What to Pack When Moving to Korea.

If you're moving to Korea, please skip ahead a paragraph and join me there.  To avoid my commentary and get to the nitty-gritty, scroll down until you hit "The List".

If you're NOT moving to Korea, and this topic bores you - no worries.  Just enjoy the many other delightful and witty blog posts I've spent inordinate amounts of time on.  (Unfortunately for me - and ultimately you, the reader - when it comes to the written word, lots of time spent on my part does not necessarily translate directly into quality.  Hopefully I get points for trying.)

When I was preparing for the move to Korea, I had exactly 2 months and 5 days to do the following:  sublet my apartment, find a home for my beloved feline, sell off as much furniture as I could, pack up and store the rest of my belongings, move to my parents' house (eek!) and pack for a two-year teaching stint at an International school.  Calmer and more worldly folk than I have, I'm sure, done more in less time.  But for me...well...I was freaking out.  Lucky for me, there's a LOT of great information on the web that I'll pass along here along with personal notes of my own.

First of all, I know it's wrong to have a crush on a couple, but these guys are my heroes:

www.eatyourkimchi.com

Their specific post about what to pack when coming to Korea is located here:

www.eatyourkimchi.com/what-you-should-pack-to-korea/

Not only are their videos about living in Korea horribly informational, but they have a delightful sense of humor and so much charisma I couldn't help but hope some of it would leak out of my computer and land on me like fairy dust.  Obviously I've been reading too many fantasy novels.

Other websites that I found helpful were...

http://hiexpat.com/korea-blog/a-teachers-prep-for-moving-to-korea.html
http://www.chikorean.com/the-ultimate-packing-list-what-to-bring-to-korea/
http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/04/costco-kr/
http://www.korea4expats.com/article-what-teachers-workers-need-bring-korea.html
http://www.korea4expats.com/article-what-to-bring-to-korea.html

PLEASE IGNORE THESE IDEAS FROM THE ABOVE WEBSITES:

-Books...I lugged lots of books with me only to discover that "What the Book?" in Itaewon has a fantastic selection of new and used books in English.  They will also order anything you'd like and offer FREE shipping.  I love this place!  (whatthebook.com)

-Contacts...Just bring your prescription with you.  No need to make an appointment with an eye doc here - just walk into a store that offers eye glasses and contacts, show them your prescription, and your contacts are likely to be much cheaper than they are in the States.

-Shower curtain...Check to see if your new place will have a Western or Korean style bathroom.  If it's a Korean style shower, you won't need a shower curtain.

After perusing the above websites, your list of possible things to pack is probably running off the page.  If I had to pack my bags all over again, these items would be my top 10 choices...

THE LIST:

1.  Clothing and Footwear - Bring enough for a year that will keep you comfortable in four distinct seasons - including cold winters and hot, humid summers.  If you are slim you should be able to find a wide selection of clothes here...even tall men can find pants that fit and good quality, custom-made mens' dress shirts can be constructed for as little as $40.  But...if you are a BIG, tall man or a woman who has some junk in the trunk (like me) or around the middle you may want to bring any and all clothes you will need.  Shoes are nearly impossible to find if you have really big feet.

2.  Medicine - This seems to be one of the most-argued about suggested items.  I would recommend bringing 3 to 6 months worth of your prescription medication...that should give you enough time to find out if you can get it here (if you can, it will most likely be cheaper) or if you need to ask someone from home to send it to you.  Be sure to bring your prescriptions with you!  I also brought over first aid supplies, vitamins, and over-the-counter cold medicines.  Although these are items you can find here, I'm glad I brought over a basic (if small) stock of these things it will give me time to locate comparable products before I run out of what I'm familiar with. 

3.  Toiletries - Enough deodorant for your time here is a MUST.  I also packed enough cosmetics, toothpaste, Pantene Pro-V conditioner, hair gel, and perfume for the year because my school provided enough of a shipping allowance that I could afford to bring over my favorite brands.  These items ARE available - just think big city prices for similar products with an added price jump if you have to have a particular American brand name.  

4.  Ladies' Items - If you wear a C-cup or larger, bring enough bras to last you.  If you're a fan of thongs, pack 'em.  If you prefer tampons, schlep over enough to last the year - they're uncommon and you might not be, um, comfortable with what you can find.

5.  Towels - I would recommend bringing one or two of your favorite towels with you as well as a washcloth.  These won't take up much space in your luggage, and finding towels you like for a good price here can be a challenge (depending on how picky you are).

6.  Alarm Clock - As many American cell phones don't work in Korea you may be leaving yours behind.  If you need to wake up for a school or work function, you'll be shocked that the smallest, cheapest alarm clock you can find here that has English directions is three times what it would cost you in the States.

7.  Bedsheets - Trust me on this one.  Bedding is EXPENSIVE here, and their sheets are not similar to ours in comfy-ness.  Even if you can only fit one set in your luggage, you'll be glad you did.


