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Sprite06
Joined: 20 Sep 2010
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 Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 4:16 pm Post subject: How many articles of clothing did you pack? |
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I'm starting to sift through my clothes to decide which will go to Korea with me and which will stay home.
I want to pack fairly light, but I also don't want to have to do a bunch of shopping when I get to Korea.
I will be working at a public school in Daegu through EPIK.
I plan to bring a suit for special occasions and wear business casual on a daily basis, unless casual dress is the norm.
So my question is, for people in a similar situation (PS, dress like a teacher), how many dress shirts, slacks, t shirts, hoodies, etc. did you bring? Was it enough? too much? too little?
Thanks in advance. |
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willteachforfood
Joined: 24 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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No offense Sprite....but if you are seriously going onto the internet to find out how many shirts and pants you should pack....do you think that you are fully ready for this whole move-to-the-other-side-of-the-world-and-live-in-a-completely-foreign-culture nonsense?
To answer your question, however....unless you are sized like a Korean, I would bring as much clothing as you can fit. Remember that you won't have a dryer here, so everything needs to air dry...many apartments get very little sun and especially in the winter it can take several days before your clothes are dry.
I don't think that you can bring too much....but then again, I can't buy clothes here that fit me. If you bring too much you can always send a box home before you finish up. |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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You can never bring enough clothes to Korea, even if you are sized like a Korean.
As for me, I brought:
1 winter coat
2 jackets
4 pairs of jeans
2 pairs of 'nice' trousers
3 pairs of shorts
2 sweaters
4 long-sleeved t-shirts
3 button-up shirts
9 t-shirts
3 pairs of shoes
1 pair of decent sandals for summer |
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willteachforfood
Joined: 24 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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It truly blows my mind that you actually counted all of the clothes that you brought.
Sprite....you also need to remember that unlike your home country, Korea has 4 different seasons, so you'll need different clothes for each distinct season. |
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carleverson
Joined: 04 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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| I only bought the clothes on my back. Clothes are very cheap here. You can buy everything you need here. |
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willteachforfood
Joined: 24 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:17 pm Post subject: |
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| carleverson wrote: |
| I only bought the clothes on my back. Clothes are cheap here. You can buy everything you need here. |
IF you are sized like a Korean and like Korean styled clothing.
Anyone over 6'4" is SOL, and I would imagine that even people shorter, like 6'2" would find trouble.
Furthermore...most Korean men have a pretty small frame. |
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Sprite06
Joined: 20 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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| metalhead wrote: |
You can never bring enough clothes to Korea, even if you are sized like a Korean.
As for me, I brought:
1 winter coat
2 jackets
4 pairs of jeans
2 pairs of 'nice' trousers
3 pairs of shorts
2 sweaters
4 long-sleeved t-shirts
3 button-up shirts
9 t-shirts
3 pairs of shoes
1 pair of decent sandals for summer |
This is very similar to what I was planning to bring. thanks for sharing!
| willteachforfood wrote: |
No offense Sprite....but if you are seriously going onto the internet to find out how many shirts and pants you should pack....do you think that you are fully ready for this whole move-to-the-other-side-of-the-world-and-live-in-a-completely-foreign-culture nonsense?
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lol it's not like I asked if Korea has forks or if there's internet available.
I just wanted some opinions on what kinds of clothes people brought over and whether or not it was enough.
I've moved away from home before but that was college and I could pack a car full of stuff. I'm not planning on packing my entire life and bringing it to Korea. I just wanted to hear some advice from people who've already made the move. |
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yoja
Joined: 30 May 2008
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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I went to an army surplus store and bought a used standard-issue army duffel bag for $20 and stuffed it full of clothes. It holds A TON of stuff but wasn't overweight/oversize. My regular luggage had my non-clothes items.
Tried to bring enough clothes to last me for 2 or 3 weeks (including socks and underwear--I wanted to be able to get through a whole year, just in case). I think the hard thing about packing clothes for Korea is that its climate is so extreme from winter to summer. Sometimes I think I need more clothes in Korea than I do at home.
