No one ever said (Korean) banking is easy.

So one of the many things about making your life here in Korea is the dreaded Korean banking.

You will most likely be taken to the bank of your school’s choosing-that’s where they will deposit your pay every month.

You will get your “paybook” which keeps a paper account of all that you are spending and any bills that you will pay. This also has your account number which is the number you need if someone wants to wire you money. Korea doesn’t have “checks” like they do in the USA-everything is electronic here.

The rest of this post pertains to my OWN experience at Nonghyup. There are many different banks in Korea- KEB is supposed to be excellent for foreingers. Nonghyup is known to be a major headache for foreigners.

You should be getting a “check card” as well -make sure this is one that you can use like a regular debit card. The first time I went I got confused and wound up only getting a card that withdraws money from the atm. Why would anyone ever need a card like that?

It should have a sim chip as well as “mastercard” logo (though I read somewhere it can say Visa) and at least should say “bazic check”.

This card will word like a regular debit card.  However dealing with buying stuff online (like g market and interpark) can be a real pain. Now there is this securiy thing entirely in Korean that you can fill out-it took me about an hour because i had to translate everything using my phone). Or in some cases it will be easier to use an american card. But for gmarket -it’s best to just “wire” transfer the money-it gives you a few days.

Now, you decide you want to go out of the country and use the card? Or you want to use the card online on a foreign website?

Well hold on because my last week has been this headache. (and my poor Co teacher)

So to begin with I told my “local” branch that I wanted a global card to use overseas (now the teller is kind of a friend and speaks Amazing English) but she said I had to go to the main branch to take care of that-down the street.

So I went with my co teacher (luckily). The teller was confused because she said I already had a “global” card. There was much confusion but by the end we were able to make a “new global” card. They destroyed my old card.

Now I ‘ve read about other people saying that “global” does not mean global.

But what happened to me was something a little different. The card would not work online. It worked fine in stores here but refused to work on the website I needed- I was trying to buy a  plane ticket on delta)

Well I had to wait until Monday -as I worried about losing my flight price. When we went back it turns out that for foreigners (I think) the card isn’t quite linked with the account. I’m not sure what this meant though because I could use the card here in Korea but I not online?

Anyway they told me that the problem was that my current “account” was affiliated with my “local” branch. Again with branch issues. Therefore I had to end my account at the Local branch and make a new one at the main branch. My co teacher also wanted to sign me up for internet banking.

Bu there was a problem. For whatever reason before we could do any of this, the bank needed my contract from the school. So we had to leave the bank, go back to the school, get the certificate made and signed,drive back to the bank and then wait because about 10 people showed up before us with only 2 reps.

After waiting the whole process of getting a new bank account, cancelling the old bank account, getting information for the internet banking took about 1 hour. I don’t know why.

Finally we were finished-so we went to leave and I had to pay the parking fee. Bu the card didn’t work-quick fix (sadly not the time spent dealing with it) the telelr hadn’t had time to file the paperwork yet.

Anyway we were finally finished at the bank itself. We still had to contact all the companies that I use direct desposit for and cancel the old account and get the new one taken care of . Then we also had to inform the school about my new bank account. This took about 30 minutes in total as well because the people on the phone wanted to hear directly from me about the change.

So I went ahead and tried to buy the flight ticket.

Well heads up-your “last name” (smith, johnson, jones) will go under your “first name” box.  Your “first name and middle name” (Jenny Anne) will go in the second box aka “last name” Also make sure the billing is the same as the address you put down while filling those forms out.

But sadly…it didn’t work. So i had to call delta directly for the 4 time and finally afte 15 minutes of not understanding I spoke with a supervisor about the whole issue and she manually had to enter my card number. So it sounds like the card still might not work 100% online.

 

But like I said Nonghyup is known for this.

So here’s the take away from this week long mess.

 

1. go with a korean native speaker-do not try to figure this out on your own
2. bring passport, passbook (account book), card, ARC
3. bring your bill reciepts that you automatically deposit (gas, electric, internet)
4. allow for a lot of time
5. global card at NH doesn’t mean “global”
6. you can call the english hot line to help you and check that your card works internationall
7. make sure to ask and clarify -card can work online (both foreign and domestic) card can work in foreign atm, card can work at foreign stores -cover all your bases
8. have you co worker help you  call you automatic desposits- have your new account number ready and your ARC number
9. if you choose to get internet banking prepare yourself-also don’t lose that little card that helps you
10. when in doubt call the company you are  trying to charge and see if they can manually handle your card.

Well I think that’s all but I swear last Friday was the most insane day I’ve spent .

Hot Summer

So…it’s been a hot minute. I would like to say that I got very busy (which to my credit I did) but in the spirit of doing my best to show my 5th graders what responsibility looks like… I will say I became very bored and unmotivated.

But now that I am trying to revamp my other blog I decided to update as well for the hell of it.

Now last time I mentioned fan events, classroom problems and principal gifts.

I will preface this saying that yes I looked up my last post to see what I had promised I would write about.

I am thinking of making fan events a seperate post because of how intense they are and the fact that there are many Korean words that you will need to know (and I left my Korean notebook at my house).

As for classroom problems I recently covered that on my other blog so you can check it out there.

So I guess all I am left with is principal gifts. Well seeing as how Chuseok just finished I guess this could be appropriate.

So  will begin saying…each school is different…and it seems each year is different as well.

My first year I was basically scolded (this was about a month and a half into my first year) for not buying the principal a gift for Buddha’s birthday. 1. no one told me this was a thing 2. NO ONE TOLD ME THIS WAS A THING!!

So I felt badly about it and made sure I knew about all the other holidays that were big enough to buy gifts for your principal-I guess you are basically saying “thank you for employing me?”

Anyway I made sure I stayed on top of my gifts the rest of the year-I got the principal a nut set for Chuseok and hallabong and chocolate for him and my 1 VP’s for XMAS- they were clearly startled by it because to them XMAS is not a thing. For me it’s the most important holiday of the year. (yes i am one of THOSE people-if it helps my second favorite holiday is thanksgiving?) I wound up using that gift as the same timing for New Year.

So this year I was all set-except…no one bought the principal a gift for Buddha’s birthday. And apparently I was the only one to give him a gift for Chuseok too..HOw confused and frustrated was I? VERY!!!!

It goes without saying…Korean schools are in general very confusing of course their traditions would be as well. I haven’t decided about Christmas yet but I’m sure as soon as I don’t buy a gift it would be noticable.

So you might be asking yourself-what the heck do I buy my principal? and the VPP’s if they are expecting one too?

Well for starters unless  you can divey up the products in those large display gift sets they have at the front of all the stores I would refrain from buying them.

Some of them you can take apart and still present a good product. For example there was a set of 3 bottles of olive oil (korean chuseok presents…bizarre is all I have to say)-you could buy the set and give one to each person. But another set that may have one olive oil, one box of seaweed (this is a weird one) one can of spam…it’s meant to be given altogether.

In my case I bought a box of 8 juices in glass containers-it was total about 9 bucks. I gave one to each my co teachers, my VP’s , my school friend and two to the principal-because I guess he wasn’t expecting anything (i don’t know why) he was very grateful for the two bottles of juice.

I wouldn’t go over more than say 10 for a gift because 1. it becomes burdensome to the reciver and 2. you don’t want to be spending a lot of money on your co workers and principal.

