Hello New Teachers,
Welcome to KIS!! Congratulations on your new job!
If you’re like me you have been reading all about Korea, looking at videos, (this is a great site: http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/), talking to anyone who’s been to Korea and searching the internet trying to decide what to pack! I brought 10 suitcases but you don’t have to bring that many because I will tell you everything you need to bring and all of the things you can buy here!
So much more Western food/products have become available just in the last year. You can pretty much get anything you want, but you may have to pay two or three times the price for some items. The $1200 relocation fee will go quickly so pack wisely. Here’s my advice: Definitely take two 50lb. luggage bags that you can check for free (on most airlines) as well as your carry-on and a backpack. Use the $600 to take two or three more suitcases ($200 each plus an extra $100 if they’re over 50lbs.), or bring your bike in leu of a suitcase. You will be located close to a 35K flat bike trail that you can ride year round. If you live in Sunae or Jeongia you can bike/walk to work. There is a Specialized store near where you will live.
Here are the items I would definitely bring if I were you:
Bed sheets, comforter, duvet. Your bed has a mattress that feels like boxsprings so it will be hard. Koreans generally sleep on mats on the floor, so if you like a softer bed you’ll want to come prepared. I brought the 2 1/2 inch Memorex pad from Costco in the States and I’m so glad every night that I did! You can buy it here, but it will be almost twice the price (if Costco has it available) which will still be worth it! Down comforters are available at the Costco and Lotte and Shinsegae here, but again it will cost you. Best to bring your own. Put it inside a hefty bag and suck all the air out with your vacuum then tie it tight. It will get really flat. Same with your down pillows. The school provides a new queen size comforter, and two pillows, but not with down fill. You’ll also receive two bath and two hand towels and two washcloths. Fleece blankets are easy to find here and reasonably priced. I would bring an electric blanket. Heating costs will rise quite a bit during the winter. My monthly apartment bill which includes heat, security, maintenance, water and garbage went from $170 in the fall to $260 in the winter and I did not use my heat very often. You will also have a propane bill for your stove which is always under $10 no matter how much you cook and the TV/internet bill is about $35. Do not get the the phone, you will never use the land line! I would not get the cable either because it’s mostly all Korean channels. All you’ll need is internet for Apple TV and you can stream shows from your computer. Your colleague will tell you how to access any TV show/Movie for free. Definitely sign up for Netflix in the States before you arrive. Same with Hulu Plus if you really like TV.
For phone: Set up Kakao Chat and We Chat from home so you can text for free. Set up Skype so you can call for cheap. Some people use the Magic Jack. Bring your phone, make sure it is unlocked and you can set up a data package here for about $50 a month.
Toiletries. Bring your favorite cosmetics especially moisturizer and make-up. Again, you can buy them here and they have all the designer brands, but they will be twice the price. I like Origins products and when I ran out of my moisturizer I went to Lotte to get some and it was $65 for 2oz. Ouch!! Koreans value light skin and many of their products have lightener/whitener so it is difficult to find foundation in medium and darker shades. Your favorite body lotion will be more expensive here too. Aveena, Nivea, Neutrogena and Burt’s Bees products are all sold here, but are at least twice the price unless you find a sale. Bring your favorite type of deodorant/ antiperspirant. Koreans have a gene that prevents them from stinking when they perspire. You will never smell BO here! They are super clean and don’t need deodorant, so it is not sold in many stores. If you’re picky about toothpaste then bring that too. I have no problem with the kinds here, but if you really like a certain brand, bring it. You will have no problem finding dental and hair/nail/bath products.
