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ThomasR
Joined: 31 Mar 2009
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 Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:28 pm Post subject: Some general Korea Questions |
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Here are some questions I have been wondering for awhile that I wanna know before coming to Korea:
-Im 6'0'' about 190 lbs. I wear a size 10 shoe. Am I in trouble? Should I bring all my own stuff? I dont care if its Korean clothes, but will I find ANYTHING that will fit me over there?
-Do I need to get a international drivers license if Im planning on using a scooter?
-What is smoking like? Are restaurants non-smoking? What about hotel rooms? I know smoking is big over there and want to know where I would find smoking and what not.
-Is there like a Barnes and Noble or any large bookstores that cater especially to English speaking people?
-I hear Koreans table manners are a bit more... laxed then at home. For instance, slurping is not only accepted but encouraged. Is this true?'
-How are young Americans generally looked at? I know Koreans put a lot of stock into age. Being that Ill be 21 when Im over there, will I face a lot of disrespect etc? Mainly, Im worried about my director trying to take advantage of me because of my age. Key word is trying, as Im not as young in my mind as in my body...
-How does the Korean postal system work? Does mail get delivered to a mail box at your house?
If I think of other questions I will be sure to ask. Thanks in advance! |
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OiGirl
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: Hoke-y-gun
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:58 pm Post subject: Re: Some general Korea Questions |
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| ThomasR wrote: |
-Is there like a Barnes and Noble or any large bookstores that cater especially to English speaking people?
-How does the Korean postal system work? Does mail get delivered to a mail box at your house?
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In Gwangju, there is no large bookstore with a great supply of English books. There is a Yongpoong at the bus terminal now, but their selection of English books has gone sharply downhill since they opened a few years ago. Other large bookstores downtown will have a small selection as well. In Seoul, you can do much better.
You will have a mail box at your home, but it will likely not be secure, and it's quite possible your neighbors will snoop through or steal your mail. You could get mail delivered to you at work, but with the same results. It's possible to rent a secure post office box at the post office. |
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Cerriowen
Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Location: Pocheon
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:39 pm Post subject: Re: Some general Korea Questions |
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| Quote: |
-Im 6'0'' about 190 lbs. I wear a size 10 shoe. Am I in trouble? Should I bring all my own stuff? I dont care if its Korean clothes, but will I find ANYTHING that will fit me over there? |
There are shops in Itaewon (seoul), Dongducheon/Uijeongbu (North of Seoul) and Pusan that I know of. The clothes tend more toward american gangster style (at least in Itaewon and dongducheon).
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| -What is smoking like? Are restaurants non-smoking? What about hotel rooms? I know smoking is big over there and want to know where I would find smoking and what not. |
I went to a restaurant that had a big "NO SMOKING" sign, right next to a stack of ash-trays  The only place I've ever seen to enforce it is malls, movie theatres, and jimjilbangs (saunas). Restaurants and bars welcome it.
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| -Is there like a Barnes and Noble or any large bookstores that cater especially to English speaking people? |
Yes and no. They don't cater specifically to English, but they have large sections and you can order pretty much anything (usually they get it off Amazon or B&N and mail it to you.) At least in Seoul... There's Kyobo books and Bandi Luni.
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| I hear Koreans table manners are a bit more... laxed then at home. For instance, slurping is not only accepted but encouraged. Is this true?' |
Their table maners are just really different than ours. For example, blowing ones nose, or leaning back and stretching out your legs, or tapping a bowl with a spoon are rude... but slurping is just considered a necissary part of eating with chopsticks.
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| How are young Americans generally looked at? |
Frequently, with wide eyes, pointing fingers and yelling "HI!"
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| I know Koreans put a lot of stock into age. Being that Ill be 21 when Im over there, will I face a lot of disrespect etc? |
Not due to your age probably
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| Mainly, Im worried about my director trying to take advantage of me because of my age. Key word is trying, as Im not as young in my mind as in my body... |
He will try, and it will have nothing to do with your age. You're a foreigner.
Most of the time I've found that people treat me with the level of respect that I tollerate. We're kind of "outside" their frame of referance. Some people treat me as above, and some as below. People won't usually walk on you unless you let them. Gently insisting on not being walked on usually works best... Don't get pissy, because you'll lose face and they'll just think of you as a little *beep*, and walk on you more.