Another common gift is fruit-but in Korea this can be rather expensive. Big boxes of seaweed are popular but to me at least seem awkward to give.

So don’t be afraid to look around or even ask your co teacher if you need to buy a gift and what might be appropriate.

So all in all a short but informative post about the art of gift giving in public schools in korea.

 

Next post hopefully I will have my korean notes with me and I can explain what a fan event is, how to find it, what to bring -it will be a mainly kpop post BUT it will have some words that you will find when filling out paper work or just in general. So it can be useful for other than looking up fan events.

Korean Amazon and Ticketmaster

Basically that’s what GMarket and Interpark Ticket are.

If you are someone who likes to shop online or wants to order tickets to see a musical or concert than these two things are your new best friends.

GMARKET-basically Amazon

Gmarket has an English website so it makes it really easy to shop. Occasionally there might be something that the Korean website has that the English one doesn’t but it’s rare  I find.

So first you need to make an account. Just follow the directions. simple.

Now there are a few different ways to pay. A lot of foreingers here, myself included keep our native cards with us because for ….whatever reason. You can pay using that card if you want. But what I find easiest is the bank transfer-I think it’s called wire transfer under the payment options.

You select whichever bank you belong to, or if you don’t belong to one of the options  EPOST (the post office ) is your best bet. Now the EPOST does charge a surcharge fee but it’s really cheap. What will happen next is you receive your amount and an account number. You take both of those to the bank and “transfer” the money over. Now I use Nonghyup Bank, and it’s really simple. Just press in the code for the NH bank, enter the account number, enter the amount number…boom you’re done. The “payee’s” name actually comes up as my Gmarket name ID so you know you are transferring to the right account.

If you want to do it via the Korean website, it’s best to either have a korean speaking friend with you, or to do it in google chrome .

Things tend to be cheaper on this website and they have a ton. You can buy food, electronics, clothes …just go on their website and look.

I can’t remember if you have to make a separate account for Korean Gmarket or not because I have everything automatic log in.

Now the shipping address is something you might want to talk to your school about. Because I’m not home during delivery hours and I don’t really have a place for the mail to go to, I have everything shipped to the school at my co teacher’s urging. So The administration takes care of everything.

Now I’ve had a friend whose school apparently said she was ordering too many packages and tried to have them delivered to her house, but then it became lost. Turns out because there was no where to put it the building attendant stuck it in a random storage area.

I’ve had my own stuff lost before and through email managed to have them resend the package out. Unless something is a pre order or it’s a holiday, things will come within a week. I’ve even had it happen where I’ve gotten something the next day. So post is fast there. You can also always track the package on the website. Do not be afraid to email them and ask if you have questions about where your thing is.

Interpark Ticket Global

So if you are a person who likes to go see concerts and musicals than you definetly need to make an Interpark account. Not only do you need it to see dates and seats, but it also makes it faster for paying so when there is a concert you are trying to get tickets to and a bunch of other people are too, you have a faster process.

Now the only catch with this is that I’ve noticed it won’t work on my MAC. Much of Korea uses PC’s and Internet explorer. I have no idea why a tech advanced country like this still thinks I.E. is the best browser to use. Now I did buy my BTOB Busan Hello Melody concert ticket on my Macbook -so I’m starting to wonder if it’s just the Safari browser that won’t work-I will try and see what it says and let you know.

Another catch sadly is that if you don’t have a foreign card, or enough money on it you have to go through this unreal process of having your bank card approved.

It took me two hours and while I would love to walk you through it, I actually don’t remember the exact steps and now I just have it on automatic. It takes a lot of google translate and a lot of patience. But in the end it’s worth it.

NOW!!!!

Another issue with this….Interpark ticket Korea has many more things available. For instance, I want to go see VIXX’s Leo’s musical. But only on the Korean sit does it have the dates. Or I wanted to go see another show, but it wasn’t being sold on global ticket. So you need to be aware of this as well. And you also need to make a separate account.

Basically interpark as a whole is annoying for a foreigner to use because it gives you just enough to function and but then nothing to progress forward. Like giving yourself enough rope to hang but not die. Like that analogy?

Granted it’s better than using yes24 which sucks. And if you are trying to buy EXO tickets….good luck. Not only is yes24 all in Korean, but for some reason EXO tickets are only sold on yes24 and when they are selling them, it always crashes. I’ve seen this twice. It’s basically a nightmare.

After you buy your tickets, it’s best if you pick them up at the venue. There will be signs that say “interpark tickets” and all you need is your ID card. If you forget or want to check, you can always do so on your interpark account-like the time I was trying to buy VIXX’s fan club package and when it didn’t show up on my account page…I realized I messed up the payment (actually my student Edward did ….)

 

There are several other websites that you might want to join.

I have to keep mine straight in a book which sometimes really sucks because certain websites will ask you to change your password like once a month.

I’m kind of slacking today because I had to take care of renewing my phone bill, adding TV on to that, setting up a date for the electrician to come to my house and set the box up, getting my hair done, putting together paperwork for my American hospital bill etc….

Unlike my other page this one doesn’t have a set schedule so I can just post whenever I feel like it.

I don’t know if this will be helpful to anyone but there it is.

Next time: buying your principal gifts, problems in the classroom, and concert fan events/free stuff -sounds like a mashed up version of everything but the kitchen sink and it basically will be. But due the fact I will be recovering from my EXO concert, I want to fit that in somewhere.

 

My co teacher forgot to tell me class was cancelled

Yes that is today’s topic: co teachers…..and legit what happened this morning.

If you are teaching in a publicly funded school you are REQUIRED to have a co teacher in the room with you. You are not a liscended teacher in Korea so you have to have your co teacher teaching with you.

However this is not always the case .

Now I have been lucky with my co teachers and I still guess I could say I’m still better than others.

Though last year I had 1 super strict co teacher, and 1 brand new co teacher, overall it was a good year (ignoring the 5-9 hell). Once I got past the initial fear, communication and connection was good. Though there were a few instances where we didn’t communicate well, it wasn’t common.

This year….things are a little different. My old co , the super strict one has relaxed a little bit and even honored me by asking for two of my activities-I found this to be extremely humbling. However the new co teacher….she is a very nice person and as a person I like her a lot. But as a co teacher it’s a nightmare. She doesn’t look over the lesson before hand, tells me she understands what I’m asking her to do in class and still has no clue until she has to ask my other co what she is supposed to be doing-it’s the second week of school. She also failed to inform me that not only do I have two mentally challenged students in our classes, but that she was their teacher last year and none of them were required to speak english…this of course came after my frustration that none of the students would speak despite having done the work.

But still there are worse traits of co teachers. So let’s look at what makes you a good co teacher and what makes a good co teacher.

You:

If you are a first time teacher, hopefully you will be paired with a teacher who has been working for a few years. You also will most likely have 2 co teachers…or in some cases 3.  For the most part you will be expected to lead the class which is very daunting for a first time teacher.

I found what was really helpful was listening to the constructive criticism my co teacher gave to me. She didn’t do it in a mean way or belittling way, but I had never been around children so she had to remind me of their level ability and that keeping them in line was important. Eventually it just kind of evolved into a routine that has worked for us. I think my Korean co teachers help with translations and discipline so you need to just focus on your lesson.

I was really humble and open to all of her ideas and some games even. As I began to grow more confident and had a better understanding of the children and their abilities I could make activities and games on my own  which gave me a bit more freedom. I also felt like I was controlling my class as well.

