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shamash
Joined: 02 Jun 2012
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 Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 1:42 am Post subject: |
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| fezmond wrote: |
i'd say bring more deodorant sticks - they can be pretty pricey here.
bring decent toothpaste
as for the money at the airport - i believe they are all regulated (before you exit customs/luggage area) and you'll get the same or only slightly less than a bank once you exit.
bring some little snacks that are pretty common to you but probably not available here. i've just got my first batch of tayto crisps and after 3.5 years, they're a godsend |
Good to know I'll need to get more, and good reminder on the toothpaste, someone actually told me I should bring a couple tubes. I think I'm going to try to limit myself with some of these household type items, though, since I can always have my parents mail more when I start getting low.
I wish I could see the airport exchange rates. I'd kind of rather just do it at the bank here in the US to avoid the stress in saving ~10 bucks, but I'll just have to try and look into it more tomorrow before making any decisions on that. |
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RLib
Joined: 17 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:04 am Post subject: |
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| shamash wrote: |
I'm a tad worried about taking a duffel and my map bag(it's basically a man purse) since Asiana says you get 1 carryon, but the map bag has always been fine as a personal item (it really is tiny) so I don't think I'll run into any issues. |
As long as it can fit under the seat you're fine. I flew Asiana and had a duffel and a messenger bag large enough to fit a laptop-- one in the overhead and one under the seat.
Don't stress about exchanging your money at the airport. The exchange window is right before you exit the secure area, it's hard to miss. You just hand them your US dollars and they hand back Korean won and a receipt. |
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JustinC
Joined: 10 Mar 2012
Location: We Are The World!
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:10 am Post subject: |
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| Bring Americana as gifts for your new colleagues - this will earn you lots of brownie points. |
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shinyismyfavecolor
Joined: 23 Jun 2012
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:04 am Post subject: |
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I would only add one thing to what everyone else already said... I was glad I brought a sheet set since they are hard to find here.
Also, if you bring stickers of cartoon characters that are popular at home, the kids will go nuts for them. They have stickers here, but new characters they have never seen are a lot of fun for them. And silly bandz. They never quite caught on here as they did in the US when I left. They are always a big hit as prizes. I ran out of them almost a year ago and I still see my kids wearing them. American candy like starbusts and jolly ranchers are also fun to give out. |
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Keeper
Joined: 11 Jun 2012
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:09 am Post subject: |
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You will be needing your XL clothes. Your XL there will be XXL or XXXL here and it is not that common. Bring a one year supply of deodorant. It's expensive here when you can find some. I don't think two sticks will last.
If you are with Bank of America I am sorry but they are horrible. You will pay an extra service charge for every foreign transaction. I don't know how they get away with it. It's too late now to change now so minimize your ATM use and bite the bullet. You will want to notify them that you are going to be overseas so they don't think your card is stolen. They will still issue a freeze on it though for airlines until you talk to them again. If you want to transfer money into a bank you will need their SWIFT code.
I'd get a few notebooks maybe too. They have it here but like most things it costs more here and the quantity is smaller sized. |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:22 am Post subject: |
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| shamash wrote: |
Good points again, and I'll pick up some extra underwear and undershirts tomorrow.�
I'm thinking I'll bring a couple pairs of jeans, a couple pairs of khakis, a couple pairs of dresspants, a lot of polos and some button-down shirts, some tshirts and mantanks for when I'm not at work, and maybe 4 pairs of shoes and a pair of flip flops. �That should be about it for clothes. �Oh and socks.� |
Socks and underwear are a good idea. I always bring more pants than shirts as shirts. Easier to find shirts that fit than pants...although there are pretty big Korean dudes. They must get their clothes from somewhere.
And yes, I'd bring a towel. They have them in Korea but you may not have time to go shopping for one before you want to take a shower.�
| shamash wrote: |
| �Should I try and hit up the dollar tree for a bunch of stickers and other supplies I'll want to use in my classroom, or are these easily/cheaply found in Korea? |
Easily found in Korea. E-mart, HomePlus, �Daiso, or any stationary store.
| shamash wrote: |
| Should I go to Bank of America tomorrow to exchange a few hundred dollars for won, or should I just bring a few hundred dollars to Korea and exchange it when I get here?� |
As others said, exchange your money in Korea. And I'd bring more than $400, myself
| shamash wrote: |
| ...and I just recently watched Lost in Translation and cried for an hour thinking I was going to become Bill Murray. �Although becoming Bill Murray would be kind of cool. |
Don't worry. You won't become like Bill Murry's character. This is not Japan.
