Someone asked me a question about housing options while studying in Korea via email, but I thought I'd post my (slightly edited and reformatted) response here, too. This list is, of course, based on what I know, which may not be 100% accurate, but should at least give a rough idea...
Dorm rooms: I can't speak for other schools, but SNU has on-campus dorm rooms (where you live amongst the Korean students) and off-campus dorms available exclusively for international students. When I first came to Korea for SNU's language program, I applied for an SNU-managed dorm room. It's first come, first served, based on availability (you can live there up to 3 semesters, so someone has to move out before a room is available). The on-campus dorms were full, but they placed me in an off-campus dorm. I stayed there one semester before finding my own place. The on-campus dorm rooms are all double occupancy, but the price (last I looked) is ~USD$200/mo plus USD$100 refundable deposit. Off-campus dorms are single occupancy, but the monthly rent is ~USD$500/mo, also with USD$100 refundable deposit. I posted some pictures of my off-campus room here.
Guesthouses: These are dorm-like rooms that are good for shorter stays. They run about USD$20-30/night. In particular, the Hongdae/Sinchon area has quite a few, like http://hongdaeguesthouse.com or http://kpopstay.com, but there are probably some in every area. This might be an option for a few nights (depending on how much stuff you have) while looking for a more permanent place to stay.
Goshiwon/goshitel/one-room: Small, single-person rooms with a shared kitchen and laundry room. If you pay a bit more, you can get your own bathroom, otherwise it's usually a single-person washroom, but shared among everyone on the floor (there are separate floors for males and females). These are about USD$400-550 per month, depending on size, if there's a window, if there's a private bath, etc. They are all over the place, especially in college neighborhoods. The benefit of a goshitel is that there's no deposit up front and the contract length is variable. (More on that in a sec.) My friend found a goshiwon room after two days of intense searching.
Hasukjip/homestay: These are apparently becoming less and less common... but some are still around. This is basically where you pay to live with a Korean family and they feed you meals (and also maybe do your laundry, etc). This is the type I know least about...
Aside from these, there are also apartments (per Korea's definition, a tall 20+ story building in a cluster of similar buildings), officetels (rooms above businesses), villas (shorter 3-5 story standalone buildings), and houses (usually single family homes, but often divided like duplexes). I previously lived in a villa that I came across on craigslist. I *think* craigslist is a US-based website, but there's an entire section for Seoul, and it's used mainly by foreigners, so almost everything is in English. Most of the listed rooms are near Hongdae and Yonsei, but there are occasionally rooms posted in other areas.... http://seoul.craigslist.co.kr/roo
Also, every few blocks, you can find a 부동산 (real estate office). Housing owners list their rooms here, and you go in and tell them what you want and how much you can spend and they'll take you around to all the rooms that meet that criteria. These rooms usually have a refundable deposit, a monthly fee, and a 1- or 2-year contract, though. Most single person rooms are ~USD$5000 deposit, plus USD$500-700/mo rent. Usually, electricity, water, gas, internet, and a "maintenance" fee are not included, adding up to another USD$100/mo or so. Two- or three-room apartments are USD$10,000 deposit and USD$600-800/mo (plus USD$150+/mo in additional fees). (It should be noted you can find rooms for USD$2000 deposit and USD$400-500 rent, but the quality is questionable...) The real estate office also charges a fee for their service... usually ~3% of the deposit amount. (So an apartment with USD$10,000 deposit would require you to pay an additional USD$300 to the agent upon signing the contract.)
If you know some Korean, a website like http://oneroom.com can be useful. In the left column, under "Speed Search," it says 전세 and 월세. 전세 rooms have a huge deposit (USD$100,000+) but low or no rent. 월세 is what I described above, with a USD$5000+ deposit and rent. After that is "지역" (area), "보증금" (refundable deposit ~~ the omitted units are "만원" or 10,000 won/USD$10), "월세" (monthly rent) and optional info (for example, the neighborhood/동). (FYI, SNU's 지역 is 서울 관악구 and Yonsei's 지역 is 서울 서대문구.) For 보증금, the options are none (없음), less than 5백 (~USD$5000), USD$5000-USD$10,000, etc.. 월세's options are less than USD$200, $200-400, etc. Usually, as the deposit goes up, the rent goes down... but the standard is 5백/50만 (USD$5000 deposit/USD$500 monthly rent). You'll see this a lot in room listings.... "500/50" means 5,000,000 won deposit and 500,000 won/month rent.