Now my other co was brand new like me so we kind of had to work together. I also was open to his ideas and he was open to mine. It was more of a collaboration. We also are closer in age so there was no awkwardness about that either. I’ve never been good with group work but one on one worked well for us.

I think the most important thing you can do, even if you are not a new teacher is learning how the lessons go and really being open. And if you can, change or rearrange your lessons when you get more comfortable. Even if you have your masters in teaching, it’s still a different system and different way of teaching. You have to be willing to adjust what you know.

Co Teachers:

As mentioned above I had two very different co teachers but I think I got the bet of the them. I got to learn and watch from my stricter co and apply and have freedom with my male co. I think the balance between the two really helped me grow and learn as a teacher. Now while at first I thought that this would be a nightmare….I soon learned even before that it was a blessing…that it was nothing compared to others.

The bad:

Sometimes you aren’t as lucky as me. At the GIFLE program I was forced to, I heard some horror stories from others. One girl had an older man who refused to bend or compromise. I had another whose co teacher would just leave mid class. My friend in Busan had a crazy co who did many a things including letting her kids run wild in my friends classroom. The students ended up damaging/stealing property.

And while my new co isn’t quite that bad she isn’t great either.

The communication is not good because she hasn’t used english in 8 years . So even when I ask if she understands me, she will say yes, but not really understand. Then she becomes flustered during class because she has no clue what’s going on and has to go to the other co teacher for a real explaination-this is after we’ve had two bad classes together.

Like I’m sure most teachers will not tell you, she didn’t inform me of having a student with severe mental disabilites and let me berate him in the class. Then yesterday she didn’t tell me before I got frustrated with my class for not talking, that the entire 4th grade last year wasn’t required to speak…….and she was a 4th grader teacher last year.

Communication.

This is key but it’s not as easy as people make it seem. What if you have an unapproachable co who kind of scares you (think my female co last year) or a co who is technically more experienced and older than you? It’s not that easy.

And while you don’t want to exhaust yourself, I don’t think you can just shrug it off. I’m someone who wants to give 110% on whatever job. It might not matter in the long run, but it matters to me because I know what I could have done. I want to give all that I have until there is nothing left-that way when someone says “what more could you have done?” I can say “nothing.”

If I had approached that mentality last year, 5-1 and 5-5 would have never gotten better. And at the end they became two of my good classes. I think you have to battle with these kids, and not give in. It doesn’t do anyone any good.

And your co teacher should be helping in that role. I find that what works well is that I take focus on teaching and having fun and my co takes care of discipline. While yes this sometimes sucks because the students don’t show me as much respect, it’s better than me lecturing them at the end of class -they would have to wait to hear it in Korean anyway and my co is more effective in coming up with her own…threats.

Sadly the new co doesn’t seem to think the children should be controlled…and this is where is goes downhill.

Just take my 5-9 class last year. Their homeroom teacher couldn’t control them and they acted like little criminals.

But if you can establish what your role is early on, what you are expected to do, and what your co will do it makes things much easier. it’s like a teacher who gives you homework: do you want the teacher than gives you clear directions, or the one who doesn’t and then marks it as an F because you didn’t do the work right (my personal hell from 6/7 grade).

Now everyone has a different experience-what’s expected of them and how much work they are expected to do.Everyone is going to have different co teachers and different levels of communication (or if you’re in a hagwon…you might not even have one).

But the key is try your best to keep that open flow of communication as much as it sucks. And don’t worry…when I figure out the key to that…I’ll let you know.

 

Next up: why gmarket and interpark are your new best friends

You (don’t) want to be where everyone knows your name

Sorry Cheers. I couldn’t help myself.

But considering I mentioned that I would do a post on meeting friends, how could I not use it?

And for those of you who grew up in 90’s watching (or in my case not allowed to) the Friends and wondering why the hell didn’t I choose that….well because like I said…I never have watched a single episode!

So friends…that thing that’s like a dentist appointment-either you are someone who is driven in life by a cleaning, x ray and cavity sealants ….or you’re normal and dread it like family reunions.

Now while I happen to be one of those weirdos who in fact does enjoy going to the dentist, I hate having to make friends.

Nothing is more torturous to me than having to go to  a party or gathering where I either a. don’t know single person and hate the world, or b. where i kinda know someone and have to rely on them and yet still…hate the world.

Coming to Korea I was lucky enough to have a premade friend living within about 15 minutes of my location and another living in Busan. Not only did they help me out with learning how to function the first few months, but it was nice to have people to talk to that understood my frustrations about school, living in Korea …the freezing weather.

But most people I think aren’t as lucky as I am. Thankfully there are language exchange groups that many of my friends have met their current friends through.

Though my own experience through language exchange wasn’t bad, it was obviously more of a social gathering to speak in English. I didn’t really learn anything actually…I learned more from my students. But I’m sure that’s not always the case and if you are looking for a chance to socialize it’s a great opportunity for Koreans and foreingers to be together.

Another way to meet people is find the foreigner group in your area. Facebook is the best bet for finding groups in your local areas. Now I don’t personally do “foreigner” night here in Pyeongtaek just because due to the high amount of drunk soldiers making donkeys look like Stephen Hawking, these non 4 legged asses are embarrassing. But don’t let that dissuade you. If you live in a read where there might not be that many foreigners then take advantage of it. Its good to have contact info with people who have been in Korea for a while and know the in’s and out’s ..the do’s and don’ts etc.

Now if either of those sound unappealing to you there is the chance if you are a new teacher in Gyeonggi-Do that you will be sent to the GIFLE program. It’s like a 3 day 2 night adult camp/college experience that no one asked for.

From the shared bathrooms, to the dorms, the caf, scheduled classes as well as “entertainment” night…I literally felt like I was back in Freshman year in college. Now while I kind of enjoyed it, I was horribly nervous because I knew I would have to engage with other students, do stupid group work that I hate more than just about anything in the world, and of course “be a apart of the group”. My particular group was ….how I put this nicely….loud?

Now yes I did become friends with about 4 or 5 of them and still keep in contact with 3 of them on a regular basis…but let me tell you those first two days sucked. However, if you are given (read: forced into going) the opportunity it is a good chance. You might be more friendly than me and make friends. It’s also a nice break that you can take from teaching without getting docked from your paid vacation.

The downside-there isn’t much there so bring entertainment, hair products, towels, breakfast (yeah…this IS korea ) and anything that you will need to fall asleep because you will be sharing a room with 1-3 other people. Luckily I had 1 other roommate but the way it was set up was we each had our own side of the dorm so it was like having our own bathroom. Now they said that they provide shampoo/soap but DON’T believe this..a bunch of girls had a meltdown over this. Luckily I need a ton of conditioner and bring it where ever I go (thick hair problems) so I was lucky.

I’m not sure if I learned anything really, but it was something I’m glad I had to do. Especially since it was around the same time as Buddha’s birthday I had a really long break from work. While it still hasn’t improved my whole perspective on working in groups and meeting new people….overall it was a positive thing.

Now onto my next :where to meet friends and brainwash people into like you…you know the sequel to ” how to make friends and influence people”…..finding random ass groups on facebook. I kid you not.

