Mailing packages, getting a subway card, and getting birth control

This is the second post I consider part of my "how to" series (the first was the smartphone post). I want to make my blog more informative and helpful - something that will assist new foreigners in adjusting to life in Korea. I hope its useful to some readers, without being a hindrance to my friends and family back in the states.

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If there is one thing I never get sick of, it is mailing and receiving letters and packages. The Korean postal service is pretty spectacular. It's much cheaper to mail things from Korea to the States than vice versa.

The offices sell boxes of varying sizes.

The boxes are cheap! For those in the states, it's about 30 cents to a dollar and change.

Even better, they have tape, scissors, markers, and so on - everything you need.

To answer the basic questions - yes, they place to and from addresses in the traditional places; yes, they will have you fill out a customs form listing everything inside along with its quantity, weight, and price. They accept cash or cards. You can mail surface, air, or express. Surface is the cheapest but can take one to three months. Some locations are open Saturday mornings, but not all are. I've had the best luck with English speakers early in the morning on weekdays, for some reason.

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In Daegu, you can buy one of two subway cards. The top one is called Toppass, and can be used in Daegu, Busan, Seoul, and some other cities. The bottom is only for Daegu. They both cost 2,000 Won, and when you buy it, they will put credit on it if you give them cash.

One of the most beneficial aspects of having the card is that you have free transfers from bus to bus or bus to subway. There are some time limits on this, such as the fact that you cannot take one bus somewhere, and the same bus going the opposite direction for free. When you exit the bus, simply swipe your card on the card reader by the exit door (if you forget to do this, it will charge you for the next fare).

** When I was in Seoul in December 2011, I could use my card, but I couldn't recharge it. Make sure you put on enough money to last your trip to Seoul!

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Getting birth control in Korea is easy and affordable. You do not need a prescription. Just go to the pharmacist and ask for it by brand name; Mercilon is pictured and only costs 7,000 Won per month. There are pharmacies all over Daegu; you can identify them by the traditional red cross symbol in the window. You can buy more than one month at a time if you ask for it.

As a side note, I am a big advocate in regular gynecological exams and believe that living in a foreign country is no excuse to not go. This is a extremely helpful blog post about Hyosung Women's Hospital in Daegu, and I recommend the hospital personally. It coordinates with US military bases and is accustomed to having foreigners as patients. I can tell you that Ms. Ku (the woman who will help you set up an appointment and ensure that you fully understand the doctor) is kind and helpful, even better, her English is phenomenal.

If you're outside of Daegu or looking for a doctor outside of the OBGYN field, this site has a list of medical services with English speakers of all types from around the country.

Sokcho and Seoraksan

Sokcho is a fishing port town nestled in next to Seoraksan National Park. Laura and I headed up there for the holiday weekend; I alluded to the trip in my previous post. It was amazing. Forgive me if I don't go into detail, because I've already written an article for Compass. I'll post the link when it's published.

Also, my camera's battery died at the end of our second hike, so some of these pictures were taken on Laura's camera. Though, I did take the landscape ones I have posted here, obviously the ones of me, she took, and vice versa.

Sokcho's beach would probably be nice in better weather.

We ate an enormous amount of Korean barbecue.

Onto the exciting part! Here is a website with the descriptions of hiking courses in Seoraksan from the Sokcho area.

The first day we checked out a temple, took the cable car, and hiked up to the fortress. It was freezing outside and raining hard. We didn't feel comfortable on a strenuous hiking trail in those conditions, so we ended up at the jjimjilbang for the evening.

Gwongeumseong Fortress is an open area with jagged rocks. It was mildly terrifying seeing as everything was slick from the rain, and there were no guard rails. It is supposed to be the site of a former castle, but there is no evidence of that now.

Tiny pagodas stacked up by tourists

September 13, 2011

Culture Shock and Moving Home

I considered not posting this, simply because it seems self indulgent and over exposed to share my feelings on my blog. However, this is part of the experience and my life here. I want to be honest, and with that comes sharing more than I might necessarily feel comfortable with.

In college I studied International Relations and International Business. They are two distinct fields, both of which hold my interest, but overlap on a number of issues. I can't begin to explain how many classes discussed culture and reentry-culture shock. Now, I have thought back to the numerous articles and conversations about it with renewed interest.

