What do you wish you would have brought?
What do you wish you would have brought?
My husband and I are leaving home in about 3 weeks to our first post in S. Korea! What is something that you wished you would have brought? What is something you brought too much of and could have one with less?
When I was moving to SK I was told to bring a lot of things, but in the end they weren't really necessary. Everything you could need is easily available there, and it is often a lot cheaper.
For whatever reason, though, one thing I struggled with was a plain bed set. I eventually settled on a lightish purple comforter and pillow cases, but it took me a while to find even that. A lot of what was available when I was there was cute to the extreme (crazy colours and characters). That goes for a lot of Korea though. Cute is in overdrive.
Oh, and shoes. If you or your husband have trouble finding shoes at home (like I do) you will have great difficulty in SK. There is a shop in Itaewon, Seoul, that sells large shoes, though. Mostly basketball shoes.
For whatever reason, though, one thing I struggled with was a plain bed set. I eventually settled on a lightish purple comforter and pillow cases, but it took me a while to find even that. A lot of what was available when I was there was cute to the extreme (crazy colours and characters). That goes for a lot of Korea though. Cute is in overdrive.
Oh, and shoes. If you or your husband have trouble finding shoes at home (like I do) you will have great difficulty in SK. There is a shop in Itaewon, Seoul, that sells large shoes, though. Mostly basketball shoes.
Advice
For me personally it was razor blades. Given how small they are and how little room they take, and the fact that my brand of razor wasn't even available, I ended up switching to some horrible 2 bladed disposable safety razors.
If your husband is any thing about a 9 shoe bring whatever footwear with you. If your bra size is anything above a B cup brings those with you.
I too also travel with my kitchen knife, though at first I wasn't much of a cook and ate out a lot, so I didnt really use it, or miss it.
If your husband is any thing about a 9 shoe bring whatever footwear with you. If your bra size is anything above a B cup brings those with you.
I too also travel with my kitchen knife, though at first I wasn't much of a cook and ate out a lot, so I didnt really use it, or miss it.
Hi Micki,
One of the most common conversations you will have with people that have been teaching in international schools for a while is that they will say that they thought they were just coming for two years..... and that was 5, 10, 15 years ago.
Of course, there are those that stick to their two year plan, or others that just don't enjoy the life and miss home, but you will meet many people whose plan changed significantly once they were away.
The reason I'm telling you this because as you are doing your packing, don't think of this as a short term thing. If you and husband enjoy mountain bike riding, don't think that just because you're only going to be gone for a few years it's not worth taking your bikes. If your school is paying for shipping, it absolutely is worth taking them. The place you are moving to will be your home, so you should take things that you really love to have in your home. You are in for some amazing new adventures, and part of that may be doing the things you enjoy at home in a totally different environment with totally different people.
In my case, I made the error of not taking my guitar because it was an expensive one and I thought would be just one more thing to ship around for the the two years I was to be away. My plan was to buy a cheap one for me just to mess around with once I got there. Of course, within a month I'd hooked up with some other teachers and some local guys who had a band and I had to wait until I went home at Christmas to bring my guitar back with me.
Oh, and that was 16 years ago.......
One of the most common conversations you will have with people that have been teaching in international schools for a while is that they will say that they thought they were just coming for two years..... and that was 5, 10, 15 years ago.
Of course, there are those that stick to their two year plan, or others that just don't enjoy the life and miss home, but you will meet many people whose plan changed significantly once they were away.
The reason I'm telling you this because as you are doing your packing, don't think of this as a short term thing. If you and husband enjoy mountain bike riding, don't think that just because you're only going to be gone for a few years it's not worth taking your bikes. If your school is paying for shipping, it absolutely is worth taking them. The place you are moving to will be your home, so you should take things that you really love to have in your home. You are in for some amazing new adventures, and part of that may be doing the things you enjoy at home in a totally different environment with totally different people.
In my case, I made the error of not taking my guitar because it was an expensive one and I thought would be just one more thing to ship around for the the two years I was to be away. My plan was to buy a cheap one for me just to mess around with once I got there. Of course, within a month I'd hooked up with some other teachers and some local guys who had a band and I had to wait until I went home at Christmas to bring my guitar back with me.
Oh, and that was 16 years ago.......
