Korean Job Discussion Forums

dee_2hot · Joined: 10 Dec 2005

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Hey.....just wondering if anyone has lived in Ansan (specifically Oido!) before....?

Have a job there, and moving in before Xmas. Just wanted to prepare myself for the good and the bad! Have lived in Ulsan city for a year before, so won't be too much of a shock. Shocked

Just wanted to get the general feeling from you guys.......

Thanks x

fidel · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Location: North Shore NZ

ANsan in general is a bit of a manky town, I often drive down there to visit a friend. Lots of factories and drab buildings, but hey that pretty much describes most towns in Korea.
Not too far to Seoul for the weekend missions.

Zenpickle · Joined: 06 Jan 2004 Location: Anyang -- Bisan

The Hanyang University, Jungang and Seongnaksu areas aren't too bad. I like Ansan.

visviva · Joined: 03 Feb 2003 Location: Daegu

New English Village teacher, eh? I wish you the best. (if not an EV teacher, be aware that you will be sharing your neighborhood with 40some foreigners).

A few thoughts, starting with the most trivial:

-- Oido is not actually in Ansan, it's in neighboring Siheung.

-- By "Oido" I assume you mean Oido Station, the final stop on the Line 4. Oido is also the name of an "island" in Siheung, known for its raw fish and incredibly ugly seafront. The "island" is about 16 km (??) from the station, so you may want to keep this distinction in mind when taking taxis and especially buses.

-- Downtown Ansan is 20 minutes or so by subway. There is a fairly active expat community in Ansan, from what I hear, and a fairly healthy cultural life in general.

-- Downtown Seoul, if you were thinking of perhaps popping up there in the evening, is Far Away. In fact, it actually takes almost as long to get from Oido Station to central Seoul as it does to get from Dongdaegu Station (!) to central Seoul.

-- I hope you like suburbs. Siheung reminds me of the most joyless American exurb I know (specifically Schererville, Indiana) ... stacked 10 stories high. Some say it's a good place to live; I thank the gods that I have never actually lived there. (I have spent a great deal of time there visiting a friend of mine). As a rule, people don't really live in Siheung; it's just where they stop for a break between the evening and morning commutes.