Anyway. Bring as much as you feel comfortable bringing. Try to pack clothes that can be worn more than one season. Don't bring all short-sleeved shirts unless you also bring sweaters. My experience has been that if you're teaching at public school, you can get away with more casual clothes (jeans) than if you are teaching at a private institute, although others may not agree.
Koreans tend to wear their clothes more frequently than westerners do. Sometimes they will wear the same clothes 2-3 times in one week, and they won't notice or care if you do too.
Disclaimer: I'm female, so it's possible that I pack more clothes than the average guy. |
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Sprite06
Joined: 20 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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| yoja wrote: |
I went to an army surplus store and bought a used standard-issue army duffel bag for $20 and stuffed it full of clothes. It holds A TON of stuff but wasn't overweight/oversize. My regular luggage had my non-clothes items.
Tried to bring enough clothes to last me for 2 or 3 weeks (including socks and underwear--I wanted to be able to get through a whole year, just in case). I think the hard thing about packing clothes for Korea is that its climate is so extreme from winter to summer. Sometimes I think I need more clothes in Korea than I do at home.
Anyway. Bring as much as you feel comfortable bringing. Try to pack clothes that can be worn more than one season. Don't bring all short-sleeved shirts unless you also bring sweaters. My experience has been that if you're teaching at public school, you can get away with more casual clothes (jeans) than if you are teaching at a private institute, although others may not agree.
Koreans tend to wear their clothes more frequently than westerners do. Sometimes they will wear the same clothes 2-3 times in one week, and they won't notice or care if you do too.
Disclaimer: I'm female, so it's possible that I pack more clothes than the average guy. |
great stuff, thanks yoja!  |
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the ireland
Joined: 11 May 2008
Location: korea
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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| willteachforfood wrote: |
Sprite....you also need to remember that unlike your home country, Korea has 4 different seasons, so you'll need different clothes for each distinct season. |
Dave needs a 'like' button for comments like these  |
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Canonite
Joined: 01 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Whoa...really? No dryers in Korea? |
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the ireland
Joined: 11 May 2008
Location: korea
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Canonite wrote: |
| Whoa...really? No dryers in Korea? |
I'm sure someone has one somewhere, but I've never known anyone to have one. I think it's an electricity saving thing they do. |
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hamsteRRiFic
Joined: 22 Nov 2009
Location: going around in circles...
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Usually they don't have separate machines for dryers. The newer, more expensive front-loader machines often have a drying cycle, although my clothes are still usually a little damp when it's done.
But yeah, they're not big on dryers here. |
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DorkothyParker
Joined: 11 Apr 2009
Location: Jeju
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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I still feel pangs of regret for throwing out of my clothes a year and a half ago. It's definitely come up where I'm like, "Whoa, my green and black polka dot dress would be perfect for this." But then I think it's just a slight pack-rat attitude and I would never really wear it and how many themed events do I really attend.
In any case, dump what's faded or too young or not your style and take the rest.
I did end up reducing my shoes down to only 5 pairs. Luckily, inexpensive shoes are not hard to come by. Men's sizing can be a bit, I am told.
And yes, no dryers. Some laundromats use dryers, though. I am needing to take a bunch of my stuff in to shrink. |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:09 am Post subject: |
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| willteachforfood wrote: |
It truly blows my mind that you actually counted all of the clothes that you brought.
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Not really, it's enough for a year, will probably buy another pair of jeans, order some t-shirts from hellsheadbangers.com and some patches for my metal jacket, but besides that, I have no want or need for new clothes. Pack the same amount and you should be fine for a year.
Other things to pack - spices you like for cooking, cod liver oil, meds meds meds, preferably with codeine in them for colds and what-not, heartburn tabs, eye drops, four sticks of deodorant (not more, not less), two to three tubes of toothpaste, Swiss army knife, and most importantly, a laptop.
Now I know some may argue and insist on bringing their favorite toilet paper and bottled water from back home, but really, they sell wet wipes here, I just suck on those when I am parched with thirst. |
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