Packing Logistics

I've been spending the past 24 hours figuring out how to get all my stuff to Seattle without paying more than I should. I might have too much stuff to begin with, but I've been here for five years. I have summer and winter clothes to take with me, along with my art stuff. It piles up!

I did a "mock packing" yesterday to see if I could fit all my clothes in two suitcases and not be overweight. Turns out things were too close to the edge. The maximum weight is 23 KG and after I would add all my knick knacks and stuff it would have gone over. So I took out my summer clothes and put those in box, since it should still be mildly cold in Seattle when I get there. Thankfully I have a military friend who is kind enough to ship these boxes out to America. I believe this will be cheaper and faster than using the Korean postal service.

However, I already sent three boxes to my family's house back home. Two of which already arrived. It doesn't really cost too much to ship out from the Korean post office, but just makes me a bit nervous when it goes by ship.

So now I've got it down to that one suitcase is empty and the other half full. My winter clothes are still hanging up in my closet but should fit nicely now without a problem. This extra leg room will be helpful for whatever packing surprises might come.

I also needed to ship my carryon luggage (a rolling backpack type thing) because I'm going to need my hands free at the airport. So I went out and bought a laptop backpack that wasn't too expensive. Something to just get me through this transition.

Tom certainly did not enjoy the frenzy of packing I was in lately. Because I am using vacuum seal bags to get all my clothes in a box, he hid from the noise. Sorry, Tom!

Well two more days of work left...wow time is flying!

Moved Out / In

Moving out was interesting, because I learned that I have a lot of stuff. How much? Four car loads worth! How the heck did I end up with so much stuff and where I am going to put it in my new place? So far my plan is to either throw out or give away a lot of stuff when I move again or store it somewhere for the future.

The man who helped me out during all this was JH. Boy was he a trooper, and somehow all my stuff is stored at his house in their storage space.

Saturday night I moved into the Goshiwon and I have to say I was really tired but also perplexed at how I was going to live in such a small space.

This is the street where the Goshiwon is located. I am in the Konkuk University area just a street up near the Children's Grand Park.

The place is called the "F. House".

Never mind the fact that in the basement is a business room...yes look past this please.

The goshiwon is very pretty inside and is also nice and clean.
I am going to make a video soon to show you a "walk through" of the goshiwon.

You come up these stairs to where the rooms are located.

This will be just a short rendition as the video will provide more of a peek into the whole place. Down this hallway is the door to my room.

You enter my room through a keypad electronic door mechanism.

This is it folks all the space one needs for one month in Seoul. I have to say I kind of wish I spent more time on looking for a goshiwon with more space (of course you had to pay a lot).

So where you see the drying rack there is the only open space. Next to the drying rack is the shower unit which is closed in via a glass box. I could put the drying rack on the roof but I don't want to take any chances with a random rain shower.

Yes the bed is nice and cozy mostly because I doubled up my winter blanket to act as a mattress pad.

Here is the desk area where there was a TV situated on top, but I wasn't really using it so I tucked it underneath. Also you can see a mini-frig. There is a shared kitchen where you can store stuff in a larger frig.

Yes that is a real window there people. I have a lovely view of a brick wall but I think since these days are getting colder I won't have the window open too wide. Oh I would like to remark that I brought in my own lamp. I can't stand fluorescent lighting~
The place is quiet with I think mostly gals living in the other rooms. Although there is a major road nearby so I get to hear the traffic from that.

There were a few issues I had to get fixed yesterday before feeling completely comfortable in here. One, the shower drain was extremely clogged. Solution: Got the Ahjumma to clean it. Two, needed something to store my personal dishes. Fixed it by going to Emart. And basically had to organize my stuff and put it all in logical spaces.

Yesterday JH took me around the Children's Grand Park (pictures and story to come) and we had a jolly good time. Funny story too about something that happened yesterday.

Well of course I don't want to spend all my time in this closet but it sure is darn cold today. However, I need to get photos for my new job documents and get them mailed off. So I do have some work to get done.

Boxes, Tape, Scissors

How many times have I moved over the course of my adult life? In college I moved from dorms to roommate house-shared living.

So it is that I got good at packing my stuff and remembering where everything went.

Out here there is really only so much you can accumulate that will fit into your shoe-box sized home. Nevertheless, I have gathered quite a good chunk of books and other odds and ends.

I have packed up so far mostly the non-essential stuff using one of my three suitcases to store a lot of it.

JH is letting me store my stuff at his house's storage facility till I move into my new place in December. This weekend he helped me pack and take apart a desk I own.


Oh here is the MP3 player I won for that blogging contest. I haven't really opened it yet, but think it would be fun to turn it into like a "mix-tape" sort of thing and give it to JH every now and then as a treat.
After packing and watching Season 2 of Lost (I am catching JH up) we had lunch nearby at a typical Korean restaurant that serves the usual set of food.