Yes, being in the States was difficult at times. I felt like I missed out on a lot of things, and I had a harder time connecting with some people in my life. At times, I wouldn't be present in conversations simply because I couldn't believe how easy it was for me to listen to everyone speaking English around me(!!!!). I'd jay-walk just because I could, then feel guilty instinctively, and look for an older women to scold me in Korean. I rode the subway in New York and felt entirely furious to discover it was only in English (there are so many people from so many places speaking so many languages and America puts ONE language in the most visited city in the country?!). The people I had the easiest time with were hands-down the ones who wrote letters, read my blog, talked with on skype. Some asked me for stories, but would interrupt me with the ending, having already read it all here. But really, that was comforting. It was nice to know people understood me and where I had been during the year away.

Now that I am back in Korea, I am experiencing a new set of difficulties. I have often said that life in Korea is just like life anywhere: I have met people so generous, kind, loving, and open. There have been moments that are impossible to beat - I have been as happy here as I have been anywhere. And yes, this is my home. This is a place that I love and appreciate for all that it is. That said, I've also been so utterly and overwhelmingly disappointed - both professionally and personally - that at times it is difficult to continue my life here, to plan another year.

In the last few weeks, I have been unhappy, and I have realized why. The entire time I was in the States, I missed Korea immensely. When I came back, however, things were different. My life here was substantially changed. I had to come to terms with the fact that the reasons I decided to sign on for another year - all the way back in April - may not exist now. There was an internship in my field promised, a great job with ideal hours, a love interest, a solid group of friends, a regular volunteer schedule, a pet, a need to explore more places, and a feeling of in-completion. So, I signed a contract. And now, months later, I was back in Korea but missing parts of the life I had before - some of that list of reasons is still legitimate, some things are entirely missing. I was nostalgic and regretting my decisions.

Then, I went on a fantastic adventure. I saw a new side of Korea and experienced the adrenaline and excitement of exploring this country again. I remembered why it made me happy and why I was committed to the next 12 months. I started working on the list of things I can't wait to do and am ready, finally, for this year.

I can't wait to upload pictures and post information all about it. I can't wait to show you the most beautiful place I've seen this year. But first, I need to write an article about it for Daegu Compass. This will be the second article I've written for them, if you remember my Geoje Island blog entry, it was featured in the August issue (which you can read online here).

For those of you who might be going through something similar, stick with it. Remember why you're here and why you need to experience the difficulties of moving to a new place.

Expect more posts very soon!

September 7, 2011

Getting a smartphone in Korea

I've thought a lot about getting a smartphone. My previous school provided a cheap plan with a handset, so it was never worth the cost. Now, I have that handset, but it is prepaid (this is called PPS in Korea). The phone is alright for calling and slow for texting - but it works. 20,000 won doesn't last very long, though, and I feel like I could pay more for a better deal.

A few friends (Chevelle and Mara, two fantastic ladies) recommended a cell phone store in Daegu with a fluent English speaker(!!!!!), so off I went. This is what I learned:

Korea uses two year contracts, and phone prices are astronomical. The Iphone costs 794,000 won (about $740 USD)! However, they give a 602,000 won discount as you complete the contract.

Here is an example:

Iphone: 794,000
- two year contract:

phone cost discount: 602,000

total phone cost: 192,000

monthly phone cost over two years: 8,000

- cancelling after one year of your contract (as if you were going to your home country)

monthly fee paid so far: 8,000 x 12 months = 96,000

buying off the remainder of your phone: about 400,000

total phone cost: about 496,000

Nexus S: 602,000

- two year contract:

phone cost discount: 602,000

total phone cost: 0

monthly phone cost over two years: 0

- cancelling after one year of your contract (as if you were going to your home country)

monthly fee paid so far: 0

buying off the remainder of your phone: about 300,000

-He mentioned that cancelling after a year and six months may lower that cost to about 100,000

Furthermore, there are some initial fees which are rolled into your first three monthly bills:

-Registration fee: 24,000

-Bond Security fee: 20,000 to 30,000

-SIM Card: 5,500

Then there is the plans. The most popular plan is 55,000 a month; this includes unlimited data, 300 texts, and 300 minutes. Not a bad deal in and of itself.

Monthly bill for the Nexus S (after initial three months with higher bills to extra start-up fees):

-plan itself: 55,000

-insurance: 3,300

-VAT (taxes): 5,500

63,300 a month

For more information about plans and handsets, check out this great website: Kt's "Expat Blog" in English.