When we moved from North America to North Africa, we shipped all our stuff to my parents house in the UK. This was good in one way, because we didn't want to deal with customs in our new country, but at the same time, we now wonder if we'll ever be reunited with our prized possessions.
On a more basic note, and being a Brit, I always take Marmite and a jar of Bovril, although last summer I accidently packed them in my hand luggage and had them confiscated by customs.
[quote]In my case, I made the error of not taking my guitar because it was an expensive one and I thought would be just one more thing to ship around for the the two years I was to be away. My plan was to buy a cheap one for me just to mess around with once I got there. Of course, within a month I'd hooked up with some other teachers and some local guys who had a band and I had to wait until I went home at Christmas to bring my guitar back with me.[/quote]
I have this trouble. I bring most of my guitar stuff with me, but some I have to bring in dribs and drabs when I go back home on vacation. I'll be picking up my bass at Christmas :-) and I'll have to buy another hardcase :-(.
On a more basic note, and being a Brit, I always take Marmite and a jar of Bovril, although last summer I accidently packed them in my hand luggage and had them confiscated by customs.
[quote]In my case, I made the error of not taking my guitar because it was an expensive one and I thought would be just one more thing to ship around for the the two years I was to be away. My plan was to buy a cheap one for me just to mess around with once I got there. Of course, within a month I'd hooked up with some other teachers and some local guys who had a band and I had to wait until I went home at Christmas to bring my guitar back with me.[/quote]
I have this trouble. I bring most of my guitar stuff with me, but some I have to bring in dribs and drabs when I go back home on vacation. I'll be picking up my bass at Christmas :-) and I'll have to buy another hardcase :-(.
After living in Korea for a year, for me, shoes are the biggest issue. I wear a women's size 10 and never found any shoes sized 10. I bought a pair of mens flip flops out of desperation once after the sandals I was wearing broke. This was at a major department store and no one inthe varrious shoe departments had anything although they did offer to order something in my size.
Most everything else can be found in Korea when it comes to food, beauty supplies etc. although it will cost you. Deodorant is much cheaper in the states and doesn't take up much room in a box or suitcase.
Bring what you want for making your living quarters a home. Favorite kitchen items is also a good suggestion...
Most everything else can be found in Korea when it comes to food, beauty supplies etc. although it will cost you. Deodorant is much cheaper in the states and doesn't take up much room in a box or suitcase.
Bring what you want for making your living quarters a home. Favorite kitchen items is also a good suggestion...
I worked in South Korea for a year but it was in Yeosu which is a small city by Asia standards. While I could find most of what I needed there some of what I needed was no available. These are things I packed that came in handy.
Fitted bed sheets
Full size towels
Bath rags
American candy
English language books
Prepackaged specialty food items
You will be able to find clothing there with ease but the sizes might be a bit different than what you are used to if you are coming from North America.
Fitted bed sheets
Full size towels
Bath rags
American candy
English language books
Prepackaged specialty food items
You will be able to find clothing there with ease but the sizes might be a bit different than what you are used to if you are coming from North America.
How exciting! I lived in South Korea a while back (before I was a school teacher). I loved it. I agree with the post above, decent bed sheets were hard to find!
I was there for a couple of years and, even in that short time, the amount of home comforts I could buy improved a lot. My favourite swiss chocolate, heinz ketchup, razors aimed at women (!) ( I just bought men's until then-same thing!) all appeared while I was there. Plenty of other things, which you used to have to search out, become readily available in supermarkets. I reckon you can get pretty much anything these days.
A couple of things I always stocked up on at home:
Deodorant. You could find it, but it was not widely available.
Tampons.
Decent flavoured toothpaste.
I found plenty of English books in Seoul (several bookstores with huge English departments).
Have fun!
I was there for a couple of years and, even in that short time, the amount of home comforts I could buy improved a lot. My favourite swiss chocolate, heinz ketchup, razors aimed at women (!) ( I just bought men's until then-same thing!) all appeared while I was there. Plenty of other things, which you used to have to search out, become readily available in supermarkets. I reckon you can get pretty much anything these days.
A couple of things I always stocked up on at home:
Deodorant. You could find it, but it was not widely available.
Tampons.
Decent flavoured toothpaste.
I found plenty of English books in Seoul (several bookstores with huge English departments).
Have fun!
