Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sundizz]

I will be teaching from March to March in the Gangwon-do province. Any idea what the weather is like right now and what sort of clothing I need? Obviously I checked the google weather but it is tough to understand what type of clothing I'll actually need and what type of shoes to bring. I'm from sunny California so winter weather is a mystery to me.

Also, anyone have any opinions or recommendations on what city to pick in that province if I am given a choice (Chuncheon, Donghae, Gangneung, Samcheok, Sokcho , Taebaek, Wonju)?

[moptop]

it's a hard call for what to bring clothing wise. it's been colder than usual here and it is very common to get a cold snap or two during march and april. it depends if you are female or male and what size you are, too. (i'm female)

i would suggest bringing a pair of Ugg boots or similar style if you are a woman, and hiking boots if you are male. if you have feet bigger than an 8 for women, there will be little you can find in gangwondo, and the selection in seoul is not great. you can't always find what you are looking for.

I have a down vest that i live in, as the school's heating system is often non-existant. i layer with long sleeve tops, fleeces, hoodies, and long underwear. i wear a wool jacket over that because it cuts the wind, but sometimes switch to my down jacket. it's the wind that gets you, i find! so depending what size you are, you can pick one up here, but they are pretty small sized, again.

of course, it could turn lovely and warm as soon as you get here. you can never predict the weather. sigh. but you will need these for next winter.

We live in donghae and really like it. there is a great foreigner community and we do lots of fun stuff together. we are a 10 minute walk to the beach in summer, and we have lots of hiking trails and Meureung Valley nearby (good for climbing, boiled chicken, potato pancakes, and Dong dong ju, traditional alcohol). it takes 3 hrs 10 min to seoul by bus, and there are great restaurants here. we are 45 minutes from gangneung, which is bigger and has more bars. samcheok is 20 minutes and is a younger crowd with some rowdy drinkers. sokcho has a great community, but only been there a few times. taebaek is pretty cold from what i hear, and we go there for skiing (about 1 hr 40 min by train). considered wonju cuz it's close to seoul, about an hour by bus, but it seemed a little industrial and i like nature. chuncheon people seem really happy there, but don't know much about it. others can feel free to correct me, but these are my impressions...

good luck with what you decide, and if you can give more details like size and gender, i can let you know what you can get here, in seoul, or what you should bring.

[schwa]

Thats a pretty accurate survey of Gangwon locales. There are about 500 epik teachers spread throughout the province so even if you're placed really out in the sticks there'll be some semblance of expat community not too far away.

March weather is back & forth between mild & cold, typically in 3 or 4-day stretches. Consider packing stuff you can layer. Personally I wear something turtleneck all winter long & manage with a lined jacket & no gloves. Dont worry about heavy-duty snow gear or boots. If you really need to up your comfort level you'll find what you need here.