moving to south korea!
polycounter lvl 17
Hey guys, I am moving..and I have a question.
I am going to purchase a universal power converter/adapter...Can I plug a US power strip into the converter, then plug it into the wall---and use all my appliances in the US strip(as to save on buying a converter for every piece of electronic?)
Any insight is appreciated- and links to sites that have info regarding this would help me out a ton!
Can't think of any other questions for now, but if anyone has advice for the move- feel free to let me know/
Oh I am about to buy my one way tickets from Pittsburgh, pa to Incheon South Korea---the best price i found was on Airfare.com for $611 one way. Any links to cheap airfare?
Thanks you guys are the best
Dave
I am going to purchase a universal power converter/adapter...Can I plug a US power strip into the converter, then plug it into the wall---and use all my appliances in the US strip(as to save on buying a converter for every piece of electronic?)
Any insight is appreciated- and links to sites that have info regarding this would help me out a ton!
Can't think of any other questions for now, but if anyone has advice for the move- feel free to let me know/
Oh I am about to buy my one way tickets from Pittsburgh, pa to Incheon South Korea---the best price i found was on Airfare.com for $611 one way. Any links to cheap airfare?
Thanks you guys are the best
Dave
Replies
Are you flying on Korean Air? The bulgogi on the plane is amazing
When i was there, I think the crappy converter i had was either too much or too little for the power - my phone wouldnt hold a charge for longer than 6 hours. I thought i had fried it, but all was well upon returning here
beautiful country though! Gyeongju and Busan were awesome when i was there! Dont let dongdongju fool you, its so delicous and pretty hardcore.
paranoid much?
Was it difficult to get a working visa for Korea BTW?
I wish you best of luck
Are you sure you just weren't in roam mode? That chows through the battery.
"INPUT: AC 100V - 240V, 50/60Hz" then all you need is an adaptor since the brick can handle the 220v at 60Hz you'll get in Korea.
Many electronics will work fine with a simple plug adapter. Check the labels to make sure. Some electronics (computers for example) will require you to open the case and flip a switch on the power supply tho, so just because something says it can take 220 isnt always a perfectly safe bet...
Seriously tho, those power converters are heavy. Wait until you get there to buy one if you need it.
I'd highly recommend visiting there if you get the chance.
My uncle owns a Soju brewery there:
http://www.hallasan.co.kr/english/engindex.html
I would highly recommend trying that too! It'll getcha DRUNK!
http://zapatopi.net/afdb/ I suggest you go with the Origami Samurai Helmet folding instructions They provide a stylish yet highly effective way to keep out the brain koodies.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5100IB20090201?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
We have 28,000 troops on the South's border. This threat is just an attempt to get Oboma's attention...
South Korea is a perfectly safe place. I had a friend of mine teach first grade in Seoul last year. Looks like an awesome place no doubt. Have fun man.
Did you stay there for long?
Thanks
TheWinterLord : Yeah I think it is a really good opportunity to get some new experiences. My wife and I are both teaching English, and I am working contract for my company here.
Emar: Ill keep that in mind, good point on the converter-- Getting a all the proper docs has been time consuming, but it's not difficult really, just takes some cash and time getting everything together and sending it off.==As long as you dont have a criminal record, you should be fine.
Justin_Meisse : I checked my laptop, it has exactly what you said, so that should be good..I am wondering about my computer tho--Ill have to check that too. I am just very apprehensive to plug anything in over there-really dont want to fry my crap.
jrs100000: Thanks for the tips, I will be checking my computer soon- And the adapter, we still havent made up our mind on whether we will buy before or after getting there---Any other info you could point me to about power conversions and whether I can us a power strip??
jox : That's crazy dude, We were actually trying to teach in Jeju--They don't have a lot of openings tho.. We will be in Busan-so that will be really close by and we plan on visiting a ton.
Codeman : I will be on the southern most tip of South Korea, so hopefully if anything were to happen I would be out of danger---But I don't think we will have anything to worry about. Thanks though.
Vig, Vissago: You guys crack me upHAHa
Thanks everyone--Any one else with advice, let me know! Thanks again.
Power converters and cheap and plentiful in Korea. In fact, many appartments come with a converter installed. In any case, before you decide to buy one in the US try picking it up to see just how heavy those things are! If your going to hand carry it...well Id say dont bother. If your going to have it shipped with your computer at company expense then I suppose it doesnt matter too much, except that you could probably save a few dollars buying it locally.
I didnt have any problem using an American power strip, but if you have a lot of expensive hardware you might want to be more cautious than I was.
Ill just repeat the best advice I ever got for traveling internationally: Take half the luggage you think youll need and twice the cash.
Edit :
There are lots of cultural references about Korea online for you to read, but Ill list a couple quirks you probably wont find in any official guides
1. Never talk about Japan or compare Korea to Japan or China. Youll probably notice that Korean culture borrows heavily from the Japanese and Chinese. Never tell them this and they will be greatly offended.