That’s how I found my current choir. Though I still yet to make a friend after 3 weeks (…yeah I don’t even know what to say about this) due to my “resting bitch face” and “ice queen personality ” (my friend told me I had this kind of personality…so clearly I’m elsa!) I WILL NOT GIVE UP HOPE! Just kidding. I mean yes I am very happy that I am in the group and for me this is more about singing and less about making friends though I should probably to at least try to make 1 friend…yeah that would be good.

Maybe I should get that book “How to socialize better” that Suho gives to Kyungsoo in EXO’s Showtime Christmas episode. Speaking of….

KPOP! Or any music you are interested. But from personal experiences….of my friends they have made friends through KPOP. They go to concerts and the fans pretty much are really nice to each other. I mean…at least the ones I’ve been to so far….that could all change next weekend when I go to the EXO Encore show in Seoul….

But notwithstanding said concert, friends have made friends through concerts, waiting in line for fan events, etc. The community despite having “fan wars” is pretty tight knitted, at least for the foreign fans.

And I’m sure that’ the case if you go to another other musical event. I know the Jazz Festival that’s held in Spring is spread out over 3 days with a lot of acts and I’m sure you can meet a lot of people that way. You just can’t be afraid to approach peoople. Or if you are like me, you look confused/frustrated/lost and someone takes pity on your poor sad soul. (Shout out to the really sweet girls at the Beast Concert who not only helped me figure out that my lightstick was broken, but went with me to the merch tent and helped me explain to the workers that I needed a new one-an neither of the girls spoke a word of English)

Now despite all that crap above-all the concerts-all the get togethers-all the bs programs your co teacher might send you to-the one friend that I cherish the most is one that I met on my own in a non forced way.

It’s like online dating-it’s works for some people, just not me.

I actually met my friend while trying to find something to replace my starbucks addiction-not only is it not as available as in USA but usually it’s about 33% more expensive.

So I found a chain within walking distance and wound up befriending my barista. I was really impressed with her English and her willingness to talk to me. It grew from there to impromptu Korean lessons when the store was slow, and slowly she became more than just my barista. After she quit we were able to spend more time together, getting together once a week-a one on one language exchange if you will…except that I actually learned something. It was nice because unlike classes if I heard something that was commonly used, or if I wanted something to yell at my students when they were being bad (see climbing out of 5th story window) then I could freely ask her.

Sadly she moved to Seoul for college and I haven’t seen her in a long time but we still chat and I do get to visit with her on Saturday. So there you have it-despite all the forced possible chances to make a lasting friend…I managed to do it on my own. SEE MOM I CAN BE SOCIABLE!

So if you just “put yourself out there” a phrase my mom beat to death when I was growing up, you’re bound to find at least 1 friend in Korea.

 

Next time: ……co teaching issues. Now that I’ve started my new year I have a new co teacher…for the third time in 1 year. And while I didn’t realize it I was spoiled by the 2 previous ones, my current one is everything that I hated about my worst middle school teacher. So we will talk about what a good co teacher should do vs some of the nightmares that my friends have faced, and what you can do (or sometimes sadly, not do) in these cases.

 

Champagne taste on a soju budget

Now that the school year has started up again and I have been tweaking my other blog, the less…adult? one , I have neglected this site.

I’m sure that if anyone is actually reading this you have just arrived in Korea within the past week or are looking to come here soon.

So last post was about shopping for family and friends….but…what if you’re broke?

When I came to Korea I was told to bring $2000, $1500 at the least to survive.

I mean you think because you don’t have to pay for rent, or utilities for the month that you won’t blow through it.

Well…you will be spending money on your ARC, getting there, your TMoney card, putting money on  said card, food, basic necessities..and before you know it you have 2 weeks until your first paycheck and about 300$ left.

Which is fine…if you want to sit lonely in your apartment and get fat from eating too much fried chicken.

Of course you will get your airfare, settlement allowance, and first paycheck but you also want to go out.

solution: there are actually many free /low cost  things to do. While yes you will have to spend money to “get” there or pay a small fee, it’s shockingly cheap compared to the USA.

Now I live in Southern Gyeonggi-Do (I actually looked on a map the other day and realized that where I am is almost as far south as you can go and still be in Gyeonggi-do) so my main destination would be Seoul…or Suwon. If you are living saying in Daegu, chances are you’re looking at Busan. And..considering everytime I’ve been in Busan it rains…I’ve not had a chance to do anything else than shop and eat.

But if you are closer to where I am located…look no further ….or do because I still haven’t done that much.

1 Suwon- You can either take a train or the Line 1 Subway to Suwon. If you come out of exit 4 you will find an “info” center. There a cute little old man will tell you what buses you need to take and where you should get off.

For a 1000 won fee (like $1) you can walk around the fortress. I think it took me about 3 hours but I wasn’t going fast and that initial ascent kills you for a little. There is a bell you can ring (1000 won/person)-it’s a serious thrill because the thing is loud and reverbs like crazy.

If walking around the fortress isn’t your thing, you can visit the “summer palace” They have tour guides that speak English as well. It became a popular destination because a historical drama was filmed there. I’m not actually sure how much it costs (sorry! I know, that is the point of this post ) because I went on a holiday and the palace was free.  I don’t think it would be more than 10,000 won though.

But if you are looking for more natural beauty and FREE, than you can take the 13 bus all the way to the end to Gwangyosan Mountain. There are several trails for different ability levels and time allowances. There is a trail that leads up to nice water “fountain” and the water is really good! You get your exercise,see beauty and spend no money on entrance fees. You can even see Yongin as the mountain is the boarder between Suwon and Yongin.

2 Seoul- You can take many different lines or trains into Seoul, or even the bus.

From where I live (Pyeongtaek) if I want to be comfortable I would take the train but if I’m poor because I spent too much money on my EXO concert tickets (yes, you read that right) than I take the subway in from Line 1. I try to catch the express because it’s shorter and usually has seats available. If you’re coming from Suwon you could take Line 1 as well. Line 1 takes you in the center area of the city more on the west side-seoul station. But if you are wanting to closer to the center or east side I suggest the bus into Nambu bus terminal, or if you are coming from suwon  the Bundang line.

Now onto more exciting things. Free stuff.

Raise your hand if you love KPOP? No, well than you can skip this section. But if you are like me, than there is a lot of things for you to see.

Agencies: Now I’ve only been to a few but it’s a small thrill to see the buildings. Some people stand around and wait outside hoping to spot an idol even. You can google and I’m sure there are tons of directions pointing you in the direction of your favorite band’s agency. (though be aware Cube is moving) Now sadly some of the agencies are on the East while others (looking at you YG) are on the west. So you will be moving around a little.

KPOP Star Road: I wish I could say this place is awesome but I’ve never been able to go. I really don’t know why. But I know they have the bands “bear figures” that are signed. I was told this starts in front of the SM building. I should probably do this…when the weather isn’t frigid.

SMTOWN: even if you don’t like SM this is worth a look though I will warn you this is a major temptation to blow your money. It’s the SM Artirum located next to CoEX mall. (Green Line 2 samseong station exit….well you can just follow the signs because I don’t remember and I’m too lazy to check). You can check out the EXO and SHINee “paper” dolls outside before you go in. There is a gift shop, cafe, theater-yes you will want to spend your money. But even if you are unlike me and can keep it in your pants (MONEY!!!! you pervs) than looking around or at the trophies is still a cool experience. The mall itself is cool as well. It’s so big it needs an interactive map.