Look up these sites and you’ll see what is sold in Korea. iherb.com, Gmarket.com costco.com/Korea. I regularly order this stuff from iHerb: essential oils, popcorn,cous cous spices, nuts, seeds, grains, soup stock, etc. It is really reasonable (no delivery fee) and delivered within a week to school. You can set up an order using the school’s address and your passport number then press send when you leave and you will get it shortly after you arrive. Oatmeal is expensive here, so we always order that. A school bus will be available to take you to Costco every other week. Costco has some things you can’t find anywhere else, some things that will make you feel like you’re at home, but most things are expensive! They have the same food menu with pizza, hot dogs, chicken Caesar and frozen yogurt at the same price. Check out the Costco entry on my blog for prices. One dollar equals 1000 won, so if you buy a bag of chips for 10,000 won, it’s ten bucks. I get the roasted chicken, cheese (very expensive/hard to find in Korean stores), chips, frozen cod/tilapia, frozen fruit/veggies, tortillas, beans and oysters. Here is a link to my blog which has pictures of Costco items with prices: http://soloinseoul.blogspot.kr/2014/10/trip-to-costco.html
Clothing. Guys, if you’re tall, 5”11 or over or big, over 165 pounds, bring all your own clothing. Ladies, there is tons of shopping here as it is the national past time, but most Korean women are small. I am 5’6, 138 lbs. and that’s big by Korean standards. I can find clothes, but since I don’t care to shop, I’m really glad I brought all my own except for tights, scarves, gloves and hats— all of which are easy to find and reasonable. Oh, and Korean people generally dress in black, gray, brown and other dark to neutral colors. You will not see cars that are bright colors either! Short shorts and miniskirts are popular, but showing cleavage is not proper. Definitely bring your shoes/boots if you are a size 8 shoe or bigger. They have a great selection here in small sizes, but shoes are costly. Socks are super cheap here and sold everywhere including on the streets! Start looking for the warmest full length coat you can find! Temperatures are below freezing for three months and the halls at school are not heated, so you will need it!
Other info in random order:
Bring photos of family/friends/sports memorabilia, a favorite candle holder and little reminders of home to decorate your apartment to make it feel like home.
Bring a good lunch box if you like to make your meals. Lunch will cost about $5 at school and you’ll have your choice of Western or Korean style, they also have a limited salad bar. The food is fine and you’ll soon have favorites. I like to cook and eat healthy and save money for travels, so I make my lunch most of the time.
Bring a nice satchel for your new laptop. It will be an Air Mac.
Bring a good knife, stock pot, sauce pan, coffee grinder, blender if those things are important to you.Again, you may buy them here, but you will pay dearly! You will be supplied with one knife, a teflon pan, a pot, and some dishes/silverware.
You can buy hammer, nails, scissors, tape, glue, all first aid stuff, plates glasses, silverware, frames here. And it’s not expensive.
Buy hair dryer, curling iron, rice cooker, toaster oven, hot water kettle with your $1200 relocation fee. You’ll want most of your plugs to fit the Korea outlets, but you will receive a transformer which will plug into an American power strip (bring that) so you can also bring your favorite gadgets.
Bring an iPad, Apple TV and a router that has a VPN built in.
Bring gifts for your FST (faculty support team) Burt’s Bees (very expensive here) , Oh Boy Oberto beef jerky, and your local specialties.
Bring Nyquil, ibuprofen, Benadryl and all of your medications.
Subscribe online to SEOUL Weekly starting now. Here’s the link http://magazine.seoulselection.com/ You’ll learn a ton about Korea reading this expat magazine.
Daiso, (An amazing dollar store) Home Plus (Similar to a Wal-Mart)—this is where you will want to shop when you arrive. Lotte department store has everything Macy’s/Nordstrom would have plus a great food court and fresh groceries. Home Plus in Ori has the biggest selection and best prices. Locally go to Lotte Mart, Home Plus Express and look for sales in the Lotte department store on the bottom floor. Moran Market and Garak Market are cool outdoor markets with over 1200 booths! Go only on dates ending in a 4 or a 9 for Moran. Get there by 9:30 am as it is packed by noon.
Things that are great in Korea: safety, movie theaters, walk everywhere, jimjilbangs( Korean spas), cheap soju, medical services, plastic surgery, kimchi, no stink gene, shopping, cleanliness, outdoor spaces, parks free/cheap museums, palaces, fortresses, cheap buses, subway, taxis, FAST internet, if you like coffee drinks, cafes are everywhere, convenience stores everywhere and open all the time even on the second floor of our building 24/7. Street food, is good and reasonable.
