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interestedinhanguk
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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 Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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| RMNC wrote: |
^^^ Seoul is the best for anything. There really isn't anything in Korea tha Seoul can't do better, or best, thanks to sheer size. The exception might be Haeundae beach, but Haeundae beach sucks, so it doesn't really matter.
| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
| except diversity. |
Debatable, but does it have more diversity than the rest of Korea? You bet. |
That's not saying much. Some like where 5% of the population is foreign vs2% in other places.
Really, Seoul might be more diverse, but it still isn't diverse. |
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lalartu
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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It really depends on what kind of Korea you would like to live in.
Seongnam in general is a sort of a poor brother of Bundang, which someone else mentioned
living in Seongnam will make you feel like you live in the shadow of a rich brother
Bundang on the other hand will make you feel like a king, but you might not like that either as everyone is pretty much spoiled rich here
Uijengbu (sp?) is way up north and dirt poor too, it has a big military base on top of that which means two things: red light district and shadiness
I've never even heard of the other area you mentioned which probably means it's not that good hehe.
Like somebody else said, Seoul might be the best choice for a new comer since you really want to experience that first. Living outside of seoul will not be the same and you'll really only get half of the deal.
We should make the new rule: All first years must be spent in Seoul.
not for the sakes of partying or having fun but for the sakes of experience the Soul of Korea. If you start out in the boonies, you might never get the real taste.
I started out in seoul and totally loved it and fell in love with the country.
also, if you do live in a satelite city, you will probably never go to seoul, but you really should.
PS as for Korvia, I've dealt with them before. make sure to double check everything they tell you. they have a tendency to bend the truth a little. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| lalartu wrote: |
| also, if you do live in a satelite city, you will probably never go to seoul, but you really should. |
This is BS. I live in Anyang and everyone I work with goes into Seoul at least once a week, generally more. Some of the satellite cities are about as convenient as some of the more inconvenient parts of Seoul. |
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mattdsoares
Joined: 04 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:38 am Post subject: |
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| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
| RMNC wrote: |
^^^ Seoul is the best for anything. There really isn't anything in Korea tha Seoul can't do better, or best, thanks to sheer size. The exception might be Haeundae beach, but Haeundae beach sucks, so it doesn't really matter.
| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
| except diversity. |
Debatable, but does it have more diversity than the rest of Korea? You bet. |
Really, Seoul might be more diverse, but it still isn't diverse. |
Diversity is a word reserved for immigrant countries like the US, Canada, and Australia. Korea is a homogeneous country, like most countries in the world. The best diversity in Korea is in Seoul, but yes, it's still very Korea...that's the nature of the beast. I think when you make a decision to come to a country like Korea you can't place ethnic diversity very high on your list of priorities, or no city here will make you happy. |
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interestedinhanguk
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:33 am Post subject: |
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| mattdsoares wrote: |
| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
| RMNC wrote: |
^^^ Seoul is the best for anything. There really isn't anything in Korea tha Seoul can't do better, or best, thanks to sheer size. The exception might be Haeundae beach, but Haeundae beach sucks, so it doesn't really matter.
| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
| except diversity. |
Debatable, but does it have more diversity than the rest of Korea? You bet. |
Really, Seoul might be more diverse, but it still isn't diverse. |
Diversity is a word reserved for immigrant countries like the US, Canada, and Australia. Korea is a homogeneous country, like most countries in the world. The best diversity in Korea is in Seoul, but yes, it's still very Korea...that's the nature of the beast. I think when you make a decision to come to a country like Korea you can't place ethnic diversity very high on your list of priorities, or no city here will make you happy. |
It's not diverse, period. I'm not only talking about ethnically diverse. My point is that there's no reason that Seoul is so much better than anywhere else. Can someone please explain why Seoul is better, especially compared to other major urban areas of Korea. |
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clewis
Joined: 29 Dec 2010
Location: Anyang, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 11:51 am Post subject: |
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Well I am not really considered about diversity right now (maybe I will be after I am there a while). I am more concerned about wandering around and finding something to do or eating out every night if I want to. Basically just not sitting in my room playing videogames or reading.
I just want to live the big city life since as I stated I have been in the boonies of WA and the suburban sprawl of Chandler, AZ for the last many years. |
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sirius black
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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So many forumites on here like projecting their own likes as truisms for everyone.
There are thousands of people who do not live in Seoul (or want to) that have a great life here. Again, its akin to saying if you don't live in London or Paris you can't really enjoy England or France.
The neighborhood I stay in when I'm visiting Seoul is devoid of foreigners. Never seen one. It may as well be in the sticks with regads to interraction with foreigners. It takes a several stops on the subway before you may spot one or two and not till you get to the main foreigner spots do I see any of 'us' in numbers.
There are areas of Busan, Daejeon and Deagu that are overrun with foreigners as well on party nights.
If Seoull is the only place you've lived and either never visited or barely visited anywhere else it DOESN'T make it an absolute that Seoul is better tha anywhere else. Its a subjective opinion. Not a fact.
Its all about what YOU want and its very possible, even probably you can find want you want all over Korea.
