|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
DomesticPelican
Joined: 25 Sep 2009
|
 Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:35 pm Post subject: Anyone familiar with Geoje City? |
 |
|
I know Okpo is the main place on the island, but does anyone know anything about the Geoje City or the island in general?
I originally wanted to live in a huge city, but I'm definitely considering a position in Geoje City. It's relatively close to Busan and it will be really nice once the new bridge is finished....
Any info would be greatly appreciated. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
DomesticPelican
Joined: 25 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 6:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Please...
lol |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Totti
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It depends what you're after. If you're after nightlife Geoje is not the city for you. It's a 50minute ferry ride from Okpo to Busan and the cost of it can add up if you're planning on going every weekend.
If you like hiking and a quiet life then Geoje wouldn't be that bad. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DomesticPelican
Joined: 25 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Can you still find all the necessities there? Groceries, pharmacies, a few places to get a beer, etc etc?
I am assuming it is not some terribly remote island like they lived on in LOST. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| DomesticPelican wrote: |
| I know Okpo is the main place on the island, but does anyone know anything about the Geoje City or the island in general? |
Okpo (on the east coast) is the second largest community on the island. Gohyeon (on the central north coast) is the largest community. Both communities have huge shipyards, Daewoo's next to the former and Samsung's in the latter.
Note: The entire island of Geoje is one municipality so technically Geoje-do is Geoje-si, though it gets confusing with Gohyeon often referred to as Geoje (confusing the part with the whole) though city hall is in Gohyeon. Further muddying terms is the fact that there is a more traditional name for the older part of Gohyeon not to mention alternate forms of romanized spelling.
Okpo has a lot of nightlife, is party central for the billion dollar shipbuilding industry there, so there are nice hotels, French restaurants (Norwegian fare too) and bars with hundreds of Europeans every night, mostly fortysomething male engineer/manager/construction types. Makes for great pub nights chatting it up with people from nearly a dozen different countries. And there is alively expat club with over a thousand people there, sunday bbq/picnic/lunches, hikes, get togethers and a clubhouse restaurant and bar that you can pop into any day and talk with other foreigners. It is very nice for that. But Okpo is not a nightlife place for a twentysomething in search of other twentysomethings.
| Totti wrote: |
| If you're after nightlife Geoje is not the city for you. If you like hiking and a quiet life then Geoje wouldn't be that bad. |
 (see above) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DomesticPelican
Joined: 25 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| VanIslander wrote: |
| DomesticPelican wrote: |
| I know Okpo is the main place on the island, but does anyone know anything about the Geoje City or the island in general? |
Okpo (on the east coast) is the second largest community on the island. Gohyeon (on the central north coast) is the largest community. Both communities have huge shipyards, Daewoo's next to the former and Samsung's in the latter.
Note: The entire island of Geoje is one municipality so technically Geoje-do is Geoje-si, though it gets confusing with Gohyeon often referred to as Geoje (confusing the part with the whole) though city hall is in Gohyeon. Further muddying terms is the fact that there is a more traditional name for the older part of Gohyeon not to mention alternate forms of romanized spelling.
Okpo has a lot of nightlife, is party central for the billion dollar shipbuilding industry there, so there are nice hotels, French restaurants (Norwegian fare too) and bars with hundreds of Europeans every night, mostly fortysomething male engineer/manager/construction types. Makes for great pub nights chatting it up with people from nearly a dozen different countries. And there is alively expat club with over a thousand people there, sunday bbq/picnic/lunches, hikes, get togethers and a clubhouse restaurant and bar that you can pop into any day and talk with other foreigners. It is very nice for that. But Okpo is not a nightlife place for a twentysomething in search of other twentysomethings.
| Totti wrote: |
| If you're after nightlife Geoje is not the city for you. If you like hiking and a quiet life then Geoje wouldn't be that bad. |
(see above) |
Thanks for all the information, much appreciated.
Is there anywhere on the island to find other 20-something year olds? lol
I'm 25 so I'd like to interact with at least some people who I can relate to. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Totti
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| if you're in your 20's DON'T GO THERE! Seriously, it will be 'nice' for a week or so until your first trip to a city. There are some English teachers there, but almost every teacher I knew last year has moved on to living in Seoul or around Seoul. Go for the city. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DomesticPelican
Joined: 25 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Like I said, I'm not a huge party animal by any means. Yes, I like to go out for a beer every now and then....but my main concern is living somewhere nice.
Like I said earlier, as long as I can get some groceries, find some places to eat, go to the pharmacy, etc etc....I will be happy.
Are there taxis and stuff on the island too? I assume there would be, but I honestly have no idea.
I have never lived in a city before. I have lived in a town of 12,000 my entire life....other than when I went to college in a slightly larger town.