Most koreans I've found think it's a really novel idea to invite me to be their "friend" (equal in age and rank, not speaking up or down). This only backfired once when I was having a particularly bad day and a 40-something woman at my school said "I think we are the same age". I was kind of insulted (being 2 , and just in context of what she had said before, wasn't thinking about korean culture (she'd asked me my age, and other things like that). She was offering me friendship (We can be the same age/rank, so we can be friends).
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| How does the Korean postal system work? |
Randomly. Street addresses are a new concept, and most roads don't have names. I've never had anything lost, but a lot of other people have.
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| Does mail get delivered to a mail box at your house? |
Yup. But if it's anything important, I'd have it delivered to the school AND have someone sign for it. |
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ryoga013
Joined: 23 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:06 pm Post subject: Re: Some general Korea Questions |
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| ThomasR wrote: |
| -Im 6'0'' about 190 lbs. I wear a size 10 shoe. Am I in trouble? Should I bring all my own stuff? I dont care if its Korean clothes, but will I find ANYTHING that will fit me over there? |
Wider is harder to find, but 6' might cause some problems unless you go to the international markets and just wait for the people to yell out "big size, big size" I wear shoes larger than that and didn't have a big problem. Once again, wider shoes are harder to find like my size 10"4E. I just wear a size up, not as wide shoe with two socks to make them comfortable.
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| -What is smoking like? Are restaurants non-smoking? What about hotel rooms? I know smoking is big over there and want to know where I would find smoking and what not. |
You can smoke pretty much anywhere, anytime regardless what the sign next to you says. It's slowly changing but without some consequences brought to the people for breaking the law, it won't happen as quickly.
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| -Is there like a Barnes and Noble or any large bookstores that cater especially to English speaking people? |
In the bigger cities there are one or two English bookstores or at least an English section in the much larger stores.
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| -I hear Koreans table manners are a bit more... laxed then at home. For instance, slurping is not only accepted but encouraged. Is this true?' |
I dont' know about encouraged, but they have no problem with munching with their mouths open wide enough that if you wanted to punch them in the face for being so loud you might lodge your fist in their gullet. This is especially annoying with their gum "chewing."
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| -How are young Americans generally looked at? I know Koreans put a lot of stock into age. Being that Ill be 21 when Im over there, will I face a lot of disrespect etc? Mainly, Im worried about my director trying to take advantage of me because of my age. Key word is trying, as Im not as young in my mind as in my body... |
Some places are pretty good about keeping their word and not trying to bend you over, just like any other country, but it seems the ratio of dickheads and on par or better directors isn't as good of a number as you would hope for.
-How does the Korean postal system work? Does mail get delivered to a mail box at your house?It goes where you tell it to unless you live in a teacher's dorm at a university then it might go to the office.[/quote] |
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ThomasR
Joined: 31 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Glad to see all the answers. Thank you! I feel much better about going over there now. (At least about being able to wear clothes) |
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English Matt
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| ThomasR wrote: |
| Glad to see all the answers. Thank you! I feel much better about going over there now. (At least about being able to wear clothes) |
Clothes wise, you'll be fine as long as you shop at western clothes stores like Zara (the store in Bundang is excellent, the one in COEX is not good at all) Gap (locations all over the place in Seoul and other large towns and cities - the flag ship store is in Myeongdong in Seoul), Club Monaco (good store in Apgujeong dong in Seoul, but ubiquitous across Seoul and other towns, particularly in AK department stores), and Banana Republic (again in Apgujeong dong). Most western stores carry western sizes and, as you can imagine, the large sizes tend to be very unpopular. The only draw back is the massively inflated prices. Expect to pay between 70,000 and 120,000 won for a good shirt, 30,000 and 50,000 for a t-shirt, 100,000 and 150,000 for a pair of jeans, etc. As regards your shoe size...that is not abnormally big for Korea and you should be able to find that size in most stores. ABC Mart is a good place for western shoe brands, like Vans, DCs etc - the prices are not too bad at about 60,000 - 100,000 won.
There also a lot of knock-off clothes (Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Polo, etc) being sold on the sidewalk and in numerous stores around Itaewon, as well as at markets like the one in Dongdaemoon in northern Seoul. |
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English Matt
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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Books wise this is the site you want,
http://www.whatthebook.com/
They have a store in Itaewon, but if you don't live close enough to Seoul to be able to make regular trips then they will deliver to you. |
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ekul
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
Location: [Mod Edit]
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Do people really consider 85kg and 6foot to be big? There are plenty of Koreans around that size. |
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Jammer113
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 11:02 pm Post subject: |
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You're on the high end size for clothes, but you should be ok. Don't gain any weight.