You know what is very, very important in making your stay here good. Friends and your job. You can be around many foreigners in Seoul and not have gotten a good core of friends or you 'had' to take that job in Ulsan, Kwangju or Pohang and met some great people and the reason you re-signed and didn't go to Seoul, your first choice, was because the people are cool and they know you at the few bars in town and you have a cool co teacher or hogwon director. |
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interestedinhanguk
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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Good points by sirius.
What makes Seoul so much different from other areas?
Grayer, taller apartment buildings? More bbq and kimbap restaurants? etc etc |
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apgujohn
Joined: 09 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
Good points by sirius.
What makes Seoul so much different from other areas?
Grayer, taller apartment buildings? More bbq and kimbap restaurants? etc etc |
etc etc? You mean like ethnic food, museums galore, amusement parks, zoos, countless parks, department stores, an organized subway system, Hongdae, easy access to other cities in Korea w/ trains (KTX) and express buses, access other countries via Incheon, a larger (and more foreigner friendly) population.....? I could go on.
hehe
Joking aside, I think Korea is basically what you make of it. My first job was in the middle of Seoul. I like it there. Who's to say I wouldn't have loved Pusan or Daegu if I had found work there instead? It may sound trite, but you should just go with an open-mind and a willingness to try new things. If you do that your location won't really matter, in my opinion. |
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Totti
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:25 pm Post subject: |
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I did a rural location first and was fine with it until I did my first trip to Busan!
It depends on your personality. Some people are more than happy in a rural location and would never dream of moving to a bigger city.
I'm definitely a city person though and enjoy the hustle and bustle that a big city brings. Heck, I actually made more of an effort to learn Korean once I moved just because there were more people for me to practice with who were my own age! |
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interestedinhanguk
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:34 am Post subject: |
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| apgujohn wrote: |
| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
Good points by sirius.
What makes Seoul so much different from other areas?
Grayer, taller apartment buildings? More bbq and kimbap restaurants? etc etc |
etc etc? You mean like ethnic food, museums galore, amusement parks, zoos, countless parks, department stores, an organized subway system, Hongdae, easy access to other cities in Korea w/ trains (KTX) and express buses, access other countries via Incheon, a larger (and more foreigner friendly) population.....? I could go on.
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Ethnic food? The mediocre stuff in Itaewon? Unless you live around Itaewon, you have to travel there, anyways, which one can do from satellite cities. I have had very few experiences with authentic foreign food in Korea, including Seoul.
Museums are ok, but seriously, how often do most people go to museums?
Amusement parks, see above.
Zoos? I've had 2 bad experiences with zoos in Korea, and from the sounds of it there aren't any really good ones.
Parks? The best parks are outside Seoul, where there's a bit of space for them.
I guess if one likes hongdae, then so be it.
Department stores abound throughout urban Korea.
Transportation is good in Seoul, but plenty of urban areas have great transportation. |
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apgujohn
Joined: 09 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:21 pm Post subject: |
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| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
Ethnic food? The mediocre stuff in Itaewon? Unless you live around Itaewon, you have to travel there, anyways, which one can do from satellite cities. I have had very few experiences with authentic foreign food in Korea, including Seoul.
Museums are ok, but seriously, how often do most people go to museums?
Amusement parks, see above.
Zoos? I've had 2 bad experiences with zoos in Korea, and from the sounds of it there aren't any really good ones.
Parks? The best parks are outside Seoul, where there's a bit of space for them.
I guess if one likes hongdae, then so be it.
Department stores abound throughout urban Korea.
Transportation is good in Seoul, but plenty of urban areas have great transportation. |
I started writing a huge response to all of your points, but then I realized that it's a waste of time. We could probably go on and on about this topic forever. You like your location; I like mine. We should be thankful that we're happy with our current situation.
To the OP: think about what you want from an area and choose accordingly. However, I still think that attitude is more important than location.
Now I'm going to head out and enjoy another Saturday in Seoul...maybe hit up a museum followed by a little night cap in Hongdae.  |
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clewis
Joined: 29 Dec 2010
Location: Anyang, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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| apgujohn wrote: |
<snip></snip>
To the OP: think about what you want from an area and choose accordingly. However, I still think that attitude is more important than location.
Now I'm going to head out and enjoy another Saturday in Seoul...maybe hit up a museum followed by a little night cap in Hongdae. |
All the feedback is exactly what I was looking for and it helped me realize that I really need to stick to my guns on what I am looking for. I know I can enjoy any area I end up choosing, I am just looking for a specific type of experience and hearing everyones thoughts on their own experience has helped. |
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kmt36
Joined: 11 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:52 pm Post subject: clewis |
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Thank you for this thread. Informative and enlightening.
I saw, what I believe to be your first post stating that you are a newbie, older and interested in ESL in Korea. How is your search going?
I also noted your connection to another woman who is similar. I have all these in common and would be interested in connecting.
Thanks |
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kangolnoel
Joined: 28 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:58 am Post subject: small town livin |
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I work in a smaller town 80,000 by the beach and have the best job ever. I love my children, my boss, and knowing where I am everyday. I also like that I can save money. I also like that I can go to Seoul on the weekends when I wanna spend all my cash.
a lot of people are whinier than me though. and there aren't a lot of foreigners here. |
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