It depends on the kind of housing you're looking for, but generally I'd bet you could find a goshiwon within a week of coming to Korea. Probably an apartment as well (from a 부동산), but that does have a year contract, and I'm not sure if this requires a resident card to apply for.
If anyone happens to stumble upon this and has more specific questions, I'll try to answer. My email's listed in my profile to the right.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
5급/2월 (Level 5/February)
Level 5 came and went. I really feel like I didn't do anything but homework and studying. :( Hopefully when it gets warmer, I can get outside again...
Level 5 was my lowest grade yet. Listening has become my worst skill. (Not that I'm great at speaking, but that's at least subjectively graded, heh.) The vocab is just really hard, and very similar. Reading, at least, I can generally understand from context, but it's a lot harder to not recognize a word when listening...
Rows say Reading (of 20), Writing (30), Listening (20), Speaking (30). Average of 80, 100% attendance.
In happier news, because I didn't miss a single day of class in levels 1-5, I get level 6 for free. I paid for level 5 and 6 together back in November (for a 6-month visa extension instead of a 3-month), so they refunded me the full price a week after level 5 finished. I am, however, looking forward to missing a few days in level 6 when the weather is nicer. Or maybe not...if classes are hard and there are daily quizzes. I dunno. But it's nice to have the option. :)
Speaking of visa extensions, I'm glad I pay for 2 semesters at once and only have to go to the Immigration Office half as often as J and H. They changed the requirements at the end of October and didn't tell anyone (it wasn't even updated on the website). Now, in addition to all the old stuff you needed (proof of enrollment, proof of bank deposit >$3000, paid tuition receipt), you also need a copy of your housing contract. And when J went a few weeks ago, the price to renew also doubled (from $30 to $60). And they were a lot pickier about the housing contract. Ours says one roommate's name (who actually signed for it) and "plus 3 people." Because J's name isn't actually on it, they gave her trouble. The American friend I went around with on Seollal also had trouble. He brought his contract but it also didn't have his name on it, so he had to bring proof (whereas J just begged and they let her pass). The lady supposedly processed his renewal anyway, but threatened him with trouble if he didn't bring proof of address the next day. But, I mean, if he was actually scamming them and gave them the wrong address... how are they going to find him if he doesn't bring proof? The address would be wrong. What a screwed up system. I hate the immigration office. Lines are getting longer, employees are getting less patient (and still don't speak English or Chinese... and I must say, Korean-speaking foreigners in Korea are rare... because most are English teachers!). I really get the feeling they are trying to kick out all but the most dedicated people. I'm dreading going back in May to renew. :\
Hard to believe there's only one week of vacation left (of 3). I spent almost the entire first two weeks sick, most recently with an ear infection. It was an annual thing in the US, so I wasn't surprised, but it still sucked to spend 3 full days in bed sleeping in silence. I did go to the doctor and he gave me a script for anti-inflammatory drugs. Yay for Korean medical insurance ($40/mo for students). The visit was $4 and the meds were $2.
I did manage to get out of bed last Friday (2/14) to volunteer at Gyeongbok Palace's Light Up Night. Previously, they opened the palace at night only for a week in May and a week in October(September?), but now they're adding time in February and July, and extending the length a few extra days(I think.. don't quote me). This time it was open 2/11-2/17 6-9pm (last admission at 8 unless you preordered tickets online). They didn't really explain anything to anyone, even in Korean, but I overheard some other (experienced) volunteers talking in Korean, which was good, because I did actually have to answer two English speakers' questions (namely about why the heck they couldn't get in after 8 when the signs said it was open til 9). Still, we got a few free minutes to walk around and see the buildings for free, and also got 2 coupon packs for free admission to 5 of the palaces ($20 value). My parents are coming in May, and those will be handy, unless they don't accept them, because it says they expire a month after the date stamped on the cover. :\ Anyway, some photos:
Our volunteer outfits were reflective (great for pictures!), and the one building
on the lake (called Gyeonghoeru) + its reflection were awesome to look at.
Earlier today I did my taxes... and, man, it was a lot more annoying than I was expecting because I lived in Korea all of 2013. My Korean bank account also gave me trouble. I heard you only had to claim it if your balance was ever over $10,000, which it wasn't. But I said it wasn't, and TurboTax still made me pay $20 to upgrade to Federal Basic edition, just to have them tell me "Oh, looks like you don't need to file this paperwork after all." Yea, great. So there goes the $11 in interest I made all year on my pocket change in my Korean account (just used to transfer tuition and rent payments). And apparently Virginia (where I kept my residency) is one of the 4 crappy states when it comes to filing taxes from overseas. I couldn't submit electronically because I filed a Non-resident Tax Return, so I have to get my parents (who have my physical interest/etc forms) involved. Yes, because I live on the other side of the world, please make me send paper copies to some PO box in VA. That's fun. I'm looking forward to next year, when the health insurance requirement/penalty kicks in. Hopefully it's easy to prove my overseas residency, but somehow I doubt it... Sigh.
