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From Busan to Seoul - Sell me on Seoul?
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World Traveler



Joined: 29 May 2009
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Daniel1981 wrote:
Right now, the only reason is career. It is for a good career opportunity and since I'm not getting any younger I decided that I had better make the move.

I'd say you are an inspirational example of someone who used a high level Korean language ability to get the F visa and then used that visa to get a good job. What job is it? Non teaching? Thanks for giving others on this board something to look forward to, and thanks for your posts in the Social Integration Program thread. Seoul is one of the best spots in Korea. The air is polluted, but there are more business opportunities and opportunities to make money there. Best wishes for your move and new career.
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BobbyDigital



Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Location: busan sk
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:39 pm    Post subject: Busan>Seoul Reply with quote
I had lived in Busan for 2 years, then made the decision to relocate to Seoul. Worst mistake ever. It was an experience in its own right, but the quality of life does not measure up to Busan even with the ability to make more in Seoul. After 1.5 years(felt like longer) in Seoul( half a year in Gangnam and a full year in HBC), We made the decision to go back to Busan. Have been loving it ever since. I found the foreign crowd to be more open-minded in Busan than in Seoul surprisingly. You do make more money in Seoul, but you also spend it going to overpriced mediocre foreign restaurants in Itaewon. Busan suits my laid back outdoor activities lifestyle, and gives me room to stretch my legs with slightly less agressive elbowing adjummas. Yes you can bicycle along the Han "bike highway" but you can also do that in Busan. The weather is mild here and the summers are spectacular. With Galmegi Brewing on Gwangan beach and the availability of Ka-brew beers, Busan wins.
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Zyzyfer



Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
littlelisa wrote:
Wow, why so negative about Seoul?


I think mainly because the topic creator is moving from the second biggest Korean city to the biggest Korean city. So all of the usual positive aspects one would boast - foreigner community, Western restaurants, imported food access - is kind of rendered meaningless. Take that away and a lot of people would be like hey, all you're left with is smoggy concrete jungle or seaside "paradise".

Quote:
It won't have much views/nature things on Busan, I guess, but there's pretty much anything you could be interested happening here. If you have any obscurish hobbies, or are interested in any, there's lots here.

There are a lot of great Korean cultural activities that are subsidized/cheap, such as Korean language, art, or music classes.

Musicals and musicians/musical groups stop in Seoul often as part of world tours. Sometimes museums will get interesting visiting exhibits


Good post, though! Wink
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cdninkorea



Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
PostPosted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 4:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Daniel1981 wrote:
Thanks a lot for the post~

You mentioned food variety. That's a good one.

I wonder, has anyone found a good low-carb (high fat) market or low-carb shopping venue?

Things like coconut oil, fresh butter (nothing added), pure fresh cream, avocados, variety of cheeses, etc.

I try to eat a ketogenic diet and would love to find the good spots for this kind of food.

Don't really want to debate the merrits of the diet in this thread, just looking for Seoul places for these types of foods Smile


Another thing I need to find asap is a good squash center / club.


You can get fresh butter from Homeplus (they carry a British brand), cream at any large supermarket, avocado and cheeses at Costco, and coconut oil from iHerb. If you want ghee, it's available at the Foreign Food Mart in Itaewon.
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Ruthdes



Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul
PostPosted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cdninkorea wrote:
Daniel1981 wrote:
Thanks a lot for the post~

You mentioned food variety. That's a good one.

I wonder, has anyone found a good low-carb (high fat) market or low-carb shopping venue?

Things like coconut oil, fresh butter (nothing added), pure fresh cream, avocados, variety of cheeses, etc.

I try to eat a ketogenic diet and would love to find the good spots for this kind of food.

Don't really want to debate the merrits of the diet in this thread, just looking for Seoul places for these types of foods Smile


Another thing I need to find asap is a good squash center / club.


