It is the first morning since arriving in the motherland to start my new life abroad. I woke up around 5AM due to severe jet lag and will probably have to resort to an afternoon nap later.
I flew in late last night and was lucky enough to have my landlords meet me at the airport with a car. I say lucky because I flew with no less than 3 checked bags and two backpacks all bulging at the seems. The checked bags alone probably weighed as much as I do in total. My two backpacks were not the wisest choice of carry-ons but I made due. After a brief introduction we were off to the parking lot to load up and take me to my new digs!
I would consider the place that I landed a Korean 'office-tel'...my landlords left most of their furnishings including a bed, refrigerator, washing machine, TV with IPTV, couch, tables, kitchen utensils, etc. The 15th floor gives me quite a nice morning view. The office-tel is a loft style with a low roof loft used mainly for storage overlooking the living area (and yes I've already bumped my head once going up there). The kitchenette is open to the living area with the bedroom and bathroom on your right as you enter. A lot of nice storage closets flank the left of the entry way across from the entrance to the bed and bathroom.
After dropping all my bags, we headed out for an (almost) midnight snack at the local Kimbap Heaven (yes that is the literal translation). We ordered cheese kimbap, tuna kimbap, rakbokki, and mandu ramyeon. It was all delicious, deliciously cheap. This is one reason I like being back in the motherland (eating out for Korean food is so affordable). My ramyeon dish was only $3.50. I think total it was under $15 for 3 people.
My landlords walked me back and bid me farewell for the night. All I wanted to do was try to sleep but not before washing off the airplane funk (17 hours of traveling...ewww). I hopped into bed and slept on and off for about 6 hours.
Here at present time, I've managed to unpack one suitcase fully and have been chipping away at the others. I'm debating about heading downstairs to the convenience store to pick up some drinks and snacks to have on hand...later today my landlords will be back to explain things about the place...hopefully the washing machine and small oven which are completely in Korean....
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the usefull information.
I am planning to start learning Korean at Sogang myself during spring and summer. So I was wondering how you handled housing and at what cost.
Hooe you can help, thanks
The 3 types most people stay in are a goshiwon/goshitel, hasukjib, or one-room. The price range of all of these can vary a lot depending on the quality/location of the facilities. The goshiwon and hasukjib normally do not require any type of deposit and you pay by the month. Costs could range anywhere from US$250-$500 depending on your accommodations. One-room's normally require a visa for a lease and a deposit as well as monthly rent & utilities. The rent can be small ($500) but you may have a large deposit, or vice-versa.
DeleteGood luck!
Great Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAm planning also to get a one-room (officetel). Though there are so many real estate agencies... Any tips?
Plan to visit a few and they normally only cover a certain area/region. If you want to live by school there are plenty of 부동산 and I'm sure price points will vary. Keep in mind you need an alien registration card and a large amount of money for the deposit.
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