Yeouido-Though I would want to do this when it’s warmer (ideally during the cherry blossom festival in spring) Yeouido is a lovely little get away. You will find many people with the tents, families and picnic baskets sitting on the grassy fields that overlook the Han River. Or if you need to sleep off a hangover under the shade of a tree…well you can do that too. It’s a really relaxing and calm enviorment. You can even rent bikes from stations for a few dollars. I believe you have to leave your ID with them so they know you won’t steal the bikes. Make sure you get off the Yeouinaru Station NOT Yeouido (the purple line).

Namsan-If you are looking for some exercise and a nice view, thank hiking up/climbing up Namsan mountain is for you. Now, I was stupid and couldn’t find the cable car so I climbed a mile of stairs up to the top and promptly died. But if you are poor (also like me) than walking up the winding path, or climbing the stairs is a great option. Unlike the cable car, it’s free and you also become healthy. Now if you want to go to the top of the tower you will have to pay about 9000 but the top of the mountain has a nice enough view. You can even bring your own lock and lock it up with all the others, or buy one from the ladies at the top for about 5000. You can get off at the Myeongdong stop , the light blue line. Follow the exit signs….there’s like 8 of them at long opposite ends of the station so pay attention.

Olympic Park-Now when I usually go to olympic park its for a concert. But when my dad was here he wanted to go.  It’s a nice, quiet environment now used kind of like a park . People are biking for playing sports with their families. There isn’t much to look at per say but it’s a free thing to do. The stop is real easy….olympic park off of the dark purple line, line 8.

World Cup Stadium-like above, I’ve gone to the world cup stadium only for concerts (Dream concert….where I was rendered speechless…and voiceless the next day) but my dad and my mom wanted to see it. It’s a pretty impressive facility that now houses a Home Plus and Movie theater as well. I don’t know if you can go inside, but well….my dad found a way in and we…went in. This stop is easy too-off of the ugly poo brown line 5-world cup stadium.

Seoul National Forest-This one I actually haven’t been to yet. This is on my list for the coming spring. There seems to be a lot of things to do and see. When I do complete this I will update it on it’s own page.

Hongdae-It’s considered the college area- I guess like University City in Philly? But it’s a hip place. It’s a younger crowd where you will not only see more foriengers but those “crazy styles”.  Korea is pretty conservative in nature-and everyone strives to fit in-clothes, hair, accessories. But in Hongdae you get to see things you would expect to see in a city-hair, clothes, piercings etc. Yes there is a lot of shoppin to od but looking around the area is also very cool. The energy is very different. And if you are feeling ambitious you can go in search of “Coffee Prince” location. There are a few lines to get to Hongdae-Line 2, airport line-just follow the hoard of people to the correct exit.

Bukchon Hanok Village-This is located right near Gyeongbukgong Palace (which is NOT free sadly and I don’t know the pricing because I went on a holiday so it was free). It’s a bit hilly so you will get a work out on your legs as well. Now the hanok is the  traditional house of Korea and there are villages of these houses that people still live in. Pictures are limited and you need to be really quiet. But it’s a very cool feeling seeing these houses right next door to the modern Korea. If you can find it, there is even the house from “Personal Taste” somewhere. Now I believe you get off at the Anguk Station on the orange line. I don’t remember which exit it is but you can google it. ( i want to say 2 but don’t trust me). You will walk up straight out of the exit and up the hill. You should find an info center that will give you a map.

If you are willing to spend a little money then you can walk to Gyeongbokgong as well from the village. If you just follow the map you should be able to find your way.

 

I’m sure there are many other things i’m forgetting but at this point it’s a Friday, my first week back and I’m tired so for now…run with this. I’m sure by the time you finish with these you will have “real” money and then you can go anywhere you want.

Next time-making friends….everyone’s least favorite necessity

*this is really unedited because I’m super tired….sorry

 

 

 

So you wanna go shopping…

One thing you will quickly learn is that shopping in Korea is as important as an olympic sport. Between the outlet malls, underground malls, outside mall strips and the big hitter COEX mall, you could find everything you need and still want more.

When I first go here I was reluctant to spend money on anything but when I realized how cheap things were….well let’s just say I have about 23,000 won to get me to Wednesday.

But I knew that I wanted to send my friends back home gifts as well as my family and best friend abroad in China.

But what do you buy people?

As in most places when you visit a foreign country there is an area that really caters to foreigners. I’d have to say the big hitters in Seoul would be Myeongdong and Insadong but these two are very different.

Insa-dong

If you are looking for people who enjoy the handmade crafts or “tourist” like things than Insadong would be a better place for you. They have the typical tourist items like fans and cheap little gifts, but also some nice not so usual gifts.

Instead of singing with a pen and signature, Koreans use seals/stamps. They are usually made of wood or jade with the person’s name on the bottom. They go by a few different names. 도장  is a personal seal while 인감/실인 is for a local office/business. They cost about 30,000 for the cheaper ones and go upwards if you are looking for the jade ones. You can have a design on the side and then use characters for your name. Because American’s have longer names that don’t always fit nicely into character form, you might only be able to use part of your name.

It will come with the red “ink” and I believe a nice little carrying case. When you walk down the main strip of Insadong there are several shops where you can see them. I think it takes about 30 minutes or a little more for it to be made but you can wander around or grab a drink and snack while you wait.

Another custom item you can get is a scroll. They are in different sizes with the smallest one being around 30,000. I think the more characters you add on, the more expensive it gets.  These are also all around the area.

On a nice day Insadong is really fun to walk around, but when it rains like it did when I went with my friend yesterday it turns into a miserable experience becaue everything is outside.

Now Insadong also has a few other interesting things. You can get charictures done -I got one of my dog for my parents are their Christmas gift -you can get ice cream from a group of people who mess around with you before they actually give it to you as well as even eat “poop”.  It’s made to look like a turd but it’s filled with red bean paste. No I have not tried it because I can’t stand red bean.

Other shops will be filled with jewelry, tea cups, kitchen items and beautiful wooden boxes. You’re bound to find something there.

Insadong is also within walking distance of 경복궁 Gyeongbokgung Palace as well as the Hanok village.

To get to Insadong is very simple on the subway.  You take the Orange line, Line 3 up to the Anguk station, take exit 6.  Walk up the stairs and keep walking straight until you come to an intersection.  You will see the main strip on your left hand side and you can begin to walk down the street.  If you wanted to go to the palace, just follow along the wall on the opposite side of the street until you get to the main entrance.

If you were wanting to see the Bukchon Hanok Village you would go out of exit 2 instead, keep straight up the hill and you would see a tourist booth.

Myeongdong

Now if you are looking for perhaps your friends or someone who isn’t wanting to buy tourist-like items, Myeongdong is your best choice.

Not only is it incredible for it’s above ground but also underground. It’s very easy to get to. You take the light blue line, Line 4 to Myeongdong. Now there are a few different exits one side, taking you far far away from the other. So you need to make sure you go in the direction of exits 6/7.  Once you get there you will see a massive underground shopping area.

 

MD underground is best for cheap kpop items. Yes some of the items will be “knock off brands” but for the music and some merchandise it’s legit. Many a friends have bought lightsticks from here and I am an avid music buyer as well.

