Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kakadoodles]

I have heard that we should bring our own deodorant to Korea, although packing 12mths worth is probably impractical.

Thought I might bring three months worth and send home for the rest.

Other things I thought we should bring are...
* contact lens fluid
* shoes (I take size 8.5 in OZ; hubby takes 9.5 in oz)
* bras - maybe they are smaller than me?
* children's toys (the ones they NEED to bring)
* books (had heard there is some sort of swap thing with expats)
* linen (only sheets and pilllow cases, but pillows and blankets provided???)
* basic first aid(???)
* Cothes to some extent...ie clothes for >6 foot tall and >12 oz womens clothes.

Any additions or ommisions to this?????

[casey's moon]

I wouldn't bother with the contact lens solution as it's readily available here.

Tampons are a common item to bring, although I've seen they are now available in Korea too -- haven't tried them myself so I don't know how good they are.

I believe there is also a sticky on this topic in the FAQ section.

BTW, what did you decide about schooling for your kids?

[thorin]

Bring lots of marijuana. There's hardly any here and besides, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

[peppermint]

Okay-

Shoes, clothes etc- yes, bring them, especially if you're busty or have hips.

Books- there's a book exchange, and a good book store that has an online shop and delivers cheaply in Korea- judge yourself accordingly.

tampons- beware of the Korean brands- I've heard horror stories of broken strings, but chains like costco and carrefour carry tampax.

Don't worry about contact solution, but you might consider visine, cause I've never seen it here and the yellow dust season can be tough.

Basic first aid in terms of bandages and stuff shouldn't be necessary. I usually bring vitamins (available but pricy), echinacea to head off colds, and a bottle of pepto bismol pills for upset stomach.

Western style sheets are around but hard to find and pricey, better off bringing them.

Bring comfort food- especially if you're bringing kids- they might really need that bit of home in the first little while, and vegemite is one of the few things that I've looked for and never been able to find here.

If you're coming soon, bring heavy clothes, it's a lot cooler here than it is in Aussie winters, from what I've been told.

[mindmetoo]

A little thing of deoderant is 8,000 won. Trust me, a year's worth is worth the luggage space. Hell, fill a box and mail it sea mail to Korea.

There are used English bookstores in Seoul too. A used book runs about 8,000 won. A used soft cover usually gets a trade in of about 3,000 won. Packing a lot of books is probably a wise use of your luggage space, although it can make your luggage heavy.

If you're a pillow snob, you might find it hard to find a quality pillow here.

First aid stuff is cheap (bandaids to aspirin) so don't bother over much, other than mabye a few things you might need on the plane or a couple days while you get your bearings (so some aspirin...).

If you can get a Costco membership in your home nation, it's probably worth it. The Korean Costcos will honor them (usually) and you can get some hard to find stuff there.

Baby oil is vastly expensive here. If you like to use a lot of baby oil, it's worth packing some. Same goes for vaseline.

If you like to cook, bring some western spices. I can find oregano, basil, parsley, and cinamon. Cumin I've never seen. Not sure I've seen paprika. Oats (ie Quaker Oats) are unknown. Corn meal is can be found but only in small packets and for 3,000 won.

Rootbeer is nigh impossible to find.

[canuckistan]

Peppermint wrote:

[Kakadoodles]

Not bringing mull: can wait...not that important to us.

Thanks for the female advice...at this stage I have the rod in my arm (Implanon) and haven't had to think about that for a while and will not have to think about it for another two years (lucky me).

The schooling situation is at this stage leaning toward 'school of the air' thru Australia. I am hoping that the hagwon that we are teaching at will allow us to have our child in the 'study room' while we teach and we can check/help him between classes.

Will forget the contact fluid since obviously well supplied. Have I forgotten anything else (or have you that you wished you'd brought?

[MixtecaMike]

Vegemite

If you don't like it yourself, you can probably use it to win friends and influence people.

[Kakadoodles]

Baby oil and vas???? What kind of life are you living??? I think we can make do with the usual s*x bits without those additions!

Thanks for the tips about spices! Love all the ones mentioned as commom, but living without cummin for a year is unthinkable (not related to the s*x talk...I'm in the kitchen with that one).

Vegemite is a must for us, and I will be trying to convert the locals!! Any funny stories there?

I lived in the US as a child and my mother bought vegemite with her and had an "Australia Day" party, with vegemite sandwiches; lamingtons and pav, and the yanks (one of the best yeas if my life, and no means being hurtful!!) thought that the v-mite sangas were made with off honey!!!

Any other ideas for what to pack?

[Grotto]

some spices that are hard to find if you are into baking or cooking

allspice
vanilla extract(they use powder here)
Chili powder
seasoning mixes(cajun/greek/?)
vegemite(you are from Oz?)
cajun pepper
cumin

anything else you can think of.

[Kakadoodles]

Do Koreans have 'Dutch Wives'...derogatory I know (not meant to hurt the feelings of REAL dutch wives), but useful as leg pillows. I like to have a spare pillow for comfort...bring my own?????

[just because]

Listerine - the Korean gargling stuff is crap. I also buy a few months Literine supply and bring it back with me whenever i visit another country.

Why doesn't Korea sell Listerine????

[Dawn]

If you're going to be somewhere with a substantial Middle Eastern population, cumin and coriander should be easy to come by. I live in the middle of nowhere (town population under 40,000), but picked up these and some other Middle Eastern spices for 2,500 won a box, and the boxes were huge -- four to five times what you would get in a normal spice bottle.

Deodorant doesn't have to be expensive here if you shop around. The department stores tend to charge and arm and a leg for the one or two brands they carry, but western brands average 4,000 a stick at the gray market vendors I frequent.

As for books, you can get pretty much anything you want in country. If you're looking specifically for children's books, check out Scholastic book clubs. Shipping to Korea is quite reasonable, and you can get age-appropriate children's titles for as little as W1,500 apiece (shipping included).

One thing you may wish to pack are over-the-counter children's medications. While many OTC drugs have made their way into this country, I've yet to see children's versions, aside from the occasional bottle of children's aspirin at gray market shops.

[fidel]

[Shoon]

Dawn,

Where is this Middle Eastern population you speak of?