We went to the park nearby and played Scrabble until JH won. He is getting really good at the game and although I let him use his cell phone dictionary I know it is helping him build his vocabulary.

Afterwards we went back to my officetell to rest. However, I spent the rest of the time hitting the panic button as I thought about everything that is to come.

Ah yes, you are probably curious about the goshiwon situation.

We found a suitable goshiwon in the Konkuk University area of Seoul, which is on line 7. If people have told you that a goshiwon room is very small believe them. Because a goshiwon room is indeed very small. Actually the ones we looked at were on the pricier end of the goshiwon spectrum.

The first goshiwon we checked out the rooms were very small but had a built in shower in the room. The floors were separated by sex. There were several kitchens but the bigger one being on the top floor. The location was semi-okay, with a love hotel nearby and a galbi restaurant underneath. They offered me a room with a window that looked out onto a neighboring roof top. However the window was kind of small.

We wanted to see a few more before making a decision and found another goshiwon in the area. This one was pretty much similar but I felt was in a somewhat cleaner part of town. The rooms were a bit bigger and appeared to be more clean. The room she showed us had a window that was big but it looked out onto a brick wall of the building that is adjacent. And yes it includes a built in bathroom.

There was a small kitchen on the same floor and a laundry room nearby as well. This one was actually more expensive, although they provided cooked rice and eggs for residents. I decided to go with this one since it seemed more comfortable and I guess a little bigger. I put down my deposit and will send the rest via wire transfer before I move in next Saturday.

I have to say that I feel sorry for anyone who has to live in a goshiwon for a long period of time. I am really grateful I only will be living in one for a month. I see now that if I did stick with my plan to wait till February that I would have gone insane staying in a goshiwon.

So anyways I started to panic a bit this afternoon as I realized that I am going to be moving. Thankfully JH is patient with me and talked me through how everything is going to be okay and end up better.

He really is a saint and I can't believe sometimes how well he handles my insecure tantrums. Thank you!

Well I have more packing to do and get everything ready to move out. I still haven't signed the Yongin contract so I can imagine they will be sending me some paperwork soon, actually I hope so!

All in all, at least this signals the last days in Sanbon and the start of my future. Since I will be living in Seoul for the next month if anyone wants to get together during the week or weekend lemme know ^^. Trust me I will not be wanting to spend all my time in my goshiwon room.

;)

Q & A: Coming to Korea

Since I have lived here for a year now I would like to think that I have a lot of experience. Of course I humbly think I don't know everything about living here and I admit I still haven't seriously studied the language.

But for those thinking of, or are on their way, coming to this other world then there are likely a lot of questions that need answering.

I know before I came out here I did my best to get different opinions and point-of-views about life here before I came. Certainly it didn't prepare me for everything but it did make me feel like I could meet the challenge.

A reader of my blog recently sent me many questions pertaining to her anticipation on coming here. I was kind enough to answer and thought that my information would be useful to other people.

So for you are the Q & A's I have from our emails.
Questions & Answers on coming here and life in Korea:

Q. When you first arrived, it seems you didn't know the language was it difficult to pick up? It seems that hangeul is a bit difficult to read. How is your reading now?

A. Before I left I studied reading it and a few phrases. I also watched a lot of Korean movies and dramas to get a feel for how it sounds. But nothing really prepares you for being in another country. It is not difficult to pick up since you are around it all the time. I can read it easily now but I have very little vocabulary. I have gotten by with just knowing phrases. I would like to learn and hope to do more soon. I would recommend getting the hangeul down as it will make life a lot easier.

Q. Which age groups have you taught and which ones seem the easiest?

A. I have taught kindergarten to first year of middle school (at the hagwon). I mostly teach elementary kids now since I work in an elementary school. The difficult thing for me is the younger kids...say kindergarten to 2nd grade. They have no patience, cry and well act like children. I like to kind of be serious so they don't buy it. Really it depends on the person. From what I hear teaching middle school kids is the hardest since they are dealing with puberty and changes like that.

Q. When you were packing and when you arrived...what did you regret not taking with you? As well as what did you pack that you might have decided otherwise if you found it in Korea?

A. Ok lemme think. I packed a lot of stuff actually. 2 big suitcases worth. I took a lot of American medicine.. .like over the counter stuff and deodorant. Yes you can find deodorant here but it is hell-of expensive and usually you just find one brand. You can find practically everything modern society has to offer and more here. But if you are taken to particular American brands then bring a lot of it. For me I brought a lot of maxi pads since I only like a certain kind. Also my Dad still ships me hair products that I can't find here. What I regret not taking are precious memorable things I left at home. And would have liked to burn more copies of movies onto my hard drive. But you can find a lot of stuff here.


Q. How has it been with homesickness? Have you visited your family on vacation?

A.The hardest part about living here is the homesickness and loneliness. You can't avoid it no matter how many friends you have. This is because you live in a foreign land and everything is still foreign. But the way to get through it is know that it passes and that it brings you closer to the people back home. I haven't been back since I got here but plan on going for vacation in August.

