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Meggiebea
Joined: 20 Oct 2006
Location: Uijeongbu, South Korea
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 Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:36 pm Post subject: Did I sign over my soul? |
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I just signed and sent my first contract for working in Korea. I decided on Uijeongbu in February.
My head has been spinning with questions about different cities, schools, contracts, salaries etc etc etc. It's nice to finally make a decision. But now I am thinking of everything else. OMG how do I buy things I need at a grocery store??? I can't speak Korea beyond Hello, goodbye, thank you and i am Canadian. How about ordering dinner? how do I pay? I won't even know how much it is when they tell me?
Can anyone give me an idea of what to expect between now and when I start my first class? I get 3 or 4 days of orientation and rest when I arrive. I figure that first week will be the hardest.
Also to anyone in Uijeongbu...whassup? |
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blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
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| Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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buying stuff is easy, they normally have a calculator or till, untill you learn your numbers. expect to be completely confused for the first week or so, but you you either fit in or run home screaming  .
you will be amazed constantly but its fun esp if you are the type of person that likes to push yourself. Plus you get orientation and rest (don't always count on it i arrived five in the morning and was teaching by 10 that day  )
just learn to relax and take the good with the bad (sorry this post is all over the place).
point is I have had some amazing experiences and some which have pissed me off no end. and there is no point worrying till you get here |
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Ramones
Joined: 23 Oct 2006
Location: In Hell in my own mind...
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| Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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Same issues I had when i first got to China.
I smiled alot, they smiled alot.
I always had a little calculator in my pocket for the haggling...
never really had many issues. |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:34 pm Post subject: Re: Did I sign over my soul? |
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| Meggiebea wrote: |
| I get 3 or 4 days of orientation and rest when I arrive. |
Don't count on it. I arrived on a Friday and first class was on Monday, so yes, I got my rest. But ORIENTATION? They put a book in my hand, shoved me in a class of grade 2s, said "Class is 50 minutes long", and walked out. |
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thebum
Joined: 09 Jan 2005
Location: North Korea
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| Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 10:53 pm Post subject: Re: Did I sign over my soul? |
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| Meggiebea wrote: |
I just signed and sent my first contract for working in Korea. I decided on Uijeongbu in February.
My head has been spinning with questions about different cities, schools, contracts, salaries etc etc etc. It's nice to finally make a decision. But now I am thinking of everything else. OMG how do I buy things I need at a grocery store??? I can't speak Korea beyond Hello, goodbye, thank you and i am Canadian. How about ordering dinner? how do I pay? I won't even know how much it is when they tell me?
Can anyone give me an idea of what to expect between now and when I start my first class? I get 3 or 4 days of orientation and rest when I arrive. I figure that first week will be the hardest.
Also to anyone in Uijeongbu...whassup? |
first, learn hangeul! it should take you all of a few hours. you will regret it if you don't. you will be suprised to learn how much stuff is konglish - if you know hangeul, you will be able to figure out lots of words.
ordering: [what you want to order] juseyo (_______ 주세요)
shopping: give me this = i geollo juseyo (이 걸로 주세요)
give me that = jeo geollo juseyo (저 걸로 주세요)
how much is it? = eolmayeyo? (얼마예요?)
most koreans can say prices in broken english. if that fails, they will just point to it or it will come up on the register for you to see.
also, i go to uijeongbu once in a while to extend my visa. it's bloody far. oh yeah uijeongbu is famous for budaejjigae - a delicious korean soup/stew made from kimchi, ham, sausage, noodles, beans, mushrooms, and other meats and veggies. (budae means military unit/force, and jjigae means stew. this food was originally made by koreans gathering the u.s. army's food which had been thrown away and boiling it to make stew) |
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hubba bubba
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:39 am Post subject: |
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| Haha... Figuring it out is half the fun. Don't worry, it will be a blast! |
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B-Teacher
Joined: 09 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:25 am Post subject: |
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Like others have said, as long as your flexible, you'll be fine. If you're worried about prices, carry a calculator around with you when shopping (or a pen/paper). I'd also recommend a Korean-English dictionary or guide book. When I first got here, I didn't leave the hosue without it - if I wanted to communicate, all I had to do was point to the Korean translation in the book.
