Korean Job Discussion Forums

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

Rapier the guy is 5'10

He can shop at any of the stylish shops. Sure they will be expensive as hell, but he can still do it.

Goto any dept. store and look around they got tons of stylish stuff. If I could fit into any of it, I would be spending a pretty penny on clothes every month.

Sheets are something you can't get here...decent fitted sheets that is...but I didn't really care about that my first year anyways. Also it is something your parents can send you later on.

Comforters are easy to get here. Costco sells down pillows/comforters...just take a trip up to Seoul, someone from this board can help you out.

Shoes/underware/socks/t-shirts are the only things I buy excessively when I make return trips home.

Blue Flower · Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2003 3:29 am Post subject:

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

The evil penguin · Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2003 4:33 am Post subject:

coolsage · Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2003 6:36 am Post subject:

There's been some good advice offered here. To which I can add only: a sense of humor, which will aid in maintaining your sanity. And for the same reason, if you have time, grow a thick skin, because you will find that most Koreans lack subtlety and nuance, and they will tend to poke you, figuratively speaking, in places where you've never been poked before. People that you've known for one minute will ask you what we in the west consider personal questions: "How old are you? Are you married? Why not? How much money do you make? Are you a Christian? ( And the one that still baffles me: What is your blood-type?). Hey, I've been here for six years, and I've learned to work around the vicissitudes, more or less, and in my experience the positives outweigh the negatives, but there's always some local who assumes that you just got off the boat, who is amazed that you know how to use chopsticks. You'll have an interesting experience here, a better one if you've hired on with a decent school, one that has provided you with decent accommodation, and if you're new at the teaching gig, adequate materials to get you started. Good luck with it.

Juggertha · Joined: 27 May 2003 Location: Anyang, Korea

Basically I think people often bring too much of the wrong things and not enough of the ones they need.

A little hint, don't worry baout bringing shirts/t-shirts and such. A mojority of your Canadian machine dried clothes don't hold up well here. Buy em here cuz your goingto be hang drying things. That said.. buy your jeans back home.. better price and variety.

Also if you have any "addictions" to brands, stock up. That is if you have a favorite skin cream, chapstick or whatever.. bring lots! You might be able to get next to anything here for a price.. bt maybe not exactly what your looking for.

oh and don't bother with electronics.. thats like bringing Cod to a sushi buffet!

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

Blue Flower · Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2003 8:03 pm Post subject:

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

I don't like the pillows filled with the plastic noodle things. The hard ones are not too bad. With a lot of hunting you can usually find something close to a Western-style pillow. If you are a girl, you could always save your nylons with runs and after a year have enough to stuff your own soft pillow.

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

Dylan · Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Location: Changwon

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! Now I have a few more questions to ask all of you: Did you exchange your cash before coming over to Korea or after you got here? Did you open a bank account before coming (and if so with which bank?)?

I realize I've been asking a ton of questions on this board for the last little while in preparation for my trip over and I would just like to say thanks to everyone who has taken the time to answer and help me out as it was really, really informative and appreciated!

Dylan

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

simpleminds · Joined: 04 May 2006

Dylan: Exchanging your money for Korean won is difficult of not impossible, at least, in my experience. Won is worthless except here. If you travel overseas with won expecting to exchange it, forget it; you can't.

Your school should help you open a bank acount. Korean Exchange Bank, Woori, and Kookmin are some of the major ones. Can't recall the rest.

Have a good trip!

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Go up 2 and then 3 posts above this one. Look at the dates of the posts.

Sometimes I mistake a thread as new, not looking at the date it was posted.

Why was such an old thread reawakened?

It's still a pertinent topic for anyone coming over though. Things have changed over the past few years, meaning more of what you want is available here, but some things are scarce or nonexistent.