Well that is the Q & A in a nutshell for now. She asked a whole lot more questions in more emails which I would like to detail and will do in a follow up post.

If you have any questions about my experience here then give me an email I would be more than happy to answer. (email is located in my profile)

Flying Joy

To make sure I don't spend too much time through the security check point I am making sure that my carry-on bag doesn't contain any "no-no" items. The website TSA Travel Assistant tells me the following:

• All liquids, gels and aerosols must be in three-ounce or smaller containers. Larger containers that are half-full or toothpaste tubes rolled up are not allowed. Each container must be three ounces or smaller.

Ok I have some lotion in a once container...I better check whatever else it is I am taking.

• All liquids, gels and aerosols must be placed in a single, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag. Gallon size bags or bags that are not zip-top such as fold-over sandwich bags are not allowed. Each traveler can use only one, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag.

Only one! All right ziplock now is the time to prove your worth!

• Each traveler must remove their quart-sized plastic, zip-top bag from their carry-on and place it in a bin or on the conveyor belt for X-ray screening. X-raying separately will allow TSA security officers to more easily examine the declared items.

Hmmm I hope I remember to remove my ziplock bag for screening.

I think if most of my stuff isn't airline safe than I can just purchase some in flight necessities in the Duty Free area. For example I would like to have some toothpaste with me to keep myself fresh.

In addition to just the normal line of stuff someone carries with them on a plane I am also packing all my prescription meds (for my Crohn's) in my carry on. TSA has just a part of their site dedicated to this.

• You may bring all prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including KY jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes.
• You are not limited in the amount or volume of these items you may bring in your carry-on baggage. BUT if the medically necessary items exceed 3 ounces or are not contained in a one-quart, zip-top plastic bag, you MUST declare to one of our Security Officers at the checkpoint for further inspection.

Hmmm red flag here. So far my meds are being kept in a Tupperware plastic container.

I will see if they all fit in a zippy.
Looks like they do but it is really ugly!

Okay, so I think that takes care of that. Now I am taking all my meds as carry on because I am too paranoid to let them fly under the plane. Now, I wonder if I can have one ziplock bag for my meds and one ziplock bag for liquids? I think the safe thing would to just have one ziplock bag and few liquids, and just rely on the Duty Free area for the rest.

Wait a minute I just read further that:

Non-liquid or gel medications of all kinds such as solid pills, or inhalers are allowed through the security checkpoint once they have been screened. We recommend, but do not require, that your medications be labeled to assist with the screening process.

Further more there is a section called Hidden Disabilities which highlights my condition. To sum up what is important to me here are the highlights:

• Medications must be labeled so they are identifiable. Check!
• Medications in daily dosage containers are allowed through the checkpoint once they been screened. Check!

Hmm I think just making sure everything is organized, labelled and able to be inspected clearly will work. I have feeling though that this may slow me down through check-in.

If I do get slowed down I hope that gives me enough time to find my gate and also do a little shopping for necessities before I go. :) Also I think I may need to find a seat to collect myself, as I know my emotions will be running high.

Packing is a Whore

Yes, that's right packing is a whore. Alright more like a chore. This is a picture of my premature packing stage today. I decided that I would pack all my clothes that I think I need to take with me to see just how much I am really trucking along.
It turns it to be too much, because I need room for all the stuff I am going to take. (Toiletries, folders, books, trinkets, mementos, shoes, external hard drive...you get the picture.) So after a session of going through it all and deciding what not to keep along with a trek to Ross for another suitcase the end results are thus: As you can see I have chosen to go with the squarish type luggage. These two vary in size. I kinda wish I had just gotten the smaller one at a bigger size, but after more consolidation I have room in both for more things. Here are some tips on packing:

• Get rid of as much clothing as possible. This one is obvious. For me the thought was that I could find it in Korea and if so I would be able to pick up on the latest fashions. There were a few clothing items I had a hard time saying no to because they have been with me for a while and had memories attached to them. But I said to myself, that this trip is about putting things in the past...and to the donate bin it went.

• Pack and repack that suitcase as much as possible. Curl up thin clothes into a kind of jelly roll fashion, so to squeeze it in there tight. Fold up jeans into square like fashion. I put my socks and undies in the zipper flap attached to the 'door' of the suitcase, so to save room in the box part. Shoes can be placed in a plastic bag and stuffed between clothing.

Those are my words of wisdom for packing.

During this process I created two piles, a giveaway and a store pile.

The Giveaway pile:

The Store pile:

Some of this stuff will actually make it to my bro's so that he has some things to use.

Well I still have the kitchen to go through and to clean up what is left hanging on the walls in my room.

Tomorrow's list:

• Pick up Korean Won from Bank.
• Clean up (see above mentioning)
• And whatever else.