Taxis are cheap. They will get you to or from school for $3. An hour ride in a cab is only about 30 dollars and no extra charge for extra passengers. Walking to school from Sunae takes 20 min from Jeongia 35 min. I walked everyday except during the winter.
No rip offs. One thing you will appreciate in Korea is not getting ripped off! And since things are pretty expensive you don't want to pay more. Everything is regulated and most businesses are operated by the same group of monopoly companies: Samsung, Lotte, LG, Hyundai. There is no bargaining on the streets except at large outdoor markets. And no tipping anywhere. You gotta love that! Merchants have always given me my change back even when I try to give them too much! Culturally, stealing is a very shameful act and CCTV is videoing you everywhere so it keeps people honest. Many of us have left phones and wallets behind but they were always returned to us in proper order.
Money is easy to convert. 1000 won is about a dollar. A bag of apples or oranges will be 9000 won or 9 bucks. You will receive a third of your paycheck in your won account so you can spend it locally using your debit card for purchases and two thirds of your check will go into a U.S. dollars account. You can choose to have any portion of the US $ wired home monthly to your account at home. Never keep more than 10K in your Korean account or you will have to pay extra taxes on it. Make sure before you leave that your US bank will accept international wire transfers and try to get a good transaction rate. State credit unions typically only accept transfers domestically. Every time you use your US Visa you will be charged a transaction fee so get a card that waves those fees.
Vacations. You will want to take advantage of your proximity to China, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. Book your tickets as early as possible especially for the winter break. Air Asia has good deals. You'll have a week break in September so plan ahead and go somewhere! The limo bus to the a airport is just a couple of blocks away from your apartment and its only 12 bucks each way for the hour ride.
Safety. One of the best reasons to live here is the feeling of safety. You can be anywhere at anytime and not worry about being harmed in any way. Koreans are sort of indifferent to foreigners. They look but don't stare and will not bother you. In fact, you will be bothering them sometimes trying to find someone who speaks English and who can help you with directions!
Gift giving. I brought a suitcase of gifts thinking I would be going to Koreans homes and making new friends. Truth is they do not entertain at home but instead meet at cafes and restaurants. It is unusual to make really close Korean friends outside of school as the culture is pretty closed to outsiders. The people are very nice, but stick to their own, generally. The language is a big barrier, but you can go to meet ups for language exchange and make friends there. I brought nice stationary for thank you cards and have used that. Most of your students have lived in the States and they can order anything they want. These students are from the wealthiest families in Seoul and have travelled to many countries. There’s nothing in America that they haven’t seen/heard of. You may want to bring classroom items to decorate according to your content area.
Check outwww.meetup.com/cities/kr/
in Seoul and you'll find over a hundred different groups to join. I like the Korea Adventure website, www.adventurekorea.com/ for going on single day and overnight tours. They have small groups, great guides and cool experiences. Check it out. Don’t miss the Apple Orchard Day in the fall and the Strawberry Festival Day in the spring.
Get in shape! If you're not in good health, start now! You'll be walking a lot and climbing lots of stairs at school and on the subway. Koreans are generally thin and fit. Their diet consists of mostly fruit, veggies and protein. And since apartments are small they go outside when it is nice. If that doesn’t sound like a plan, you can buy a car pretty cheap here so get your international drivers license before you leave!
Supplements
Bring them! Melatonin is not sold here and vitamins are very expensive. Bring your own Ibuprofen and Benadryl and stuff like that.They are much more costly here. You can find band-aids and first aid stuff for reasonable prices.
Personal products. You can find tampons and pads, but if you have a favored brand bring them. It’s not a cultural norm to use tampons. At least bring a couple of months worth until you locate what you want. Bring your hair color! Hair cuts/ color are expensive and disasters can happen! Have your stylist provide you with your color and the mix so you can do it yourself. I am so happy to have brought mine.
Well, that’s my two cents. I hope it is somewhat helpful. It comes from a single, 53 year-old teacher from Seattle. If you have any questions I would be happy to try to answer them.
