Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Globutron]

[quote="the ireland"]

[chris_J2]

[ajuma]

Take a look at Gmarket and see just what IS available so you'll have some ideas about what you can and can't get here.

As for the sheets: Bring one twin or queen flat sheet. I STILL have the one that I brought in 1996!! I've used it for a curtain (made a small pocket in one end), as a top sheet, a bottom sheet (tucked in hospital-style), and even as a table cloth! It doesn't weigh much and is worth the space.

[jsk]

IMO there's nothing absolutely essential to bring from home that you can't find in Korea if you look around. The exception for me were disposable contact lenses, but I have an unusual prescription. However, these items are heavily marked up in Korea:

iPods and anything Apple, digital cameras, laptops
Vitamins and supplements
Deodorant, shaving cream, lotion
Western cold medicine
Musical instrument accessories
Western branded musical instruments
Western branded clothes and shoes
Books/board games for teaching
Good quality luggage, bags, cases

My advice would be to buy all of your small electronics and laptop computer before you come to Korea, and bring a couple items from the rest.

[naturegirl321]

I do understand the padded quilt fitted sheets. My officetel was like that. And had a duvet cover. But I would just chuck both of them in the wash, the fitted quilt and duvet cover.

The Gmarket nivea deodorant brands look pretty good, about 5,000. And since it-s liquid, it should last a long time.

I-m taking vitamin supplements due to two reasons: my family has a BAD medical history and we-re thinking about trying to have a family, so I-m supposed to start taking this stuff 6months to a year before even trying to conceive. I will say this about vitamins. A lot of them are basically flushed down the toilet. Literally. If you get the hard tablet kind, they pack them so tightly in the factories, that your body can-t break them down completely, so you basically flush them out. Softgel or capsules, where you can see the powder are better. Or, buy the powder and eat it. Gross, but it works.

And about the weight limit, are you serious? those coming from Europe only get 20 kgs? that's nuts. I personally think it-s unfair that they don-t do total weight, people and all. My dad is 200 pounds and he can take the same as I can, and I weigh half that? I should be able to take more luggage.

It-s 20 kgs total, or per piece? Doesn't make sense if it's total.

[curiousaboutkorea]

[honeybunch]

for deodorant, I've been using a japanese powder spray thing that I buy from Daiso but it's not advisable if you sweat a lot

for vitamins, I saw Kirkland in costco that's about 500 tablets

[Street Magic]

[ajuma]

[yeti08]

If you are at all a big, tall, or thick guy bring LOTS of clothes. You will NOT be able to find ANYTHING here.
Someone mentioned shoes over 10.5-11, very true.
Underwear is a must
Condoms are a good idea.
Gold Bond powder if you ever use it, I do and can't find it anywhere, (yes my nuts sweat when I exercise, ha)
Warm clothes, especially if you're big

[Hindsight]

furtakk wrote:

[the ireland]

[the ireland]

[Hindsight]

I have seen Emirates flights listed on expedia.com.

As to sheets, I did see some fitted sheets, but that doesn't count for much as I already said fitted sheets are available here. And these fitted sheets are for SINGLE beds:

http://weagookinmall.com/shop/step1.php?number=1695

That's for a three-foot wide bed, folks! I haven't slept in one of those since I was about five years old. You don't see single beds for adults in the States.

I actually saw a poor fellow who was provided with a single bed by his school, with an "apartment" of commensurate size, not much larger than a prison cell.

I don't like these intensely printed sheets they sell here not so much because I would have to look at them, but because I would have to lie on them. I'm afraid all that ink would make them stiff, and it looks like it was printed on cheap cloth. Plus, the ink tends to smell.

What do Koreans have against a white or solid color sheet made of nice, soft cotton? Sometimes I think they are just gluttons for punishment, and find it morally uplifting to sleep on stuff that's uncomfortable. Just look at some of the things they call "pillows." But more likely it has something to do with the absence of cotton in Korea. Cotton has to be imported, and they don't like to import stuff. So they prefer synthetic fabrics for lots of stuff, including bedding, and sometimes even towels. At least traditionally. It's starting to change.

At any rate, I've looked at that waegookinmall before, and have not been impressed. And there's a lesson for our OP and others planning to come here. It's hard to find a lot of foreign stuff here, regardless of what some posters say, or the name of the store.

When I moved to a small town, my co-teacher said I could buy anything in this town. This, of course, was nonsense. Koreans have simple tastes, and believe you can buy anything in Korea because they don't know anything about the world outside of Korea. They have big stores like EMart and LotteMart that have long shelves filled only a few different products. But there's 30 or 40 different varieties of tuna fish in oil and canned luncheon meat filling the shelves. So when you go to a small town and go to the corner grocery, they can stock one brand each of just about everything in a big Korean supermarket, and fit it into a store that's less than 100 square feet.

[Cerberus]

best things I brought were clothes/shoes (haven't bought a single item in Korea)

George Foreman grill , an absolute lifesaver, though I think they sell them now in Korea.

and when renewing my contract I went back stateside and brought back my down comforter, making this winter nice and comfy instead of freezing my ass off and having to sleep in pajamas/socks, etc like I had to my first winter here.

I can deal with Korean "pillows" and "sheets" (that cover they call a sheet) but their blankets/comforters are fluffly and light which works great if you sleep on the floor with an ondol heating you up from the bottom. However, if you sleep on a bed and otherwise like keeping your room cool, as I do , you will freeze your sack off because the Korean comforter is too light and fluffy to be of much use.