 

There are two separate music “stores”.  When you come out of the subway, walk straight.  You will pass a few stores selling clothes. The first store and my prefered store (I don’t know why actually) is going to be on your left.  It’s small but it always has what you need. It will have old stuff, new stuff, random stuff as well as things like stickers and knick knacks. They have slogans, and light sticks and it’s a paradise basically for any KPOP fan. The other one is further down and around the corner.  The whole underground basically one big square so it’s impossible to get lost. Now if by chance you can’t find what you want, you can always go above grond to the Music Korea store which is on the third floor of the Nature Republic.

It’s more expensive but the ladies are very nice there. If what you buy doesn’t come with a poster they will ask you who your favorite group is and give you photocards of them.

Now if you aren’t interested in blowing all your money on kpop goods for your friends back home, then shopping above ground is your spot. When you come out of the subway, you are going to make the immiedete left and follow the herd of people up the steps. That will put you right at the beginning of the shopping area. It’s a big tourist place and sadly I’ve been pickpocketed once so bring a purse you can ZIP up .

If you hate stairs or are unable to do them, then instead of making the immediate left keep walking straight past all the underground shops until you come to the end and then take turn left. Here is the escalator. It’s the same spot  just on the opposite side of the street.

You will first notice the giant Nature Republic.  Here you can get just about anything you want. I frequent this one a lot because they usually have everything in stock as well as free EXO things. If you are an EXO fan then this is the facial shop for you.

I am going to recommend if you are looking for gifts for females that prefer to have something other than traditional items or KPOP , skincare products are the way to go. You will find hundreds of stores in MD. Literally walking down the main street you will see about 3 different Nature Republics, two Etude Houses, Skin Food, Face shop, Innisfree…it’s unreal. But what’s more unreal is the fact that there are multiples of each store, sometimes with in seeing distance.

My personal favorites are Innisfree and Nature Republic. Face masks are cheap and easy to send while cleaners and creams are a little more expensive. I would try to shy away from the 100,000 won products just because I couldn’t justify that to myself but then again I’m not of that age yet where I need it I guess.

Etude House is good for anything cute. If you are looking for perhaps a younger sister or niece, this store is good. It’s pink and cute and fun. Now I wouldn’t recommend buying their skincare products just from experience but their make up is really good. They have great lip tints and things like that and the packaging is of course very cutesy. I personally loved their lip candy sticks but I think they don’t sell them anymore or produce them but I only see them sparingly now.

Skinfood is great and many of my friends like it. I use their black sugar mask-a product which they  kind  of are known for and like Nature republic and Innis fre the directions are all in English in the back. There are some products or stores that don’t have the triple language explanation but it’s rare.  Skinfood also just released their Royal Honey line of which I bough the Proplis essence. I’ve not really had a chance to use it like I should so I can’t gauge a good result.

Tony Moly like Etude House is all about the packaging. Where as Etude house is cute, I find Tony Moly cool. They have blood IV gel shampoo, apple lip balm and all sorts of cooler items that are less “cute”.

 

There are many other stores, Face Shop, Too Cool for Skool, The Saem (SHINee fans alert) and many others.  You are bound to find something for everyone.

 

Now the hardest gifts I find to give people are the ones who don’t want traditional gifts, don’t want modern Korean gifts. Usually these people are men and uncultured grandparents- I say this with love because it’s my own family.

So what do you get people who don’t want much or are fussy about “asian” things…socks. I kid you not. Sock stores are all around MD and Korea even. Usually they go from 1,000-3,000. In MD if you got a little later in the day they are going to be lined up in the middle of the streets and you can go through all the socks you could ever want. On most days (I’ve noticed not Sunday) the underground sock store will be open-it’s right next to the first KPOP store.

I’ve given my grandparents so many socks and they really like them. I get them cute socks, the really warm fuzzy socks. There are so many. There are ones with animals on them, there are ones with KPOP stars on them, they even have super hero and cartoon characters. I won’t name the amount of socks I’ve gotten and what they have on them because it would take forever.

But if you can’t seem to find anything suitable in either one of these super shopping areas, you can always go to the local Daiso, or Art Box. They have really cute stuff there that’s sometimes a little more expensive. I found a cute pig spatula and chick egg seperator I sent to my parents as a cute gift.

Now you think this whole thing will be a pain in the butt to send. Not really. Go to your local post office, fill out the forms, and send easy! Ok will a little more difficult than that. First if you are worried about boxes don’t be-they have them for sale for like 500 won but remember to bring coins or cash. You tape up your own box. Now hopefully someone will be there to help you. I got lucky as the post man speaks English medium well (that sounds like a steak order) and we managed to figure out together what we needed.

Now you can either send international shipping express or non expresss. If you are not looking to make a deadline, normal packing will be best. It’s cheaper though it will take about 2 weeks to get there. Express is more expensive (but not as much as you would thing) and take a total of about 3-4 days including weekends. Insane right?? I couldn’t believe it the first time I did it.

Now you will want to set aside a decent amount of money for the shipping as well as bring your ARC card because you need to have your address on there. Hopefully by now you will have your cell phone as well.  The price will be based on weight and you will get a reciept. Easy huh? I think the only catch is that the post office closes at 6pm.  Some might stay open later but I believe that’s when they usually close, a bt better than the bank which closes at 5.

I guess that’s it-covered a lot of shopping-something I have extensive knowledge about now.

Next time I think we can continue some “fun” posts -moving on from those boring old “techincal” posts. What are some things you can do on your own/ with limited amount of money. Now I will use broad subjects like “hiking” but because of where i live most of my posts will be in regard to Seoul/Gyeonggi-do area.

 

Public Transportation

If you are like me and have grown up in suburbs where you rely on your own car to go anywhere, then public transportation may seem nerve wracking and scary.

Luckily, I attended college in Philadelphia where I easily made the switch over to subway, trolley and bus.

Now while Philadelphia is a big city it only relys on two lines. Seoul…..don’t even get me started on the insanity that is that.

 

To start off with let’s look at trains. Now there are a few different types of trains and they go in different directions. Duh.

Sadly any train that isn’t along the main seoul-> busan track I have not gone on yet . So for any of you who are not along that route…good luck. Just kidding. Kinda.

 

In America we use Amtrak-here we use Korail. You just go to the website and click booking online under rail tickets.  Here you can look up times, and routes. Keep in mind some of these will be different types of trains.

KTX-the fastest train but doesn’t stop at all stations. My station is getting a KTS stop but as of now, I would have to go 30 minutes by subway in either direction to get to a KTX station which is why I’ve only ever used it once.

Whitney uses this train to get from Busan to Seoul. It stops in both Busan Station and Gupo but she told me these are two different routes and trains. So make sure you know which one you take. They both are located on Busan’s subway line as well.

Seoul has quite a few I believe. The Seoul one I believe starts in Incheon, stops in Seoul Station and Yongsan before continuing on but I’m not sure. Like I said you can always go online to look for KTX.

I think the price is usually around 50,000 one way from Busan to Seoul. I’ve only taken it once but I don’t remember the exact price because I paid for three tickets.

The KTX is okay if you’re wanting to get there in a hurry but the seats weren’t that great and the overall feel was kind of dumpy. I hope they update it soon

 

The next fastest train and the one I use the most is the ITX. I actually much prefer this train not only because it’s cheaper but it’s much nicer. Yes it takes almost 4ish hours to get to Busan from my town, but the seats are nicer, and there is more luggage space..overall I think it’s a better fit.

Price is about 30,000 from my town (in between Suwon and Cheonan-Pyeongtaek) to Busan which is a reasonable price.