Once the bridge to Busan is open, it would be especially convenient for when I want to go to a bigger city. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Totti
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Seriously, I'd take a job in a bigger city first and then go to somewhere like Geoje for you second year, especially if you're in your twenties. Maybe somewhere like Changwon would fit the bill better? There are taxi's, pharmacys and it has some nice restaurants, but there are better places to live IMO. Geoje would be a good place when you're over 30, but definitely not before. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DomesticPelican
Joined: 25 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 12:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Totti wrote: |
| Seriously, I'd take a job in a bigger city first and then go to somewhere like Geoje for you second year, especially if you're in your twenties. Maybe somewhere like Changwon would fit the bill better? There are taxi's, pharmacys and it has some nice restaurants, but there are better places to live IMO. Geoje would be a good place when you're over 30, but definitely not before. |
I appreciate the advice.
I still haven't decided if this is going to be a multiple-year thing in Korea...that will depend. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kurtz
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
I found Okpo very seedy. Many things are for sale, especially the bargirls.
Due to the amount of men there, many with money to burn, Okpo has a lively hostess bar scene. The women are mainly Fillipas and Russian, who expect you to buy them horribly priced drinks (of which they get a tiny commission for) and if you get drunk enough, you might end up taking them to a hotel. All very seedy and very expensive (from what I've heard).
On the plus side, there are some very good western restaurants and interesting bars, but again, these are frequented by dodgy westerners and their rented friends, or Korean women who seem to be on some kind of downward spiral.
I agree, it's no place for a young guy, it's more of a work/party place for rich middle aged men.
The island itself is very nice in summer, the beaches are nothing special, but for the rest of the year on my visits there, it is kind of boring and isolated (especially without a car). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
There are two bridges to the mainland at Tongyeong city, not far from the cities of Masan, Jinju and Changwon. And buses leaving the island for all major cities every hour. I loved taking the 11:30 pm friday night departure express luxurious overnight bus to Seoul once every four to six months for shopping, arriving in the Big Smoke before 5am, sleeping the whole way, eating breakfast when I arrived then had a full saturday and sunday beofre heading back.
| Kurtz wrote: |
| ...there are some very good western restaurants and interesting bars, but again, these are frequented by dodgy westerners |
dodgy Westerners? ...
In my years there I never meet or even saw a Westerner that could be characterized as "dodgy". Lots of European shipyard engineers/managers/specialists. Even the Australian bluecollar tradesmen were good blokes. (Okay, maybe you're talking about the Russian pimps, but most of them don't speak much English nor hang out much with the thousand-plus other foreigners in town.
Now Thailand has plenty of dodgy Westerners, in comparison. And maybe Seoul, but not Okpo.
| DomesticPelican wrote: |
| I have never lived in a city before. I have lived in a town of 12,000 my entire life....other than when I went to college in a slightly larger town |
I grew up in a town of 5,000 and absolutely loved my years on Geoje in Okpo. There certainly is no better smaller community in Korea where people DON'T STARE at the foreigners nor give attitude. Why? Because the island is built on making ships for foreigners, a billion dollar business, and the kids see foreigners walk the street so much it is commonplace. I was in Korea for nine months before I encountered my first xenophobic experience, in Masan on the mainland. Okpo has a ditinctively more friendly vibe for the foreigners from the locals. Having lived for years on the mainland I have seen the contrast.
The truth is: if you come from a small town like I did then you don't want to go underground and take subways every day, nor spend an hour commuting. Nor do you need a mass of strangers to feel in the middle of the action; instead, two or three good friends and some friendly locals to easily go out to dinner or a beer with is all one needs socially. And I found it an easy place to make friends with the other ESL teachers and the other Westerners about town. In fact, my biggest lament socially was the turnover: all but one foreigner I met in my first year there were gone by the start of my fourth year, 6-18 months being the average at the shipyards and a year at the schools. Made some good Korean friends though. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kurtz
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
^
I realize you're in a much better position to comment on Geoje than me, but after having spent a week there, that was my impression.
I'm sure there are some decent guys there, but are you 25 like the OP? Would you want to hang out with the shipheads at that age, who to me seemed boorish, vulgar, and not the type of blokes at all to hang out with if you're a young buck.
I do agree the lack of stares from the natives was great, and there is a kind of communal spirit there. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DomesticPelican
Joined: 25 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I'm not a huge party guy. Like I said, I can always go to Busan for things like that. If I just want to get a beer and chill out, I'm sure I can do that in Goeje.
I don't know...I haven't decided on this yet for sure yet, anyway. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Shan84
Joined: 31 Jan 2009
Location: Okpo, Geoje Island, South Korea
|
| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
They are people who are younger here in Geoje. I live about 5 minutes outside of Okpo and there are 5 foreigners at my school. 4 of us are between 23-27. There are things to do around the island, but you definitely will use the ferry to travel to Busan sometimes and get away from the island. I've been here for 4 months now and love it. We go to Okpo once or twice a week if we need to do any grocery shopping, or hang out at the bars, or grab dinner. If you want something a little more big city you can travel 15 minute taxi ride to Goyheon and they have Homeplus with a movie theater, etc.
They have most modern conviniences here on Geoje Island. It's not a secluded island and there is a large foreigner population as well (not only shipyard men in their 40s).
Hope this helps. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