Speaking of continuing to stay in Korea, I should probably get working on my letter of introduction and study plan for grad school apps. I meant to start sooner, but that was about the last thing I felt like doing when it hurt to sit up, or breathe, or swallow....^^
Level 5 was my lowest grade yet. Listening has become my worst skill. (Not that I'm great at speaking, but that's at least subjectively graded, heh.) The vocab is just really hard, and very similar. Reading, at least, I can generally understand from context, but it's a lot harder to not recognize a word when listening...
Rows say Reading (of 20), Writing (30), Listening (20), Speaking (30). Average of 80, 100% attendance.
In happier news, because I didn't miss a single day of class in levels 1-5, I get level 6 for free. I paid for level 5 and 6 together back in November (for a 6-month visa extension instead of a 3-month), so they refunded me the full price a week after level 5 finished. I am, however, looking forward to missing a few days in level 6 when the weather is nicer. Or maybe not...if classes are hard and there are daily quizzes. I dunno. But it's nice to have the option. :)
Speaking of visa extensions, I'm glad I pay for 2 semesters at once and only have to go to the Immigration Office half as often as J and H. They changed the requirements at the end of October and didn't tell anyone (it wasn't even updated on the website). Now, in addition to all the old stuff you needed (proof of enrollment, proof of bank deposit >$3000, paid tuition receipt), you also need a copy of your housing contract. And when J went a few weeks ago, the price to renew also doubled (from $30 to $60). And they were a lot pickier about the housing contract. Ours says one roommate's name (who actually signed for it) and "plus 3 people." Because J's name isn't actually on it, they gave her trouble. The American friend I went around with on Seollal also had trouble. He brought his contract but it also didn't have his name on it, so he had to bring proof (whereas J just begged and they let her pass). The lady supposedly processed his renewal anyway, but threatened him with trouble if he didn't bring proof of address the next day. But, I mean, if he was actually scamming them and gave them the wrong address... how are they going to find him if he doesn't bring proof? The address would be wrong. What a screwed up system. I hate the immigration office. Lines are getting longer, employees are getting less patient (and still don't speak English or Chinese... and I must say, Korean-speaking foreigners in Korea are rare... because most are English teachers!). I really get the feeling they are trying to kick out all but the most dedicated people. I'm dreading going back in May to renew. :\
Hard to believe there's only one week of vacation left (of 3). I spent almost the entire first two weeks sick, most recently with an ear infection. It was an annual thing in the US, so I wasn't surprised, but it still sucked to spend 3 full days in bed sleeping in silence. I did go to the doctor and he gave me a script for anti-inflammatory drugs. Yay for Korean medical insurance ($40/mo for students). The visit was $4 and the meds were $2.
I did manage to get out of bed last Friday (2/14) to volunteer at Gyeongbok Palace's Light Up Night. Previously, they opened the palace at night only for a week in May and a week in October(September?), but now they're adding time in February and July, and extending the length a few extra days(I think.. don't quote me). This time it was open 2/11-2/17 6-9pm (last admission at 8 unless you preordered tickets online). They didn't really explain anything to anyone, even in Korean, but I overheard some other (experienced) volunteers talking in Korean, which was good, because I did actually have to answer two English speakers' questions (namely about why the heck they couldn't get in after 8 when the signs said it was open til 9). Still, we got a few free minutes to walk around and see the buildings for free, and also got 2 coupon packs for free admission to 5 of the palaces ($20 value). My parents are coming in May, and those will be handy, unless they don't accept them, because it says they expire a month after the date stamped on the cover. :\ Anyway, some photos:
Our volunteer outfits were reflective (great for pictures!), and the one building
on the lake (called Gyeonghoeru) + its reflection were awesome to look at.