8.  Spices and Dry Goods - If you're an avid tea drinker like I am, bring some with you!  I packed mostly loose tea because I could fit more tea vs. less packaging in my suitcase that way.  When I arrived in Seoul, I noticed various boxes of black tea bags (15-30 bags each) at my local Lotte for $9 to $15 per box.  Yikes!  Salt and pepper can be found easily here, but you may want to bring any other spices that you like with you.  Also, if you have extra room in your luggage at the end, you could add some bottles of maple syrup and/or honey.  I brought a few bottles of each that were made in my home state of Wisconsin to bring as gifts for new co-workers and my new boss, but since I've seen the prices on this stuff here I'm considering squirreling it away for myself.  *insert evil laugh here*  I'd heard about Americans who on trips home would fill entire suitcases on their return trip to Seoul with dry goods such as soup mixes, gravy and spice mixes, brownie mixes, etc.  I thought they were crazy at the time, but what I wouldn't do for a box of pancake mix or macaroni and cheese right now...Seriously.  Stuff like that from home that is familiar and easy to make and understand when everything else around you isn't can be SO comforting.

9.  Passport Photos - These can come in handy when you least expect it.  Again, it's something you can get here, but when you're starting a new job and trying to adjust to a new environment, do you really want to be running around looking for a place to have passport photos done?

10.  Random Items That Make You Happy - If you're an avid biker, you may want to bring your favorite bicycle.  Some airlines only charge an extra $50 to check your bike, and that's much cheaper than buying a bike here at big-city prices.  I brought a few card games as I've heard that English language board and card games are hard to find and expensive.  Pictures of friends and family can help make a new place feel more homey, and the simple plexiglass frames that I packed three of mine in traveled really well and weigh next to nothing.  If there's ONE additional item I could have fit in my luggage, I would have packed my comforter.  They're at least twice as expensive here in Korea, but the darn thing was just too big to cram into my last suitcase!  I have heard of folks having success with packing their down comforters and saving a mint by bringing one from the States.

Please feel free to comment with any and all thoughts and suggestions.  Happy packing!

The Apartment.

So.  I get off the plane.  I find the Korea International School (KIS) representative who's there to pick me up.  I load my luggage into the passenger van.  And THEN I decide to be alarmed that the apartment we're driving to could be a disaster.  Why didn't I think to worry about that earlier?!  Turns out I would have three hours in rush hour traffic to consider worst case scenarios.  This was the first song I heard on the radio in the passenger van:

http://youtu.be/DO2Y2sGZ1dk

NOTE TO SELF:  Do not laugh and smile when you find it funny to be listening to classic American oldies in Korea or the very nice passenger van driver may decide to attempt to please you by turning up the volume.  Said volume may then be left on the loud setting.  And horror of horrors, Kenny G may come blaring out of the speakers as you're trying to remain calm in a rain storm.  While suffering from sleep deprivation.  In a 3-hour long traffic jam. 

Though I didn't realize it a month ago, I would have liked to have left three things behind in the States:

1.  Kenny G.  (see above)
2.  Spam (it's everywhere here)
3.  Crocs (as in the shoe)

The good news?  The only horror of horrors in this blog post involves Kenny G.  Turns out I had nothing to worry about when it came to the apartment!  It is smallish by Wisconsin standards, possibly a good size by Seoul standards, clean with only a hint of mold smell (not uncommon here) in the living room, and well furnished.  After a full 24 hours of travel, it felt good to be in my new home.  Here's a tour:

View of bedroom from kitchen doorway - KIS even purchased a brand new wardrobe and dresser for me to use!



View of kitchen from the front door of the apartment - it took me a bit to figure out why I liked it so much.
Then I realized...the counters were made for a short person.  Yippee!

A tiny picture of a tiny living room...

I have a Korean-style shower...a drain in the floor and a shower head on the wall.  I'm quickly becoming a convert to this idea...saves important square footage in a city of 9.8 million people, keeps the floor clean, and avoids having to clean a moldy shower curtain.  We just won't discuss the mold along the edges of the window.

  

Even though the bathroom is a bit, um, outdated in terms of decor it's clean and functional.  Hooray for having a Western style toilet - let's just hope it keeps working.  How would you get the back off to do any repairs?!

Front door - I was relieved to find that #101 meant a raised ground floor...not ON the ground floor.  My apartment feels pretty private and safe as all my windows have a frosted window film and security bars on the outside.

Apartment steps going down to lobby and exit.

View as I leave my apartment lobby.

I took all these pictures as soon as I walked in the door...any random objects sitting around were left by KIS.  And delightful random objects they were!  I can't say enough for the thoughtfulness of the business office setting up basic food and supplies before I even arrived.  Can I complain that the food included a massive bag of potato chips, white bread, and lots of sugary blueberry bagels with full fat Philadelphia cream cheese?  My hips are happy, and I'll just take a bit of a break from using that bathroom mirror!  