The next two trains are what I call “regional rail” trains. Nurio and Mugunhwa are the slowest train trains (not metro). The nurio is nicer and sleeker but smaller -only about 4-5 cars. The Mungunhwa is less nice.

They both fill up fast on the weekends so there will be times where you are sitting or standing. I can’t even remember the last time I sat down on either. You can of course buy an tickets ahead of time but for me it’s not worth it. It’s only about an hour to Seoul.

Now I will say in the summer, if you are sitting in the Mungunghwa, bring a fan because the in between sections where people stand has no a/c and it can get hot.

The prices for these are pretty cheap. From Seoul to my town it’s about 4,500. From Busan to my town it’s about 23,000 BUT it takes like 5 hours.

That concludes trains. I know there is at least another one out there that operates more on the Eastern side of the country but I have no idea what it’s called or anything about it.

Now regarding any train, you will get an assigned seat. A car number and a seat number. You don’t have to show your ticket but it’s best if you keep it. Now some of the time people will be sitting in your seat when you get there. They either have only standing or don’t want to be in their assinged seat. If you just show them your ticket they will move. Easy.

Now onto subway system. I think there are 5 subway systems in total in Korea. Busan has a decent one, Daejeon has a really really small one that’s also really narrow.  Gwangju and Daegu each have one but I have never been to either city and finally Seoul has a monster of one.

The best thing to do honestly is to get the app. It’s called Subway Korea and it will save you time and trouble. It has timetables, routes, fare price etc.

If however you can’t access your phone then a map is also a great choice. I used it the first two times i was in seoul and it worked well.

You are going to also want to get a T-Money card. You can get them in 7-11 or any convincne store. They are a few bucks and will save you a lost of hassle but make sure to keep it handy and don’t lose it. You can even get yourself a KPOP one if you are in Myeongdong-I bought my mother one as a joke however they tend to be a little pricy at 10,000 a pop.

You reload the money at one of the machines in a station or even at the store. You can only use cash though so make sure you have cash handy.

If you are looking to go to a certain destination you can either 1 plan our your trip on the map or 2 have the app do it for you. You can set a depart, arrive station on the app.

This is more for outside the city, not really in Seoul, but you do have to be careful of some trains. They are called 급행 trains which are rapids. If you are unsure look at the signs around you or even just ask someone.

 

Now once you are on your subway car and headed to where you want to go, there will be announcements and even signs pointing which door to go out of and what stop it is. It’s in korean and then English so don’t worry. You will be informed. In the off chance that the sign isn’t working and you can’t hear just count how many stops. lso when you stop at a station you can read the stop name .

 

You will swipe your T-money card twice, once when you enter and once when you leave (sometimes there are transfers but it’s not too common you have to swipe for a transfer.)

If you are transfering over to another line just look for signs. They will be everywhere. Sometimes the transfers are really easy but then sometimes they are a mile away and take 500 hours to get to. (Looking at you line 5)

However, if you have made it to your destination now comes the slightly precarious part. If you know which exit to go out of follow the signs for it. If you don’t, either look on the map or research it because I promise you…choosing the right exit will save you a lot of time and trouble. There have been times when I’ve come out of the wrong exit and wandered around like a crazy person because I couldn’t figure out where things were.

Most of the time you will see a big sign with the exits and what the main area.

Always check before you exit the station though. My word of caution.

Also don’t feel afraid. Yes I’ve done the unthinkable and fell asleep on the Market Frankfurt Line in Philadelphia in West Philly. But really Korean subways are clean, and safe and most of the time silent. Yes silent. Everyone and their grandparents will be on their phones. At first it seems strange but over time it becomes second nature you will find yourself doing it too.

These subway cars on certain lines can also be crowded. Like insane crowded. You will bump into people, be squished against a door and it’s normal and nobody will say a word. You might have to push your way out or you may be pushed but it’s the norm here.

Now Seoul’s subway goes way far beyond Seoul-it’s more of a Gyeonggi-do/Seoul system. I live about an hourish away and I still am not the last stop on Line 1. Nowadays because I’m cheap I take the rapid subway train to Seoul.

There is also an airport line (but if you’re looking to go straight to the airport, the express train which is different is better but costs more money) for both Incheon and Gimpo. There are so many stops and lines…just take a look. It’s impressive.

At first glance you think there is no way you can master it without your app always open but soon you will get used to it and it becomes second nature.

Now the bus…where do I begin other than it’s hell on wheels. I mean you might end up there the way these bus drivers are. To this day buses still are a little crazy for me. The best thing to do honestly is to ask you co worker about it. Which bus goes where, and what is the best bus to go wherever

Now there is a bus terminal which is more of a cross city bus. For example if I need to be on the western part of seoul I take the train. However, if I need to be on the eastern part of seoul I take the bus. It’s about 4000 and runs quite often. There is the chance of running into traffic but overall I really enjoy it because I don’t have to sit next to anyone.

Once you figure out the bus system in your town you will feel more liberated but until then just have you co teacher help you out because it’s still pretty insane to me at times.

 

I think that’s it for today’s post because I really want to leave to go home.

I probably won’t post until I get back because tomorrow I leave early from work and then will be in America for two weeks. But after that…maybe update on what you should buy for your friends back home or getting started on your intense skin care product collection.

 

 

신세계 New World

Hello to anyone who is actually reading this or if no one is and I’m just doing it for my own sanity.

 

Last time I discussed about plane tickets and your first day teaching-techincal boring stuff.

Today I want to talk more about your new life here.

Now most of the time as a new teacher you will be given your own apartment but size and location will be different for everyone.

In my friend Whitney’s case-she needs to take the bus to work or has a decent walk to get to school. However she is right next to a subway stop in Busan and is within walking distance to many things including Gwanggali Beach. Her apartment is small-a square shaped room with a narrow small kitchen that includes a washing machine, and a traditional korean bathroom.

What is a Korean bathroom. Well it’s maybe a little bigger than a powder room with a sink, a toliet, a cabinet (maybe) and a shower head. Yep. Her shower head is right above her sink. So you can watch yourself take a shower. It’s a little strange. It is something to get used to and while I don’t mind it when I’m spending the night at her house or whether i’m in a hostel…I don’t think I’d want that full time.

 

In my case- it takes me 5-7 minutes to walk to school depending on whether or not I make the light. But I need to walk about 5-7 minutes to get to the bus that then takes about 10 minutes to get to the station which has the subway and trains. So it can be a bit of a pain. Granted it’s only a 5000-7000 won taxi ride which is much cheaper than my friends but still it takes a bit of planning a head. I do have many things around me including my gym and grocery store and a “outlet mall” I can walk to so I have all my basic necessities. But if I want skin care or music I have to head down town.

 

My apartment is old. And I mean old. I have a key and lock which most people don’t have anymore. My floors are kind of coming up a bit…just think…old. However I have two rooms-one for bedroom and one for tv room, a big kitchen, a balcony for my washer/storage, and a western bathroom. Yep a toliet, a sink and a TUB! I’m very lucky.

So as you can see you could have either one or somewhere in between. It will depend on what your school gives you and possibliy where you are. I live in a more residential area in a smaller town so I have a bigger place but Whitney lives in Buan so her place is more modern but smaller.

 

Now when you arrive depending on what the person before you left, you may have little to nothing. It can be overwhelming and you might thingk WTF did I do.

