How are you all doing today? Good I hope. Well, I’ve been
reviewing what I have posted the last few days and I have come to realize that
I may have jumped the gun a bit. So today I want to take the chance to backtrack
a little bit and cover an area that I believe is of crucial importance to any
student who plans to study in Seoul- what to pack for your stay there.
When I was trying to determine what to pack I came across a
wonderful resource in the form of http://voiceoftruth.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/basic-packing-list-for-study-abroad/.
Generally, I agree with most of what the article says with some notable exceptions. One is in regard to the amount of clothing to bring. The article says to bring at most one carry on and one suitcase. Well in my opinion you can only really pack about one week’s worth of clothes in one suitcase. That is what I did and, let me tell you, I deeply regretted it once I was in Korea. Yes, you can make it with one week’s worth of clothing, but it will not be fun to have to do laundry once a week and let me tell you, all those one thousand won loads/dries really add up to some serious coin. The situation is further compounded by the fact that shopping for clothes in Korea, even in Seoul can be a nightmare, especially for guys. Western guys, especially if you’re like me and are larger than the average Korean, can find it hard to find clothes since the majority of stores are geared mainly for women and what clothes there are in larger sizes are obnoxiously expensive. So when in doubt, pack as much clothes as you can.
Generally, I agree with most of what the article says with some notable exceptions. One is in regard to the amount of clothing to bring. The article says to bring at most one carry on and one suitcase. Well in my opinion you can only really pack about one week’s worth of clothes in one suitcase. That is what I did and, let me tell you, I deeply regretted it once I was in Korea. Yes, you can make it with one week’s worth of clothing, but it will not be fun to have to do laundry once a week and let me tell you, all those one thousand won loads/dries really add up to some serious coin. The situation is further compounded by the fact that shopping for clothes in Korea, even in Seoul can be a nightmare, especially for guys. Western guys, especially if you’re like me and are larger than the average Korean, can find it hard to find clothes since the majority of stores are geared mainly for women and what clothes there are in larger sizes are obnoxiously expensive. So when in doubt, pack as much clothes as you can.
Also, books, I definitely would not recommend packing any
books. Not only are they very heavy, I found that you’ll rarely stop to read
them considering just how much there is to do in Seoul. Plus, in today’s modern
age, why buy a physical book when you can buy a PDF just as easily.
When it comes to medications, if they’re prescriptions, DO pack enough to last you your stay. If
they’re just over the counter odds are you can find them in a pharmacy and for
the most part I found that the workers there are pretty helpful.
As for toiletries, my advice is that you probably shouldn’t
pack them. They’re big, take up a lot of space, and they’re heavy. You can find
things like soap and shampoo in any department store like eMart- although they
will be a bit more expensive. If you must pack some, I would recommend packing
only what will likely last you the entire semester, like shaving lotion,
aftershave and deodorant, definitely deodorant.
For further packing help check these links out:
http://wiscon-seoul.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-to-pack-when-moving-to-korea.html
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/South_Korea/Packing_Lists-South_Korea-TG-C-1.html
http://blog.thearrivalstore.com/life-in-korea/packing-for-korea-8-things-to-take/
http://www.studentsabroad.com/handbook/packing.php?country=united%20stateshttp://thestudyabroadblog.com/study-abroad-packing-list-2-2/
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/South_Korea/Packing_Lists-South_Korea-TG-C-1.html
http://blog.thearrivalstore.com/life-in-korea/packing-for-korea-8-things-to-take/
http://www.studentsabroad.com/handbook/packing.php?country=united%20stateshttp://thestudyabroadblog.com/study-abroad-packing-list-2-2/
See you all later.
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