2. Koreans like to touch people. Just go with the flow, but dont initiate this yourself until you understand when it is appropriate.
3. Try the kimchi even if you dont like it. They are very proud of their pickled foods and will be flattered if you pretend to enjoy it.
4. Be careful drinking with Koreans. Many of them are hardcore alcoholics and will drink you under the table while they are just getting warmed up. If you do decide to drink with Koreans buy them some drinks early on. They will end up drunk and paying your bill the rest of the night. Also, be careful with soju. It is surprisingly strong, but the effects sneak up on you.
5. If you decide to order a fruit platter be sure you know what your doing. They tend to be very expensive and used to display a persons wealth. Dont be surprised to get a bill of several hundred dollars for a couple slices of fruit if you do decide to buy one.
6. Youll need a cellphone. Theres really no way around this. An expensive phone will impress people, but it is not required.
7. Koreans dont understand lines or stoplights. Dont be too upset when some little old lady shoves you out of the way to get to the ticket booth first or when a cab driver blows right through a red light.
Ill update with more tips if I can think of any
Thought of another one
8. Whatever happens (and it probably wont, Koreans are pretty peaceful) dont ever take a swing at a Korean. There is no provision for self defense in Korean law so it doesnt matter if they swung first. If a fight starts or looks like its going to start just run away as fast as you can! If you do swing back you will be arrested, have your ass kicked while in handcuffs by the Korean police (they threw a guy I knew down a flight of stairs while he was handcuffed), and have to pay your attacker a large settlement before they let you go.
dongdongju will FUCK you up if you get the raw stuff, I didnt think it'd be that bad after nailing cases of Yuengling & Yager... but its a deadly little brew that when combined with a lot of beer, rice wine, an soju... destroyed me
really dug it there though, was my first time out of the country and its definitely a "different" atmosphere. Not in a bad way, but not knowing any Korean wasn't helping ... but i got by ok with the help from some friends.
Uh, what? As far as I understand it there is a stalemate that has been going on for a fair while now...like years. Japan is the same distance, and I don't think the 128 million there care much either. But I do agree in a way. The only reason I would want to move to S.Korea is if I lived in N.Korea.
lol. Give it to tremulant instead, he will need it for all the radz he is going to be soaking up
Enjoy all that spicy spicy kimchi tremulant!
Did you even read this? From the article you linked:
The DPRK has been rattling its saber for 5 years now. Neither China nor the United States would stand by while North Korea invades the south, and everyone knows it. The North Koreans issue threats solely to get more food aid and other freebie handouts from the international community.
Moose: Glad to hear you like Busan, That's where we will be at. Good weather and lots of beaches, pretty similar to San Fran from what I read. Ill go easy on the bews and learn from your mistakes hahaha.
ANyone think of any cool gift Ideas I could do for the other teachers?? Cheap preferably because there will be a bunch of teachers per schol
Blenderhead: I keep hearing about kimchi, can't wait to try it
*Canned meat is a key ingredient of kimchi, and Spam is considered the finest of canned meats. It is also extraordinarily expensive in Korea due to the huge taxes on imported foods. I have to say that it was a little weird seeing cans of spam set up in fancy gift wrapping for the first time.
Eh well it's kind of the other way around. Japanese culture is a bastardisation of mostly chinese but some korean culture as well. Both the Korean's and the Japanese were thieving customs from China around the same time.
Are you teaching english over there tremulant? You mentioned 'other teachers'.
Korea was a bit of a rural backwater up until more recent history. With their current economic strength has come a strong surge in nationalism. A big part of that nationalism is rewriting their own history to make themselves a more important historical power. The fact that they picked up much (not all, but a lot) of their Japanese culture through being an occupied country is a bit of a sore subject. The idea that they may or may not be an ancient Chinese province is also a very touchy subject, especially given China's modern desire to forcefully reunite their ancient empire. The whole topic is highly political and has less to do with facts or history than it does national pride and modern international rivalry.
There are many reasons for bad blood between Korea and Japan. Treatment of Korean populations in Japan is certainly one (the Koreans arnt exactly nice to foreign Asians living in Korea either) but resentment over WWII, competition for oil reserves in the Sea of Japan (Another note: in Korea this is called the East Sea, never ever refer to it as the Sea of Japan!), economic rivalry, and north Korean propaganda play even more significant rolls.
In any case, history in Korea (and most other Asian countries as well) is a highly political topic, and just like any other political topic it is not something that you want to get involved in as a foreigner. Since their history is actively being rewritten as we speak, it may sometimes be self contradictory, contradict what you have already learned, or just plain not make sense. Dont bring it up yourself, and if someone else says something that sounds a bit "off" just smile and nod.
Edit: Just thought of another tip.
9. At some point they will ask you "What do Americans think of Korea". Dont tell them that the average American couldnt even point to Korea on a labeled map. The truth wont offend them, but they do spend a lot of time and effort trying to impress their big brother in the West and it would break their hearts to find out that the American public doesnt even notice