My understanding is that scooters don't need licenses for 50cc or less. Everything else needs a license of some sort. I think that up to a certain cc level, you just need a driver's license, and after that, you need a motorcycle license. Check all of the regulations very carefully.
People smoke everywhere. Including right outside of my apartment door. I tell them they should go somewhere else. They eventually do.
No English bookstores, but there are apparently English USED bookstores. Lots of the big stores have English sections. It varies. At one store, it was about 50 random books stacked on a cart. At another, it was a huge section. Half the English books you'll find are textbooks. My personal favorite is (I think) Kyobo in Gangnam.
Slurping is ok for soups with noodles.. Chomping and smacking is done. There's different ideas of what is 'good' here, depending on who you hang out with. I really, really hate the kids on the bus smacking their bubblegum all day long. Drives me insane. People spit everywhere. It's mostly teenagers who think it's 'cool' or older people.
Young americans are seen as beautiful, youthful, and energetic... the perfect friend for a young Korean to learn English with. Children are encouraged to view young american teachers more as an 'older brother' than as a 'teacher'. This is good in that it encourages them to speak more, it's bad in that it makes discipline and teacherly respect more of an issue. It's also, in my opinion, dangerous.
Bosses are so varied, it's hard to find a peg for them. Some will be very conscious that foreigners have different ideas about workplace responsibilities, and will try to be extra nice.. some think you should do whatever they say without question. Either way, you're not the boss, so you don't get to make decisions. And most of your bosses are going to expect you be a workaholic.
It's not so much a matter of respect or disrespect, but rather that from your boss's perspective, you are at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of age, job, and social status. Your boss can respect you and still think you should happily do everything he asks, regardless of what it is, how much he's paying you, or how long it takes. Koreans face these same problems.
Public school principals have a lot more on their plate than the foreign teacher, and how they deal with foreign teachers depends on their individual priorities. A lot of schools shift the entire responsibility of the foreigner squarely on the shoulders of the co-teachers.
As for mail, I've sent perhaps 30 or 50 packages and never had a problem. I don't know anything past that. |
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bogey666
Joined: 17 Mar 2008
Location: Korea, the ass free zone
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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| ekul wrote: |
| Do people really consider 85kg and 6foot to be big? There are plenty of Koreans around that size. |
not THAT many.
I'm close to enough to his size.. with slightly bigger feet, slightly higher weight)
a 6 footer here IS tall, whereas back home you're slightly above average.
that height/weight combo is EXTREMELY rare.
btw.. I brought a bunch of clothes from home. I basically figured on doing NO clothes shopping here and it's worked out nicely that way. I bought some levi's jeans at a GAP store in the Phillippines for at a very good price. I try not to buy anything here, frankly - as everything is vastly more expensive than it SHOULD be, other than say transportation.
going back to "sizes".
I recently ordered some shirts from baboshirts. Mistakenly I didn't pay attention and notice that the sizes given were "Korean sizes" - whatever the hell that means.
ergo - I ordered everything XL which is my preferred American size, since I lift and I like my shirts loose.
I learn about my size screwup as the shirts arrive, I send them back and now have to convert American XL into "Korean size".
on the site, they say.. measure your best fitting T-shirt across the armpit and its length and compare those to the "Korean size" chart.
so that's what I did.
my chest size is a cm smaller than Korean 3XL
but my length size is basically between a Korean large and XL.
so if I want a good fitting "Korean size" t-shirt chest and shoulder wise, it'll be covering my ass cheeks lengthwise.
my advice is go to 2nd hand stores stateside and buy everything THERE and lug it over, despite it being a slight pain in the ass, and even if you have to pay for excess baggage.
it'll be worth it. Trust me. |
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English Matt
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:00 am Post subject: |
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| Jammer113 wrote: |
| No English bookstores, but there are apparently English USED bookstores. Lots of the big stores have English sections. It varies. At one store, it was about 50 random books stacked on a cart. At another, it was a huge section. Half the English books you'll find are textbooks. My personal favorite is (I think) Kyobo in Gangnam. |
What the Book? in Itaewon (website link as per my previous post) is an English only bookstore (used and new)....great place to spend a Sunday morning browsing around. |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:55 am Post subject: Re: Some general Korea Questions |
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>>>>>Im 6'0'' about 190 lbs. I wear a size 10 shoe. Am I in trouble? Should I bring all my own stuff? I dont care if its Korean clothes, but will I find ANYTHING that will fit me over there?