Getting there: Take the subway to Beomeo (on the green #2 line, three stops from Banwoldang). From there, you can take a cab (simply say "Hongum Home Plus-ah) for about 2,500 won. Alternatively, you can walk for about 20 minutes. Right in front of the Home Plus, you will see a Shinhan Bank, it is a little farther down than that.

Getting in touch: You can e-mail him at cpwon@frux.co.ke. From there, he may give you his number- he is quite fluent, I had no issue communicating on the phone.

Personally, I don't think it is worth the phone cost, since I don't plan on staying for a third year. I did love the Nexus S - Android's OS is amazing and it is produced by Samsung.

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As a side note, I have a new header for my blog! I got it from this fantastic site, lots of inspirational travel quotes and pictures!

September 5, 2011

Chilseong Market

When you move to Korea, you do not know what state your apartment will be in. There are things that may be promised or even included in your contract, but really, there is no guarantee. Between my two apartments, I have seen black mold, rotten food, piles of empty water bottles and trash. When put in this situation, the best thing you can do is buy some thick rubber gloves, sponges, and a nice big bottle of bleach. That's how I've spent a lot of my free time since I've moved into my new place.

The other potential problem I've seen firsthand and heard about, is a lack of furniture. One guy I met had moved into an entirely empty apartment - absolutely nothing but the walls and floor. Luckily, my situation was a bit better. I am sleeping on a mattress on the floor (still waiting on my bed frame) and only recently upgraded from a mini-fridge to a full-sized one. My apartment had the basics, but is still missing some essentials. It may be tempting to race off to E-Mart or Home Plus and buy brand new furniture, but I recommend heading to a market first.

Chilseong Market has a great furniture section, so that is where Blair and I headed this weekend.

To get there: take the subway to Chilseong Market (it's on the red #1 line, two away from Banwoldang). When you get off, you'll see this sign:

1 Chilseong-dong Community Service Center Chilseong Market

2 To Dongin (4) Jct. Chilseong Market

3 Chilseong Furniture Market

4 Bridge of Chilseong Sincheon Public Parking

If you go out exit 3, you'll come up and see this:

Turn right, go straight, or cross the street and wander that way. The market is huge and full of great deals. To find the furniture, cross the street, and turn right. The main road has furniture stores, but they are more expensive than the smaller shops down the side streets and alleys.

Once you find the right piece of furniture, you need to figure out how to take it home. There are a few options. For the largest pieces, many places include delivery in the price, so be sure to ask, and even negotiate a lower price if your home is close to the market. Blair's shelving unit was very tall, similar to the one pictured above, but wood rather than white. She bargained them down to 25,000 Won including delivery. They threw it in the back of the truck and drove us to her apartment. Even better, delivery included him carrying it up the stairs and bringing it inside!

Another option is bringing the furniture by bus or taxi. I had left a smaller piece of furniture at Blair's while I had been home. We tried to take it in a bus (not pictured), but got off at the wrong stop accidentally and ended up lost enough to justify a cab ride. One driver did turn us down, but the second one just laughed while we squeezed in.

As a side note, I had picked up a hanging closet - tension mounted from the ceiling to the floor. It was only 20,000 won, saving me about 30,000 won from the E-Mart price!

Aside from the furniture shops, there is a lot to see. Here are some random pictures from around the market:

Lots of bikes and street vendors

Live turtles, which I am assuming are snacks rather than pets

Live eels

Frozen fish

Lots of fresh octopus and seafood

Fish and seafood

An indoor market with lots of fresh produce

Drying fish outside by the bridge

September 3, 2011

Washington, D.C.

I helped Lauren move into her new apartment in DC, then spent a few days hanging out with her before flying out to Korea. 

Moments after the earthquake. Lauren and I were walking to the art gallery; we thought it was the subway or a shaky traffic light. It wasn't until we noticed every building was being emptied and the national treasure police went flying by that we realized what was happening. The biggest disappointment was that everything closed for the day - they were checking foundation and structural issues. There was some damage to a few places - Washington Monument, National Cathedral, Smithsonian - but nothing devastating. 

 

Lauren and I are really great at moving and assembling furniture. 

 We went kayaking on the Potomac River. 

We visited the Arlington Cemetery on a rainy afternoon. 

And just like that, my time in America was over. I saw a lot of wonderful people, visited some amazing places, made some good memories, and appreciated all of the time I had there. It is always sad to leave people you love, and this was no exception. Another year away has begun. Now, I'm settling into my life here in Korea again- appreciating the familiar and trying to adjust to the changes.

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