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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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 Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:21 am Post subject: Studying Korean on Tourist Visa (Where to Live?) |
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Hey,
I'm looking for suggestions on where in Seoul I should live. I am a university student and I'd probably like to meet university age people. And I want to live in a new(ish) goshiwon.
I'm on a 1 year contract in the boonies and after it finishes I'd like to live in Seoul and be able to make friends (with Koreans my age). And just study Korean full time on my own and with language exchange partners and at some of the free classes in Seoul.
Has anyone done this before? How much money do you think it would take to keep me afloat monthly (I have a bit of savings from this year)? Where would you live in Seoul, if you could live anywhere but with low rents? |
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lorenchristopher
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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Why not stay in a hasukchip (하숙집)? They are filled with college-aged Koreans as they are basically cheap dorms for college students. You can find one that includes meals so you can eat and hang out with the other Korean college students staying there. I'm sure you would find it VERY easy to make Korean friends if you lived in a place like that, and would learn Korean quickly.
They have shared bathrooms, small private bedrooms, it all depends though their are nice ones and not-so-nice ones. They range from 350,000 won/month (maybe even cheaper) to around 600,000/month typically. If you get one that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner then all your meals are included. However they are only during certain hours, so if you're late then no meal for you.
I would recommend staying near a big university. Hongdae area would be your best bet since there are lots of universities in that area.
An example of one there http://map.naver.com/local/siteview.nhn?code=13101001
A list/map of them in the Hongdae area http://map.naver.com/local/search.nhn?query=%ED%99%8D%EB%8C%80+%ED%95%98%EC%88%99
This is the route I would go if I quit my job and only studied Korean full-time. |
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks a lot Loren.
I've been pondering the idea of a hasuk jib but I eat a certain diet so I'm not so into getting my meals chosen for me (especially spicy food). But I will look at individual places. I was thinking either the Hongdae/Sinchon area or somewhere around SNU. Another issue with hasuk jibs is sneaking my girlfriend over.
The reason why I'm not entering an intensive Korean language program is because I don't have the money and think that I could set up my own self-study to be nearly as good. If I had more money I would just go to Sogang University's KLI which is also in the Hongdae area. |
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lorenchristopher
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
Thanks a lot Loren.
I've been pondering the idea of a hasuk jib but I eat a certain diet so I'm not so into getting my meals chosen for me (especially spicy food). But I will look at individual places. I was thinking either the Hongdae/Sinchon area or somewhere around SNU. Another issue with hasuk jibs is sneaking my girlfriend over.
The reason why I'm not entering an intensive Korean language program is because I don't have the money and think that I could set up my own self-study to be nearly as good. If I had more money I would just go to Sogang University's KLI which is also in the Hongdae area. |
The Sogang program is great, I went up to level 3. I think once you hit intermediate it is easier to justify self-study. Just buy the book, practice with friends, etc. is definitely much cheaper. Good luck to you! I'm jealous....wish I could quit my job and just study Korean.  |
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nick70100
Joined: 09 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
Another issue with hasuk jibs is sneaking my girlfriend over.
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Most goshiwons don't allow overnight visitors either... and have you ever seen the size of a goshiwon bed? But beyond that, the choices are limited. The next step up is a one-room and that usually requires deposits, higher rent, and at least a one year lease.
Also, is there any particular reason you want to do this in Seoul? To me it seems like the worst possible choice, especially if you're on a tight budget.
Seoul offers.....
The most expensive housing in the country.
A lot of other distractions and things to do and spend money on.
More foreigners than anywhere else (less likely to be forced to speak Korean).
If you just want to get out of the boonies and have fun for a while then go to Seoul. If you really want to study without spending a lot of money you would probably be better off in a smaller city. |
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Summer Wine
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Location: Next to a River
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| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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Or even a small town. You could probably find a small room to rent and its more likely that you could go a year without really hearing any english.
Most of the people are pretty friendly but they really dont speak a lot of english, so you will find it easy to meet people and just chat. |
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:52 am Post subject: |
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| nick70100 wrote: |
| A lot of other distractions and things to do and spend money on. |
That's great. I love things to do. I especially want to do things with university aged Korean friends who share my interests while I'm still young.
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| More foreigners than anywhere else (less likely to be forced to speak Korean). |
I already live in a farming town and I hate it here. I'm not concerned with accidentally making a tonne of foreigner friends--it won't happen because I don't set out to do it. What I'm most interested in is making Korean friends which I somewhat hinted at in my first post: I can live in a university area (which usually has cheap food) and meet a lot of cool people and have fun practicing my Korean. I don't have fun in my town and I feel really lonely here because I have no friends. Everyone is old.
And I'm not convinced Seoul has more foreigners than anywhere else, nearly every other person I see is a foreigner here (although non-white, non English speaking). Unrelated point though. I understand that you're trying to make the point that usually the inhabitants of Seoul have better English under their belts and that's true.
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| If you just want to get out of the boonies and have fun for a while then go to Seoul. If you really want to study without spending a lot of money you would probably be better off in a smaller city. |
The only difference is the rent price, I think. Most other things are cheaper in Seoul, plus there are a lot more resources for learning Korean and a lot of university age friends that I can make. The people who go to universities in the boonies tend to be the bottom 20% of their high school class and bore me to tears. (Overgeneralization I know.)
Maybe a smaller city like Daegu or Daejeon would have a significant population of young people and university areas combined with lower rents, but the Seoul subway system still makes Seoul beat out those cities. I can easily and comfortably travel the whole city for tonnes of free classes or things to do.
And yeah the main reason is seeing my girlfriend. So Seoul or Incheon is a must (she lives in Incheon).
Last edited by chungbukdo on Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:59 am; edited 2 times in total |
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:57 am Post subject: |
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| Summer Wine wrote: |
| Or even a small town. You could probably find a small room to rent and its more likely that you could go a year without really hearing any english. |
That is the smallest problem for most people. If teachers spent their time out with Koreans they would get better at Korean, period (especially if they asked their friends to speak in Korean with them). The reason why most English teachers are exposed to hours and hours of English is because they are in an English bubble at home: English tv, English internet, English computer, English web surfing, English teacher friends, etc. Don't you think so? I mean many people have English bubbles that they impose on themselves and they could willingly get rid of them.
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| Most of the people are pretty friendly but they really dont speak a lot of english, so you will find it easy to meet people and just chat. |
There's only so much you can chat about with a 58 year old woman who has never done anything other than cook or clean in her life. I'm just not motivated to do that, I want to make young friends who are cool.  |
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Summer Wine
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Location: Next to a River
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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Don't you think so? I mean many people have English bubbles that they impose on themselves and they could willingly get rid of them.
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Fair point, I know I do.
My home is my free time. I guess if I really wanted to learn Korean, I could, though mostly I have no one really to talk too.
They live different lives than I do and we dont really have much in common, just as it is back home. Most of my friends are married with children and so the activities they do are different than what I do.
Its not just language, its also that we need issues to discuss. |
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