I know I did. I was lucky to have the help of friends who let me stay with them for a few days, take me around in their car and just give me support.

If your co is like mine, they gave me a brief car tour and then kind of dumped in my apartment. Hopefully you can be more open and forward-asking them to help you get necessities like toliet paper, and bath towels or whatever. You also will want to make sure you find your closest grocery store.

Be foreward and straight before your co leaves you to “putter” your new apartment. Get as much info as you can.

Some things I suggest :

1. Clean everything first. I know it sounds lame but you don’t know how clean the person before you was.
2. Put your bed together first. Sheets, blankets, pillows. That way if you are overcome by jet lag or just want to sit down and cry yourself to sleep (yep that’s me) than you can already have your bed to do so.
3. Go room by room. This was a suggestion by Emily who said my eyes were crazy when I had to put my aparmtnet together. If you go room by room it lesses the insanity a bit.
4. Put music on or a movie. Laptop or ipod or something so you don’t feel lonely or sad. I was lucky that I have a huge ass tv and Rob and Emily gave me their old DVD player. I suggest something mindless that won’t remind you of missing home or something funny. For me? Real Housewives…yeah.
5. Get take out that night. Whether its wandering the street for chicken or having the guts for takeout (or ask your co for help) That way no cooking -no worrying about pots and pants and cooking stuff or cleaning dishes.
6. Try not to force yourself to sleep or get up. If you have a few days before school try to slowly adjust.
7. Drink a lot of water. The flight wore you out and you are already on edge so the water will help keep you hydrated.
8. Don’t be afraid to reach out to any friends you might have in the area or Korea. If they can spare the time ask them to come help you. If they have been here at least 1 year they will feel comfortable wandering around with you or suggesting things you might not think of. If you have no friends that I would look on facebook for your town’s expat group. There are a ton of groups. I have one for GEPIK (or whatever program you are) and my town. So don’t be afraid to reach out to these groups.

There will be things you forget and don’t worry too much about it. Once you are more settled you will be able to venture out and learn what you need.

Now you did only bring with you about 1500-2000$ so make sure what you buy you definetly need to get you through the first month.

I brought a lot of stuff with me: shampoo, conditioner, pillow, sheets-because i didn’t want to have to worry about stuff like that. I saw a video that said it is a good idea because 1 you don’t know anything about this country yet and 2 its a little comfort from home.

 

But if you didn’t bring stuff like I did make sure you look at prices. You will find a lot of things here are cheaper and a lot are more expensive-espeiccally anything imported from the USA.

 

Now food. For your first week I would suggest sticking to comfort food-pasta, pizza chicken…while not the healthiest its easy to make and find. Get used to what your grocery store has to offer. I have to go to 2 different places because one has chicken while the other has shrimp. When you get more comfortable don’t be afraid to try a restaurant or try making things yourself. I recommend buying a bag of sweet potatoes…they are the best here.

Depending on what season you come will also be a factor. Because I came in march I packed few heavy clothes and more lighter clothes because summer was coming. Now that’s it’s winter and I’ve been here almost a year I had to buy a thicker jacket but I have more money now and other things I’ve accumalted over the months.

If you are arrriving in winter like me you will probably need to buy a blanket. If you find a tourist area, like Songtan outside of osan, you can find heavy Korean blankets that might only set you back 30,000. It gets cold here and you will use it espeically fi you don’t want to rack up your ondol floor bill.

 

 

Hopefully after your first week you have settled in a little bit. I would take the first weekend to catch up on sleep, get things more oraganized, putter, shop for what you missed etc. Don’t worry about trying to get to seoul or busan or wherever..you havea year to do so. Just relax.

I didn’t go anywhere until the final week of march when a friend asked me to go to Seoul to see a concert. (if you want detail on how I fell into complete VIXX obsession than check out my other site where I ramble, make unfunny jokes and just sound like an insane person you’d never want to meet)

Now I love to do things on my own but Seoul…even with a subway map…it’s  a Beast. There is an app you can get free on your phone called subway korea i believe . It tells you how to get someplace or train times etc.

I think my next update will be on getting around Seoul-things to do, learning the subway because I can make an entire post out of  that alone.

 

I would maybe go with a friend who has been there or at least someone else if you aren’t a person who likes to do things alone espeically when it involves going sopme place new .

 

But I think learning your town, seeing what you have near you, is the best thing you can do for the first few weeks. Like I said, don’t feel pressured to go out and explore all of Korea because you can. Take the time to really get to know where you will be living for the next year. Go to local meet ups and meet some new people. Chances are they are just like you.

Then when you feel ready (or you have a friend who wants to go)go out and explore. Try the train and the subway. (Warning-buses are more complicated) Go to Seoul or Busan or wherever you want to go.

 

Next update will be on trains, subways and possibly buses. I still even struggle with buses at times because they are insane.

Plane Tickets/ First Day

It’s been a very, very, very, very, very veryveryveryveryvery long time.

In my defense things became insane once my co teacher had to change to another class, leaving me with a new co teacher, one colleague committing suicide, and having to pick up the slack at the end of the term as basically a solo teacher…I’ve worked my ass off these past few months.

So getting back to some relaxation and actually having time to blog and basically do other things than plan the hell out of life…

So first …plane tickets.

 

Now that it’s January many teachers are getting ready to come over for the new term starting in March, I figured it’s time to get back to helpful blogging .

 

Now I took one of the longest routes to get to Korea just because of where I started. I come from the East Coast of the USA so basically it’s a 24 hour trip .

 

Now I was told by my friend that Korean Air and Asiana Air are both extremely expensive flights and that Singapore is the best bet.

 

Now I did take Southwest to SFO which is where Singapore flies out of .  I was able to use my mother’s frequent flier miles.

 

It was a long uncomfortable trip and I would advise not to use Southwest unless you have no other choice.  As I will be using Virigin Atlantic on my way this time I will review them later.

 

As for Singapore, it was an amazing airline. While not the cheapest or most direct, it was certainly the best flight I’ve ever had. Good food, free socks and tooth care set, AMAZING service! Every 30 minutes water or orange juice was offered, snacks were always offered, a lot of movies were provided…basically it was 12 hours of being pampered.

Now I did have to buy my ticket quickly which is something some people would have to do.

 

I would also suggest to choosing an aisle seat in the middle of the plane. I was told this was the best bet because the person in the middle will have two ways to choose from to go to the bathroom.

 

I would also suggest if your plane lands around nighttime in Incheon, do your best to stay awake on the plane. Watch movies, get up every few hours and eat. That way when you get to Korea you will start alinging yourself with the time zone.

 

Your first day may be one day or a few days after you arrive so it can be a little daunting and confusing.  With any luck you will just be asked to introduce yourself through powerpoint and maybe play one game.

 

I would advise you to have a personal powerpoint and game already planned before you come to Korea.  It will make life easier so you don’t have to try to plan and set up your new life…it’s going to be overwhelming.So just make life easier and do it before you get there.

 

Now my first day, all I had to do introduce myself, show a powerpoint about myself and then played hangman.  The rest of the time they took a test and we went over rules my co teacher gave me .

Now I have a strange time blocking, where I have 80 minute blocks instead of 45 minutes like everyone else. So your first day might be a little different than me.

 

 

Next time: your new apartment and new life.

 

Update: I’ve chosen to stay at my school and received an extra 12 vacation days, a singing bonus, an increase in pay and overall just an easy and logical decision.