, casual jackets, winter bomber, misc. winterwear)

Those are the stuff I remember carrying.

BTW, I'm someone who lives by the 'travel light' philosophy when on vacation. New Zealand, Guam, California, Japan, all been to with just one carry-on bag despite spending weeks there. But when I travel home I come back full to the gills. I am going to Thailand tomorrow and am only bringing a small shoulder carry-on, half full (just two changes of clothes for a three-week trip). Whether I come back like that is another matter (though this ain't a shopping trip).

[tzechuk]

I've lived here for 9+ years and I have a kid. I was married to a Korean man. You betcha I have EVERYTHING you need to actually live and not just make do!

[sojukettle]

My contract (not teaching) calls for me to have a twenty foot container paid for to and from korea.

I arrived with a couple of suitcases but I will leave with a container full of 'belongings' - not sure where to yet....

moving on in a few months....

sk

[byrddogs]

even after downsizing (no more car, motorcycle, less fun gadgets) i still have too much. that became clear when i moved apts. last week, lol.

[littlelisa]

I don't live out of a suitcase, but I don't need a lot of stuff either. Other than owning an oven, I don't really have anything too big, and if I needed to move in a couple of weeks, I probably could. I'm planning to stay for a couple more years at least, though, so that's not really a concern.

Overall, I think that people think they need more stuff than they actually do (people with kids need more stuff, though, that's different).

Having moved at least a couple of times in the last couple of years, and in that time also having helped others move, including my grandparents, I realize how much stuff people accumulate and how little of it we actually need or use. We have this idea that more stuff = better, and it's not always true.

In any case, I'm comfortable.

[UknowsI]

I knew I would be here for a few years when I first came here so I just bought a nice TV, computer and bed right away so I can enjoy them as long as possible. Everything together was 3 million or so and in my opinion it was very much worth it.

[proustme]

I came to Korea with a duffle bag, a hiking backpack (yea, I know), and two suitcases. Other than an IKEA chair and a few cameras, I could pack up and leave tomorrow. I'd have to do away with the novels and books I've purchased in my time here, as well as the kitchen things I've amassed.

[English Matt]

Apart from some books, a wok, a few mugs, a small TV table and a set of shelves in the bathroom, everything in my apartment is owned by my school or I brought with me from the UK. I also do not have a driving licence, although even if I did I would likely not buy a car as it is a major purchase and one that depreciates in value faster than almost anything else you can buy. I brought my own laptop here with me and my school bought me a new LG notebook.....I only use it for internet and watching movies so don't really need a custom machine.

Most people's apartments are not all that big and come furnished by their schools. Why spend money on stuff you don't need, particularly when many people come here to save money? If you spend three million won on stuff, you will likely not recoup three million won when you try to sell it a couple of years later....there is also no guarantee you will be able to sell it, as the OP is now discovering.

No matter where I've lived, I have never spent that much money on stuff that I didn't 'need' as I knew I was not going to be spending the rest of my life there and would not be able to transport said stuff onwards to my next destination.

What I'm getting at is that most people are perfectly fine with what they have provided to them by their schools....as they are not staying and are a long way from home there is really not the instinct to build a nest as it were. Most people view this as a temporary 'sojourn' and their attitudes towards building a home here will reflect this.

I am surprised though that so few people I know put up pictures, posters, photos, etc on their walls....it's a cheap and easy way to make a bland apartment feel a little more like home.

[poeticjustice]

[Draz]

I bought some hangers so I'm not really living out of a suitcase, but I picked that option anyway. I own:

the hangers
4 blankets
3 pillows
"antique" mirror
dresser
2 small bookshelves
old desktop computer
bunch of clothes
some books and magazines
desk chair
2 fans
4 small tables
2 space heaters
mini blender

The mirror, blankets, 1 space heater, and clothes, I want to take when I go. The rest I'd have no problem just giving away/leaving on the side of the road when I leave. It is almost all scavenged.

[Nester Noodlemon]

I came to Korea with two suitcases, mostly full of clothes.

Now, after some years, I have:

more clothes
vacuum cleaner
blender
oven
books
laptop computer
desktop computer
etc.
etc.
21 remaining of 36 count toilet tissue pack
etc.
etc.
etc.
Korean wife
etc.
pots
bowls
dishware
cooking utensils
etc.
business/hogwon
etc.
9 umbrellas
7 remaining of 10 count toothbrush pack
etc.

This list has not been made in order of importance.