Earlier today I did my taxes... and, man, it was a lot more annoying than I was expecting because I lived in Korea all of 2013. My Korean bank account also gave me trouble. I heard you only had to claim it if your balance was ever over $10,000, which it wasn't. But I said it wasn't, and TurboTax still made me pay $20 to upgrade to Federal Basic edition, just to have them tell me "Oh, looks like you don't need to file this paperwork after all." Yea, great. So there goes the $11 in interest I made all year on my pocket change in my Korean account (just used to transfer tuition and rent payments). And apparently Virginia (where I kept my residency) is one of the 4 crappy states when it comes to filing taxes from overseas. I couldn't submit electronically because I filed a Non-resident Tax Return, so I have to get my parents (who have my physical interest/etc forms) involved. Yes, because I live on the other side of the world, please make me send paper copies to some PO box in VA. That's fun. I'm looking forward to next year, when the health insurance requirement/penalty kicks in. Hopefully it's easy to prove my overseas residency, but somehow I doubt it... Sigh.
Speaking of continuing to stay in Korea, I should probably get working on my letter of introduction and study plan for grad school apps. I meant to start sooner, but that was about the last thing I felt like doing when it hurt to sit up, or breathe, or swallow....^^
사진을 찍는 것 (Taking Photos on Seollal/Lunar New Year)
As I mentioned last post, I spent Lunar New Years (1/31) with an American friend, walking around Seoul taking photos. Specifically, we went to Mullae (rundown industrial area), Myeongdong (tourist shopping trap), and Namsangol Hanok Village (traditional houses). I'll just divide the photos by photographed area. And as I said, I'm not a photographer, so these aren't great, and I didn't photoshop anything, but...
Mullae
Myeongdong
Namsangol Hanok Village
That is all. It was a little cold (though the warmest day in a while), but it was fun walking around, seeing different things, from a different perspective. (Despite my shameful use of a digital camera, and not a film camera like everyone else in the group).^^
12월, 1월 (January & February)
As I mentioned last post, level 5 was a haze of homework and quiz/exam studying. We did get a day off for Christmas and (Solar) New Year, and several days off for Lunar New Year, thankfully. In addition to class stuff, I also took mid-level TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) for scholarships/admittance to grad schools here.
I'll start off by saying Korea is darn cold in winter. Based on temps, it's comparable to the weather in PA, but I guess I wasn't out in it very much (walking from house to car, car to wherever), because it feels so much colder here. Then again, Koreans call the cold winds in winter "knife winds," which is true. It feels like I'm not even wearing a jacket, though I've got layers and layers on. This year, I splurged on "heattech" (thermal) shirts. They're sold at Uniqlo for $20 (I bought them for $15 on sale) and may actually be Japanese in origin, but they're really thin, come in every color imaginable, and are really warm. Once I started wearing these, life became much better. They also have thermal tank top version (as you can see on the left below), but that seems counter intuitive...
Pick the color you want your frozen corpse to be found in....
One day during class, it snowed suddenly, and the snowflakes were huge and pretty.
Snow!
Buses are also abnormally packed on snow days cos no one wants to walk...
Our "field trip" for level 5 was to make bibimbap (rice and mixed veggies). In level 2, we made bulgogi (marinated beef) and japchae (noodles), which I think was more exciting... but, I was just glad for the day off of lessons. And in level 6, we supposedly head to the DMZ (border with N. Korea), which will hopefully be uneventful...
On Sunday, 1/19, H and I went to Gachon University in Gyeonggi-do, just outside Seoul, to take the 33rd edition of the TOPIK test.
There are 3 different versions of TOPIK given on the same day - beginner (levels 1 & 2), intermediate (levels 3 & 4) and advanced (levels 5 & 6). Beginner and Advanced are given in the morning, and Intermediate in the afternoon, so, in theory, you could take Intermediate and another test the same day. If I would have been smart, I'd've done this, but I didn't think about it til after registration had closed. :( Anyway, there are 4 sections on the test - grammar & vocab, reading, writing and listening (no speaking). If you get a combined average >70% with no section less than 50%, you get the higher level for the test (2, 4, 6). If you get <70% but higher than 50% average with nothing <40%, you get the lower level (1, 3, 5). If you don't manage this, you get nothing. Without studying much additional time (besides regular class study, and learning the TOPIK format):
Columns say grammar & vocab, writing, listening, reading, average, level received.
I managed an 88 average, with my lowest being 77 in reading, so I received level 4. Most grad schools only require level 3 for admission, but level 4 is nice to have for scholarships. I really wish I would've taken Advanced in the morning, and maybe received level 5 (my SNU level). Alas... I'll try that in April. Anyway, I'm a little disappointed in my writing score. I didn't miss any points in the multiple choice section, and only a few points in the short answer. My main loss came in the essay because I ran out of time. The topic was to write about who you respect, and to list two reasons. But they stipulated it couldn't be family, so I had a hard time coming up with someone to write about... I was about 25% too short and lost 5~10 points for that. Oops. Ah well, it worked out regardless.
