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mikerankin27
Joined: 24 Apr 2010
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 Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 6:03 pm Post subject: Going to Ulsan? |
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I have just been accepted into the EPIK program in Ulsan, Korea for next year and will be leaving for the grand dirty city in August.
I want this thread to be a place for others who are going to the same place and those who might be there (or have in the past) to give some advice.
I am particularly interested in:
-Things to do around the town
-How EPIK is in Ulsan
-Buying motorcycles and getting legal in Ulsan
-Anything else that might be important for living in Ulsan
thanks a lot and happy travels,
mike rankin |
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jonpurdy
Joined: 08 Jan 2009
Location: Ulsan
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 8:56 pm Post subject: Re: Going to Ulsan? |
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| mikerankin27 wrote: |
| Things to do around the town |
Movies, drinking, parks, PC bangs, everything that a typical Korean city will have. If you're lucky, you'll be placed in a good area where everything is close by. If not, you'll still have access via bus or cheap taxi to everything. And any area will have the basics like bars, PC bangs, shops and stores, etc.
In the summer it's quite easy to head down to Haeundae beach in Busan (about an hour by bus or train) and spend the day or night there.
| mikerankin27 wrote: |
| How EPIK is in Ulsan |
Ulsan MOE is generally good to their native teachers. If you have any problems with your school contact them and they will sort it out. Though make sure to read your contract. There are lots of native teachers here now since every school (starting 2008) has one. Some are goofballs, lots are interesting and love being in Korea.
| mikerankin27 wrote: |
| Buying motorcycles and getting legal in Ulsan |
There are three main shops in Ulsan that deal with foreigners. One is in Jung-gu, two are out in Bangeojin. You can look them up on ulsanonline.com. If you buy from them they will sort your insurance out. If you buy a bike privately then just take the papers to your local -gu office (Jung-gu, Nam-gu, etc.) and get insurance there. Getting a license is the same as the rest of Korea. Search Dave's or Google for that info.
| mikerankin27 wrote: |
| Anything else that might be important for living in Ulsan |
Ignore the negativity about Ulsan that you might've heard through here or Google. A lot of that information is years old and now untrue. Ulsan used to be dirty and polluted but now it's one of the cleanest cities (as long as you're outside of the eastern and southern industrial areas). The entire riverside is covered in parks and greenery and soccer fields. Grand Park is large and has bicycling, trails, and lots of stuff to do. Also, although you really need to go to Busan or Seoul for clubs and serious partying, Ulsan has a few good bars and clubs (though clubs seem to open and close rather quickly here).
Final piece of advice. Try to avoid going around and doing everything with a huge herd of foreigners. If you really want to experience the culture then stick to smaller groups and meet Koreans. They'll be able to show you lots of places that you would have never found in a herd of foreigners. |
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noobteacher
Joined: 27 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the great information jonpurdy!
Hi! I am heading to Ulsan in mid-June so I would also like to hear other current or former Ulsanite's advice and info  Mike, I recently found www.ulsanonline.com which has some really great info, so if you haven't already, you should check that out. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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Dr. Whom
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 8:01 pm Post subject: Re: Going to Ulsan? |
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| jonpurdy wrote: |
Final piece of advice. Try to avoid going around and doing everything with a huge herd of foreigners. If you really want to experience the culture then stick to smaller groups and meet Koreans. They'll be able to show you lots of places that you would have never found in a herd of foreigners. |
Basically do the exact opposite of this and you will have a much better
and more fun time here. Some people think to really know Korea is
dependant on how much you deprive yourself of. I say BS.
Hang aroung Koreans and you will:
-listen to crap music
-drink soju (paint thiner)
-be subjected to pack after pack of cigarettes
-eat things like dog and pigs feet
-be c@ckblocked at every turn
-spend 8 hours in a car 2 hours at a temple and then 8 more hours in a car
-be basically giving away free English lessons |
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mikerankin27
Joined: 24 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 9:50 am Post subject: |
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wow thanks for the help guys, koreans do sound like an interesting folk.. this i know from what i've seen so far with my korean friends
is anyone else out there planning on coming to Ulsan? especially if yall are interested in bikes.
cheers
mike |
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