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eion_padraig
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I reckon the biggest technological advance since my wife and I lived in China that will add to our quality of life this time around is the development of eReaders (Kindle, Nook, iPad). At the time it was relatively expensive to buy English language books and hard to find new English language books even in the major Chinese cities back when we lived there 10 years ago. Bringing English language books from home and trading/lending them to friends after reading them ourselves helped a bit. Maybe the difficulty of getting English language books in places like China has changed, but I doubt it.
My wife is getting a Kindle of her own for Christmas, and we've been starting to use our public library that lends out ebooks. We're hoping we can still do this when we go back to Asia next year. Even if we can't, the ability to buy ebooks on Amazon is wonderful.
OP, good luck in South Korea. (Hmm...bibimbop)
My wife is getting a Kindle of her own for Christmas, and we've been starting to use our public library that lends out ebooks. We're hoping we can still do this when we go back to Asia next year. Even if we can't, the ability to buy ebooks on Amazon is wonderful.
OP, good luck in South Korea. (Hmm...bibimbop)
I'll 2nd the deodorant and toothpaste and good razor blades. In Brazil, they don't have deodorant, they only seem to have antiperspirant, which I don't use. I like Tom's of Maine toothpaste, and there is nothing remotely like that in Brazil.
For razors, I had a heads-up from stuff I read online, about the high price of disposable razors in Brazil. I bought a double-edged safety razor and 100 blades, which turns out will be enough for at least 5 years. It works great, and the cost per use is ridiculously low.
I doubt you will forget to bring a backpack, but that is something I forgot to bring, and I had to spend a bundle on one in Brazil. If you think you'll do some camping, you'll of course want to bring that sort of gear.
I'm very glad I bought a Kindle before the trip, I use it every day.
I brought a good set of Wusthaf Trident knives and three basic but well-made pots and pans, which was a good decision.
For razors, I had a heads-up from stuff I read online, about the high price of disposable razors in Brazil. I bought a double-edged safety razor and 100 blades, which turns out will be enough for at least 5 years. It works great, and the cost per use is ridiculously low.
I doubt you will forget to bring a backpack, but that is something I forgot to bring, and I had to spend a bundle on one in Brazil. If you think you'll do some camping, you'll of course want to bring that sort of gear.
I'm very glad I bought a Kindle before the trip, I use it every day.
I brought a good set of Wusthaf Trident knives and three basic but well-made pots and pans, which was a good decision.
This is a very good question and one that often comes up on the esl cafe. I spent 2 years in South Korea. After living internationally for the past 10 years, I always try and bring the following when relocating:
My Wusthof knives
Coffee Beans (super expensive in Asia, get the large Starbucks Kirkland bags from Costco for 12 bucks)
Blocks of cheese (if you have room)
Garlic Press
Deodorant (I could not find ANY my first year in South Korea)
Shoes and Sandals
A large down jacket (if you're big like me)
Cologne/Perfume (again, super expensive in Asia)
Specialty cooking ingredients (we couldn't find Coconut sugar anywhere)
Goose-feather pillows (yes, I stuffed one of these in my suitcase)
Candy (junior mints and butterfingers for me)
Electric Tootbrush
Toothpaste
Warm gloves (if you've got big hands)
My Wusthof knives
Coffee Beans (super expensive in Asia, get the large Starbucks Kirkland bags from Costco for 12 bucks)
Blocks of cheese (if you have room)
Garlic Press
Deodorant (I could not find ANY my first year in South Korea)
Shoes and Sandals
A large down jacket (if you're big like me)
Cologne/Perfume (again, super expensive in Asia)
Specialty cooking ingredients (we couldn't find Coconut sugar anywhere)
Goose-feather pillows (yes, I stuffed one of these in my suitcase)
Candy (junior mints and butterfingers for me)
Electric Tootbrush
Toothpaste
Warm gloves (if you've got big hands)
Comment
I love everyone suggestions and really summarize them you need to ask yourself "what is important to you?", whether its comfort food, good cookware, wardrobe, personal beauty products, electronics, your media, artistic tools. Whatever it is identify what it is (i knew one guy that took a bag a whole piece of extra luggage with canned ravioli, pop tarts and mac and cheeze), and then find out how hard (or easy it is to get). It doesnt matter whats important to us and at a certain point with a enough money and time you can get anything anywhere you are.