On 1/24, H, J and I went to Kim Jae Joong's backpack product launch (called Moldir) at a Gangnam hotel (Hotel Sunshine). We saw him a few times, as well as Jang Geun-seok (just as creepy IRL as I imagined him to be), and a few other famous faces I recognized but didn't know the names... and J's favorite rapper Dok2 (said "do-kki") performed a couple songs on the stage. It was...interesting. Because we were foreigners, we also got free upgrades to the VIP section, but that turned out to not mean very much. :( Jae Joong and friends were in the VVIP section. Darn you Korea... adding more V's.
Advert poster in the hotel, the lasers on the dance floor that fascinated us
more than they should have, and Dok2 performing just feet from our faces.
And, of course, food. :)
Jjulmyeon (I was curious what this was for a long time... it's similar to
brothless naengmyeon crossed with bibimbap), a watermelon ice bar, and
Christmas cookies (sugar & reg/white choc macadamia) that 4 of us split 4 ways.
TOP: Odeng (fish cake) soup made at home with radish and scallions added,
grilled fish from the restaurant next to our house (Korean restaurants serve
you the whole fish and you pick around the bones). And look at the side dishes!
MID: I'm not sure what this is actually called but it's ddeok and ramyun and
udon (thick Japanese noodles) mixed together in a spicy sauce, oxbone soup
BTM: "water jelly" (actually pretty descriptive... is it water? is it jelly? it's both).
On Lunar New Years itself (1/31), I went around with an American friend and his photographer friends. I'm not a photographer by any means, but I'm still giving the photos their own post. Off to write that now. :)
I'll start off by saying Korea is darn cold in winter. Based on temps, it's comparable to the weather in PA, but I guess I wasn't out in it very much (walking from house to car, car to wherever), because it feels so much colder here. Then again, Koreans call the cold winds in winter "knife winds," which is true. It feels like I'm not even wearing a jacket, though I've got layers and layers on. This year, I splurged on "heattech" (thermal) shirts. They're sold at Uniqlo for $20 (I bought them for $15 on sale) and may actually be Japanese in origin, but they're really thin, come in every color imaginable, and are really warm. Once I started wearing these, life became much better. They also have thermal tank top version (as you can see on the left below), but that seems counter intuitive...
Pick the color you want your frozen corpse to be found in....
One day during class, it snowed suddenly, and the snowflakes were huge and pretty.
Snow!
Buses are also abnormally packed on snow days cos no one wants to walk...
Our "field trip" for level 5 was to make bibimbap (rice and mixed veggies). In level 2, we made bulgogi (marinated beef) and japchae (noodles), which I think was more exciting... but, I was just glad for the day off of lessons. And in level 6, we supposedly head to the DMZ (border with N. Korea), which will hopefully be uneventful...
Columns say grammar & vocab, writing, listening, reading, average, level received.
On 1/24, H, J and I went to Kim Jae Joong's backpack product launch (called Moldir) at a Gangnam hotel (Hotel Sunshine). We saw him a few times, as well as Jang Geun-seok (just as creepy IRL as I imagined him to be), and a few other famous faces I recognized but didn't know the names... and J's favorite rapper Dok2 (said "do-kki") performed a couple songs on the stage. It was...interesting. Because we were foreigners, we also got free upgrades to the VIP section, but that turned out to not mean very much. :( Jae Joong and friends were in the VVIP section. Darn you Korea... adding more V's.
Advert poster in the hotel, the lasers on the dance floor that fascinated us
more than they should have, and Dok2 performing just feet from our faces.
Jjulmyeon (I was curious what this was for a long time... it's similar to
brothless naengmyeon crossed with bibimbap), a watermelon ice bar, and
Christmas cookies (sugar & reg/white choc macadamia) that 4 of us split 4 ways.
TOP: Odeng (fish cake) soup made at home with radish and scallions added,
grilled fish from the restaurant next to our house (Korean restaurants serve
you the whole fish and you pick around the bones). And look at the side dishes!
MID: I'm not sure what this is actually called but it's ddeok and ramyun and
udon (thick Japanese noodles) mixed together in a spicy sauce, oxbone soup
BTM: "water jelly" (actually pretty descriptive... is it water? is it jelly? it's both).
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