Packing for Japan

I really don't like packing.... but I believe it is easier than unpacking, simply because at some point it must be done; whereas living out of boxes/suitcases forever is totally possible. ;)

I will be teaching in Japan at a similar type of institution as the Korean hagwon. It is a type of private school/business/after-school academy. After my experiences in Korea, I am a little wary, but I have been to Japan before and had both good and bad experiences. The bad experiences in Japan being far less troubling and more easily avoidable by living on my own is making it a little easier to push forward.

I have made several shopping/packing lists, and have more than I actually need. While many people believe this should be easier the second time, it isn't. Before going to Korea I purchased more 'work appropriate' clothing only to arrive and find that the places I was working were (WAY too) casual. (I clearly remember the director's wife who worked as a secretary coming in frequently in a white knit, sleeveless, shirt with a black and floral bra underneath.) Now I will be working in Japan which is much more strict with their dress codes. However, all the clothes I bought before going to Korea are useless to me since I have lost weight and 2-3 pant sizes. It is a sad thing, and horrible for my now empty bank account since I had to buy all new suits and pants.

With the clothing worries aside, I am looking forward to a new experience (and getting back out of food service--though it is paying the bills and about the only job I could get with only 3 months to work in).

I received my Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and contacted the consulate to find out how to mail all the paperwork in (to save my non-existent money on gas~).

After that, it's just waiting and finalizing my packing lists.

I wish...

My mother has decided to move on in her life and will be selling our home from the last 20-some odd years. So the reason this time is harder is because I have to pack up everything.

I've been lazy lately... I need to get back to work on convincing myself to throw it all away!!!! (Except the books, of course =_+)

Anyways, it has been a long day and I seem to finding myself working everyday and everyone's hours, so I should sleep.... *just think about money, money, money....*

Typos

Having a ton of typos in my posts is a bad sign for an English teacher. I realize that my posts may be full of typos, and I don't really want that; however, in my defense, I have a tendency to write my posts during the wee hours of the morning and can't promise that my eyes are even open while writing.

That said, I apologize and promise to proof read my posts (old and new) when I get the chance.

I think I may just need to save the posts I write at night and post them once I'm actually awake enough to reread them ;)

PS. This may take a little longer than I'd like as I'm currently working 6-7 days a week in order to not be a penniless foreigner when I start my life in Japan. ^^;

Follow-up and Links for Korea

While I have left South Korea, I still have friends and contacts there. Though Korea wasn't the place for me, a lot of people have better experiences there than I did.

If you find yourself going to, or thinking about going to Korea, but have questions/fears/ or simply want some advice on how to choose a school, what to look out for before signing a contract, or how to travel, feel free to ask.

I realize I disappeared for a long time--my computer died and when the replacement came I just didn't have the interest in starting up again... However, most of that was stress and my own bad experiences.

After having some time away, I can more easily remember the good things.

The reason I am starting this up again is that I will be leaving for Japan this December and will be blogging about my experiences (hopefully this time I can keep it up ;)

Here are some great links, I forgot to post them before:

For Travel in Korea:

These are for the trains. You can choose your start and destination, it will give you the fastest route and how long and how much the charge is. The first is the main site, if you click the picture you ge the second. You can link either, but it only works on Internet Explorer (No Mozilla).
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/TR/TR_EN_5_1_4.jsp
http://www.smrt.co.kr/program/cyberStation/main2.jsp?lang=e

This one is for buses. You can enter the starting point and destination, or just zoom on an area and choose the 'Route Search' tab. (*Note: Buses aren't always kept up to date and they this site isn't 100% trust worthy... nothing is here with buses.)
http://bus.congnamul.com/SeoulRouteWebApp/view_english/map.jsp

This is for the KTX--fast train to Busan and other places. You can go here to pre-order tickets once you have your alien card.
http://www.korail.com/

For Learning Korean:

Told you before, the alphabet is easy. You will need some basic understanding of simple Korean words/phrases, but this is the best site I've found.
http://ecamp.cyberkorea.ac.kr/
It's actually really good, but if you want better you have to pay for classes, or find the free ones. It also needs IE.

For Discussion Class Ideas:

These are just links with Discussion Topics and Questions in case you need some ideas.
http://iteslj.org/questions/
http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/discuss.html
This is a site where it talks about laws that schools are supposed to follow with their foreign teachers.
http://www.efl-law.com/recruiters&the-law.php

Shopping for "Larger" Sizes

With experience living in Korea as a size 10-14 (US), I know it can be hard to find clothes that fit. Though their are some foreign stores like H&M that have bigger sizes, a lot of their clothes are still geared toward Koreans in Korean sizes.

If you want to find some good clothes that fit, and don't break the bank, try station shopping. Station shopping is shopping in train stations that often have shops of some sort. While many stops just have a convenience store, and/or make-up shop, there are several that are larger and include several underground shops. Some great stations to check out are Gangnam Stn., Samseong Stn., and Jamsil Stn. are all rather decent places. Yeongdeundpo Stn. is actually the biggest and best underground shopping that I've found in Seoul, and I often went shopping there.
For above ground shopping Dondaemun is not only the most famous, but a place full of options. From $5 shops to $500 dollar departments. If you have a little extra time and money, make it an all day shopping trip here.
If you happen to be in Bundang (just outside Seoul) visit the 2100 Outlet next to Migeum Stn. There are also several shops along the street that are cheaper and have a range of clothes.
If you live closer to Incheon, try Bupyeong Stn. Whether it's above or underground there are shops everywhere with plenty of options in price and type.

Have fun and don't buy anything you don't like. You can always find something better later.

Also, don't worry about taking make-up to Korea. South Korea is the home to the original BB Cream. It's very light and much healthier for your skin than American/French make-ups.

If you need a good moisturizer, check out The Saem. They have a line called See&Saw which uses echinacea and I've used all products in the line: they work ;)