Korean Job Discussion Forums

[antgonz]

I hear Deodorant is a must because over there it is hard to find. Can I buy a English computer in Seoul?

Is there a post that shows what items I can't leave the United States without?

I am leaving in February.

[caniff]

Take your best clothes and forget the rest of the crap. You can buy the other miscellaneous stuff when you get here.

Unless you like high-quality cheese. In that case, stuff your bags with as much as you can legally carry.

[PRagic]

Bring money if you have it, and jeans. Jeans are still expensive here. Bring a suit or two as well, and maybe a couple of sweaters as it is winter. If you are tall, big, or both, it's good to stock up before you come over, though. Shoes, pants, and shirts aren't as easy to come by here for the big and the tall.

Costco is here, so you can get pretty much anything you want or need, including the ever evasive deodorant and cheese (funny combo, that).

Good luck. Part of the fun of moving to a foreign country is roughing it out a bit and learning how to get by on the local economy. If you have to have all the comforts of home, stay home!

[PGF]

bring the deodorant. If you are not going to live in Seoul, it can be tricky to find and way overpriced.

medicine--> tums, pseudophed, exedrine, visine, band-aids, etc. Just a small first aid kit. Yes, you can get medicine here, but you can not buy OTC meds with english explanations. If you get a cough, you go to the pharm and pantomime cough. He hands you a box of god knows what, let's you know how many to take and your on your own. You don't know the side-effects (drowsiness, insomnia, etc). So, bring a first aid kit with meds you may or may not need.

Suits, a few pairs of comfortable dress shoes and a few pairs of sneakers.

Jeans. sweaters. thick wool socks for the winter.

Oh and for christ's sake, bring over two bottles of good liquor or buy it in the duty free shop. It's so expensive here (for americans at least). If you don't drink it, sell it to me.

If you are a woman, you'll want to stock up clinique or whatever brand of facial stuff you like. It's really high here.

Good luck and don't forget my liquor. One bottle of scotch and one bottle of a decent polish vodka. and your first born.

[kimchi_pizza]

You need to bring LOST Season 3, the complete Sopranos colletction, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, and 3 bags of Salt and Vinegar chips. Do you accept C.O.D.?

Seriously, deoderant is a good call as well as your favorite brand of toothpaste. Koreans don't believe in brushing. It's taboo. Good pair of shoes as it's kinda hard to find your size and style you'll like here. At least that's my biggest problem.

What else...? Ah, your criminal history check, a THOROUGH health check but you'll receive that once you enter the country. Have courage as the...probing is mildly painful. Your transcripts, your Social Security card, driver's license, dental records, signed permission slip from mom and dad, a record of mental health of you and past and present family members, inoculation records (a bout of malaria is to be expected within your first month here), proof of a return ticket home (that's for you), a virgin to offer as a sacrifice to the Immigration Immortals, maybe a machete to get through the thick jungle to get to your school, et cetera.

Got all that? Good, then ignore the first and third paragraphs. Welcome aboard matey.

[mrsquirrel]

Sense of humour, patience, new taste buds.

[PGF]

[Milwaukiedave]

[who-rider9]

I would bring some normal everyday cough medicines/pills like nyquil or whatever it is you may take. Thay may have it here but itll be hard to find unless you speak korean and are able to walk into a pharmacy and ask tell them what you want. You have to go to the pharmacy to get something simple like advil. They dont sell that stuff over the counter.

[Milwaukiedave]

I miss having Nyquil.

[bejarano-korea]

Bring your sense of humour, you are going to need that more than anything.

I was in emart yesterday and I saw a block of mature Australian cheddar
for 7000 won... now 7000 won is expensive for some nice cheese... also
I didn't know Cheddar gorge - 'zumerzet' was in Australia?

[cbclark4]

Shoes and sneakers over size 10 (US) are rare.

Bring shoes for all seasons.

[Vicissitude]

Bring:
A few large flat sheets. Those are very difficult to find and the "sheets" in Korea are not at all comfortable or what we are use to. That's probably the BEST advice you'll get on this board.

Ear plugs and your MP3 player or Ipod are going to help you keep your sanity. TRUST ME on that one!

Better buy yourself a laptop if you don't have one. Computers in Korea are way overpriced as compared with back home. That's a FACT!

Take a few DVDs and CDs to pop into your laptop.

Bring some of your favorite munchies as you'll not be finding them in Korea. Examples: tootsie rolls, licorice, beef jerky, and most kinds of gum.

You can buy salt in Korea and you'll be needing that after listening to a lot of the junk 'advice' you get from lifers and Koreans alike.

[agentX]

Bring your favorite seasonings, and gourmet candies that you can't live without.
Otherwise....STICKER SHOCK!!!
Don't forget undies either. Yeah you can buy them at Ministop or on the street, but...
Woolen socks. You'll want some that fit this time of year.
An English to Korean conversational book. If you can't find one, don't worry, they sell them at the bookstore in Incheon airport.

[tomwaits]

going back I'd take:

books (whuch you can later trade in Itaewan)

little stuff can be helpful teaching...brochures or snything really with English on it,,,

Listerine (stuff in ROK is sugary and not antiseptic)

advil or whatever,,,

dollar store trinket stuff you can give away,,,,