Stock up on clothes before you come. There are stores which specialize in large sizes, but might have to travel a long distance to get to them. I hold onto a business card from such a store in Cheongju.
>>>>>Do I need to get a international drivers license if Im planning on using a scooter?
If you're going to drive in this bloodbath, you're braver than I am.
>>>>>Is there like a Barnes and Noble or any large bookstores that cater especially to English speaking people?
The best known is Whatthebook in the Itaewon area of Seoul.
There are also English bookstores for English teachers and foreigners. Every big city has at least one.
>>>>>I hear Koreans table manners are a bit more... laxed then at home. For instance, slurping is not only accepted but encouraged. Is this true?'
I don't know about slurping, but at some meal tables, there are communal side dishes in the middle of the table. All the people at the table are free to partake of those side dishes with their own spoons or chopsticks.
The Korean people must have bred themselves for strong resistance to hepatitis.
>>>>>How are young Americans generally looked at? I know Koreans put a lot of stock into age. Being that Ill be 21 when Im over there, will I face a lot of disrespect etc? Mainly, Im worried about my director trying to take advantage of me because of my age. Key word is trying, as Im not as young in my mind as in my body...
As far as getting a job, you're at an advantage. There is a general notion that younger teachers are livelier and more entertaining.
I don't know if younger foreigners are less respected. The Korean people may treat you like you're stupid, but they think all foreigners are stupid.
-How does the Korean postal system work? Does mail get delivered to a mail box at your house?
No problem there. |
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samd
Joined: 03 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:02 am Post subject: |
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| ekul wrote: |
| Do people really consider 85kg and 6foot to be big? There are plenty of Koreans around that size. |
This is true. 6 foot is not that tall for a young Korean guy, and there are plenty of chunky guys that height. They all find clothes and so will you.
I suspect that those having trouble finding clothes are older and/or looking for a certain style that is not well stocked here in general.
Size 10 shoe is not a problem at all. Again, plenty of size 10 Koreans. |
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bogey666
Joined: 17 Mar 2008
Location: Korea, the ass free zone
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| samd wrote: |
| ekul wrote: |
| Do people really consider 85kg and 6foot to be big? There are plenty of Koreans around that size. |
This is true. 6 foot is not that tall for a young Korean guy, and there are plenty of chunky guys that height. They all find clothes and so will you.
I suspect that those having trouble finding clothes are older and/or looking for a certain style that is not well stocked here in general.
Size 10 shoe is not a problem at all. Again, plenty of size 10 Koreans. |
I beg to differ. So 190 is now "chunky", is it?
I guess it depends on what his 190 lbs is composed of.
I'm 5-11 and something.. 200 lbs and I have discussed my "Korean size" experience above. I can wear 10.5 shoe size but it has to be wider than normal. I ordered my shoes from New Balance and brought them over.
frankly, he will be facing a fascinating combination of "fit/size", AND fashion AND price problems if he has to buy clothes (and perhaps shoes, I know much less on that front) here.
so - my advice is he make his life INFINITELY easier and avoid it.
I know you're one of the foremost "Korea apologists" on Dave's, but there's really no reason to "apologize" for them in this instance, they're just different. They're built differently, their fashion taste is WAY different, and (as far as I'm concerned) the prices are way out of line.
you're free to feel differently... as apparently you do.
but my advice to the OP stands.
if he's the slightest bit athletic and his build/frame reflects that at his height/weight, then my advice stands TIMES TEN. if he lives anywhere outside of Seoul, my advice stands TIMES ONE HUNDRED.
btw. I came here 20 lbs heavier with all the same clothes. They all still fit, except for the pants which are falling off of me, but the tops/shirts still fit, just looking much much better I bought a new downsized pair of jeans at the GAP store in the Phillippines, American style, American size and pretty much American price.
You have fun shopping in Itaweon, etc. |
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ThomasR
Joined: 31 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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To comment about my build and size.
I was a fat kid. I started getting into shape. 3 months ago I weighed nearly 250. Im down to 190. I wouldnt say I have a atheletic frame but my 190 is spread out very well. Most people say I dont even look 190 and the people who knew me in HS and see me now nearly pass out from the change.
Good to hear I wont have to roam the streets of Korea nude. I plan on bringing a lot of clothes with me. Ive managed to make the same shirts last about 3 years in the states, minus the small stain here or there. So I think I will be fine. Thanks for the advice guys! |
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