Other thoughtful touches included a vacuum cleaner, iron with ironing board, phone, trash cans, basic plates and silverware, a frying pan, cleaning supplies and towels.  Boring, trite information to add to this blog, you say?  Ha!  Try bargain hunting for this stuff in Seoul!  Many of these items are three times as expensive as you'd find in the states...culinary snob that I am, I STILL haven't swallowed the shock of the price of pots and pans enough to have the strength to carry any to a checkout line.  An expat I met the other day went off on what sounded like a well-worn rant about the lack of foreign competition to keep prices down in Korea...imagine eyes bulging, hands waving, and a maniacal smile on the face of an otherwise perfectly delightful Candian as he bellowed on about being able to buy Korean products for a third of the price when visiting other countries.  

But I digress...the point here is that so far my employer gets major brownie points in helping me with the moving transition.  And I'm ready for guests!  Just let me know when you'd like to visit...

The Transition.

You know you're desperate when you Google "how to grow a pair when moving halfway across the world".  And drive your friends and relatives absolutely batty with questions about international flights, culture shock, and the notion of courage.  For those of you who are still speaking to me - thank you.  No, seriously - THANK YOU.  I may not have grown a pair in time for my departure on July 14, but I've got enough support in my corner that I found myself off the stool and in the ring.

And although I kept asking myself, "What am I doing?!" in the days leading up to my flight, I was distracted by two of the most beautiful souls on the planet.  I mean, look at these faces:

 Thanks for the delighful distraction, Nicky and Natey!

And after all that angst about surviving an international flight, it really wasn't that bad.  Want some tips for moving halfway around the world?  

1.  Have your Gramps drive you to the airport.  He's one of my favorite people in the world, keeps his calm when he sees how much luggage you have, and utters soothing comments when one starts to cry in the security checkpoint line because you don't want to see him go. 

2.  Talk to strangers.  On the flight from Milwaukee to Chicago, I sat next to a man who's been teaching and living in Japan for ten years and loves it.  As a second grade teacher.  (I'm going to be teaching second grade!)  "Not to worry," he said in a comforting voice, " Even if you hate it for a few (six) months, before you know it you'll never want to go back to the States."  Ha!

3.  Fly Korean Air.  I repeat - FLY KOREAN AIR.  The flight attendants are impeccably dressed, perfectly coiffed, and smile at you consistently and without fail...no matter how sick they may get of you during that 13 hour flight.



In the airport before departure...ironically, I had the courage to act like a creeper and sneak up
from behind to get this shot but didn't have the wherewithall to ask any of them to pose for a picture. 

When you get to your seat, those lovely stewardesses will have left you slippers, a warm soft blanket, headphones, a bottle of water, and toothbrush/toothpaste.  Unfortunately, they won't be able to help you recover your self respect as it slowly erodes each time you crawl out of the window seat to take a bathroom trip.  Again.  And again.  And again.

4.  Pretend you're flying First Class.  Consult friends that are more fashion smart than you to help you choose a luxurious-looking but deceptively comfortable outfit.  Wear socks or the provided slippers to keep your toes comfy.  Consult people who actually fly First Class and find out what their strategies are.  Although this can lead to lifestyle envy, it was worth it for me in the discovery of a comforting little ritual - facial cleansing wipe followed by a nice face lotion followed by lip balm followed by body lotion on arms, hands, and neck. You may be able to trick your body into thinking that you were able to stay a little better hydrated in all that dryness!

5.  Bring Dramamine.  This is just one of the life changing suggestions made to me by the ingenious Leah Dunbar.  Stay tuned  for more.

6.  Always choose the Korean meal option.  Bibimbap anyone?  Beef over rice?  Sure beat the fake spaghetti the other poor shmucks settled for!

This would have looked more appealing had I figured out my camera settings earlier - the colors of this meal were actually pretty fantastic.  The top left container contained kimchi, there's a fruit salad to the right of that, complimentary red wine next to it, rice on the bottom right, beef bibimbap on the lower left, and seaweed soup in the middle...the only part of the meal I couldn't make myself eat.



No clue how to eat Bibimbap?  No problem.  Instructions for dummies!  I used them.

7.  Have someone pick you up. 

NOTE TO SELF:  When moving to a foreign country, it may be a good idea to arrive with some of the foreign currency already in your pocket and some phone numbers of local contacts to call in case of emergency.  That fifteen seconds of absolute terror when at first you couldn't find your name on any of the welcome signs in the receiving area?  Yeah.  You wouldn't have been so close to peeing your pants if you would have had a back- plan.

NOTE TO SELF #2:  Don't be afraid to take pictures.  Don't let fear of looking stupid keep you from capturing really cool moments with your shiny blue camera.  Walking into that vaulted receiving area, hundreds of people waiting behind a low wall planted with greens and flowers, posters and signs of welcome in all sizes and colors in the air...I've never been so happy to see "Ricki Millevolte" printed in black and white on an 8 1/2x11 piece of paper.