Also, just because the recruiter asks you to fly in the next day, doesn't mean you have to. If it's a hagwon job, you don't want to waste too much time, but you could ask for a little more time to prepare and say goodbye to friends and family. may not be too much room to negotiate these days, but anyway, you're not their dog.� |
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zombiedog
Joined: 03 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 6:56 am Post subject: |
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1 stick of deodorant per month. i brought 6 sticks and will have friends send me more.
Allergy pills. Alertec from Costco is a good brand, one-per-day thing.
Eye drops.
Nyquil (I always wish I bring more of this stuff whenever i come)
Extra passport size photos. You can get them here easy enough, but you will need them. |
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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| shamash wrote: |
Shopping list tomorrow I have so far:
2 or so sticks of deodorant
a large bottle of soap
a large bottle of shampoo
extra underwear/vnecks |
I would not bring any soap or shampoo unless you have a specific preference for a particular brand. There are plenty of western soaps and shampoos. However, Western toothpaste is much harder to find. I can't stand the taste of Korean toothpaste and I also question their effectiveness. If you like to cook, you may consider bringing over some spices.
Otherwise, I'd concentrate on clothes. Korean clothes are often ugly and poorly made. To buy something decent, you often have to pay 2-3x the price in the U.S. |
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jeremydc808
Joined: 16 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:42 am Post subject: |
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| Not hijacking but this thread has got me excited! OP GL and let us know your experiences when you land and get settled. I would greatly appreciate it!. |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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| zombiedog wrote: |
| 1 stick of deodorant per month. i brought 6 sticks and will have friends send me more. |
Good lord. Have you ever tried Old Spice High Endurance? One stick of that lasts me six months. |
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shamash
Joined: 02 Jun 2012
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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hahahaha yeah thats what I use and it lasts quite a while. I'm bringing 4 or 5 sticks just incase though.
holy shit my flight (to seattle) leaves in 13 hours. i'm mostly packed.
i got an email from my recruiter saying my apartment wont be ready until september 19th cause the teacher i'm taking it from is still teaching until september 18th. i have temporary housing with another teacher?
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The school said you will be staying at the temporary housing until September 18th because the current teacher is still liveing at your house and you could move into your housing on September 19th.
They said you have to share the laundry machine with the other teacher at IA while you're staying at the temporary housing but you will have your own laundry machine at your house. |
i'm a little confused. does this mean i have my own room etc? or are they just talking about sharing a laundry machine to distract me from the fact that i'll be sleeping on another teachers couch for a month? kind of confusing haha |
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shamash
Joined: 02 Jun 2012
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Also apparently I'm attending on Sept 8th-9th some program from a professor at Harvard (but apparently it probably isn't the real Harvard? whatever i'm confused) will I mostly likely be getting overtime for this? it's 9am-6pm so I'm hoping so. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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| shamash wrote: |
| Also apparently I'm attending on Sept 8th-9th some program from a professor at Harvard (but apparently it probably isn't the real Harvard? whatever i'm confused) will I mostly likely be getting overtime for this? it's 9am-6pm so I'm hoping so. |
Housing: probably have a private bedroom in someone's apartment.
No, you won't get overtime for it (9-6 is only an 8 hour day and you aren't teaching) but if you are lucky you won't have to pay for transportation and meals.
. |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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| shamash wrote: |
| i got an email from my recruiter saying my apartment wont be ready until september 19th cause the teacher i'm taking it from is still teaching until september 18th. |
So why are they asking you to come so early? See? You probably could have negotiated to leave later. But still, I'm sure it'll be fine. All the best! |
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shamash
Joined: 02 Jun 2012
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:18 am Post subject: |
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| isitts wrote: |
| shamash wrote: |
| i got an email from my recruiter saying my apartment wont be ready until september 19th cause the teacher i'm taking it from is still teaching until september 18th. |
So why are they asking you to come so early? See? You probably could have negotiated to leave later. But still, I'm sure it'll be fine. All the best! |
I think he may have stayed an extra month for me, because I was supposed to get there a couple weeks ago but had some visa holdups.
I found out that I'll be in a different fully-furnished studio, just without a washer, and when the other teacher moves out, I'll be put in one with a washer. It was just a kinda weird thing for them to point out hahaha. |
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