The Korean language has 2 numbering system. I learned the Sino-Korean one (the one they use for monetary amounts) fairly quickly by simply reading the page numbers in the class texts in both English and Korean. Not only did it make sure the kids were on the right page, I got to practice . |
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trinity24651
Joined: 05 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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When do you leave? I leave sometime in January and I am having the same kind of "sweaty palm" moments that you seem to be having!!
| Quote: |
| first, learn hangeul! it should take you all of a few hours. you will regret it if you don't. you will be suprised to learn how much stuff is konglish - if you know hangeul, you will be able to figure out lots of words. |
It really only took you a few hours to learn hangeul? |
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Meggiebea
Joined: 20 Oct 2006
Location: Uijeongbu, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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| I leave at the end of January. I am just a planner and all the I-don't-knows drive me crazy. I think I am more worried about what to pack and what not to pack. I don't think I can fit it all. Where are you headed? |
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trinity24651
Joined: 05 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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I had another post on here somewhere just about luggage!! I am a HUGE pre-planner too and I've already got one suitcase packed!
I am headed to Hongseong in January. I think it's about 2 hours from Seoul. |
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spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:45 pm Post subject: Re: Did I sign over my soul? |
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| Meggiebea wrote: |
I just signed and sent my first contract for working in Korea. I decided on Uijeongbu in February.
My head has been spinning with questions about different cities, schools, contracts, salaries etc etc etc. It's nice to finally make a decision. But now I am thinking of everything else. OMG how do I buy things I need at a grocery store??? I can't speak Korea beyond Hello, goodbye, thank you and i am Canadian. How about ordering dinner? how do I pay? I won't even know how much it is when they tell me?
Can anyone give me an idea of what to expect between now and when I start my first class? I get 3 or 4 days of orientation and rest when I arrive. I figure that first week will be the hardest.
Also to anyone in Uijeongbu...whassup? |
Ahhh, you get a cart or carry basket and go around the store and put things in it. When you are finished, you go up front to the check out and pay. Hope this helps, I too, was confused the first time. |
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Meggiebea
Joined: 20 Oct 2006
Location: Uijeongbu, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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WOW THANX spliff, ok so I pick out what I WANT and then PAY for it... now if you could only explain how I GET the things I want. I mean salt and sugar look the same, and I can;t read what the box says....soooooo I end up with a huge bag of salt. that is more about what i meant. |
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spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Meggiebea wrote: |
WOW THANX spliff, ok so I pick out what I WANT and then PAY for it... now if you could only explain how I GET the things I want. I mean salt and sugar look the same, and I can;t read what the box says....soooooo I end up with a huge bag of salt. that is more about what i meant. |
Huh, odd! I suggest you do what I do. Look around and see if anyone's watching you. If there isn't and it's cool, rip the bag open a little and moisten the tip of your finger, stick it in the bag and get a sample. Now, just taste it and select an unopened bag of what you're after. If someone starts getting all heavy and uncool (maybe they saw you) just talk back at them in fake Russian. If that fails, just ignore them. |
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Meggiebea
Joined: 20 Oct 2006
Location: Uijeongbu, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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WOW the answer was soooo simple, thanx, you've been a BIG help |
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The Hierophant
Joined: 13 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| trinity24651 wrote: |
It really only took you a few hours to learn hangeul? |
You can learn the characters of the Hangeul 'alphabet' in a few hours, yes.
Learning functional Korean language (both written and spoken) is a different matter entirely...
Still, learning the Korean alphabet as quickly as possible is a must-do. You'll be doing yourself a favour more than anything. It makes life MUCH easier. |
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