You can get fresh butter from Homeplus (they carry a British brand), cream at any large supermarket, avocado and cheeses at Costco, and coconut oil from iHerb. If you want ghee, it's available at the Foreign Food Mart in Itaewon.


I'm not sure where in Gangnam you'll be, but Yeoksam Emart almost always has avocados: Two a pack for ~7,000won. Buy them in advance b/c they're never ripe. I second coconut oil from iherb and ghee from the Foreign Food Market. There's a lot of cheese varieties at the department store supermarkets and to a lesser extent at Emart. You do have to be careful of cream, as it often has sugar added, but not every brand. If you're into grass-fed dairy, you can get Anchor butter at High Street Market, IIRC. If you haven't cottoned on to it yet, mackerel is cheap and readily available at Emart for your omega 3s. Look for 고등어.

I've never lived in Busan, so I can't really compare, but every time I book a holiday, I'm glad that I live so close to Incheon and don't have to waste a day in commuting to an airport with plentiful international connections to go somewhere else in the world. There's lots to like about Seoul for living, too. You can be happy or you can be miserable; personal temperament has a lot to do with it. You don't have the beach, and having lived at Haeundae, that will be a big blow, but there are lots of mountains to explore and a big city to get lost in. Good luck, and congratulations on your career move!
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KimchiNinja



Joined: 01 May 2012
Location: Gangnam
PostPosted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The time I spent in Busan is just seemed like a smaller crappier Seoul; uglier people, less money, less nightlife, fewer good restaurants, etc. Haeundae was the only good part. There might be other goods parts, just didn't see any.
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archaeologist5



Joined: 25 Dec 2013
PostPosted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:39 pm    Post subject: Re: From Busan to Seoul - Sell me on Seoul? Reply with quote
Daniel1981 wrote:
After 3 years in beautiful Busan, I'm moving off to Seoul to live and work in 2 weeks..

I really love Busan, and Haeundae where I live..

So, I'm looking for some good points about Seoul. What do you love about Seoul, what areas in Seoul do you really like, how does the Han River stack up in terms of view / waterside jogging..

Basically, trying to get pumped up about the move.. I don't know much about Seoul, so right now it's hard to get excited..


You are not coming to work for me so I do not care if you are excited about Seoul or not. I would care more if you were excited about teaching your students and looking to do your job well.
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rainman3277



Joined: 13 Sep 2009
PostPosted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 4:42 pm    Post subject: Re: From Busan to Seoul - Sell me on Seoul? Reply with quote
archaeologist5 wrote:
Daniel1981 wrote:
After 3 years in beautiful Busan, I'm moving off to Seoul to live and work in 2 weeks..

I really love Busan, and Haeundae where I live..

So, I'm looking for some good points about Seoul. What do you love about Seoul, what areas in Seoul do you really like, how does the Han River stack up in terms of view / waterside jogging..

Basically, trying to get pumped up about the move.. I don't know much about Seoul, so right now it's hard to get excited..


You are not coming to work for me.


That should get you a little pumped.
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I'm With You



Joined: 01 Sep 2011
PostPosted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 4:48 pm    Post subject: Re: From Busan to Seoul - Sell me on Seoul? Reply with quote
rainman3277 wrote:
archaeologist5 wrote:
Daniel1981 wrote:
After 3 years in beautiful Busan, I'm moving off to Seoul to live and work in 2 weeks..

I really love Busan, and Haeundae where I live..

So, I'm looking for some good points about Seoul. What do you love about Seoul, what areas in Seoul do you really like, how does the Han River stack up in terms of view / waterside jogging..

Basically, trying to get pumped up about the move.. I don't know much about Seoul, so right now it's hard to get excited..


You are not coming to work for me.


That should get you a little pumped.


OP,

How old are you!

"sell me on Seoul" - it's not anyone else's job to help you feel better about moving to a new place.

Typical, hedonistic twenty-dumbthings always wanting to hear only about the good, never the bad.... Romantic jogging along the Hahn River. Yeah, right.
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