New Arrival Information
Be kind to yourself and have grace for yourself when you first arrive in South Korea.
When you arrive in South Korea, you may find yourself scrambling to acclimate. That's ok and that is normal. You are dealing with a new language, new culture, new customs, new foods, new co-workers, and often-times a new career. Culture shock is a very real and often painful experience. Taking the time to inform yourself about the world around you will couple perfectly with having grace for yourself and others.
South of Seoul volunteers empathize deeply with your struggle.
We have also struggled through that pain as well and our mission is to help minimize the struggle as much as possible. That's why South of Seoul volunteers put together this list of blogs that each shares something we wish we had known in the first three months of our arrival in South Korea. We recommend revisiting these blogs regularly over the first three months because each time you read them something new will stand out.Is there a blog you think we should have on this list?
Information you wish you had? Please leave a comment or message us at southofseoul@gmail.com and we will add it to our list of blogs to post.
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A Year to Learn Korean Cooking, Groceries, Home & Living, Kids and Family, USA Military Welcome Packet
Foundations of Pyeontaek Life: Acquiring Groceries
Welcome to your new life in Pyeongtaek. You have left your home culture and embarked on an exciting journey! The first step to success and self-care is learning how to meet your basic physiological needs, like how to buy groceries in your new environment! Food is a Foundation for Success Building a happy life in a new country requires us all to start at the bottom and build our way back toward self-actualization in a new cultural context. The foundation for this journey starts with learning how to efficiently meet…
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A Year to Learn Korean Cooking, ESL/EFL Educators Welcome Packet, Groceries, Home & Living, International Student Welcome Packet, USA Military Welcome Packet
Shopping at Big-Box Retailers In Korea
Sometimes it’s nice to get all your shopping done in one place. Here is what you need to know about the big-box retailers in South Korea including locations near Pyeongtaek, South Korea. What is a Big-Box Retailer? First of all, let’s talk about what a ‘big-box retailer is’: A big-box retailer is a retail store that occupies an enormous amount of physical space and offers a variety of products to its customers. These stores achieve economies of scale by focusing on large sales volumes. Because volume is high, the profit margin for…
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Fun & Entertainment, Home & Living, Indoor Activities, New Arrival Information, Pyeongtaek Malls, USA Military Welcome Packet
Best Malls and Department Stores Near Pyeongtaek
Looking for the best malls and department stores near Pyeongtaek? Here is a list of must visit malls. Grab a friend or your kids and go.
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Young Students Bridge the Gap in Korean Immersion School
Moving from Kindergarten into Elementary School in South Korea Apparently, my husband and I had a skewed view of reality when it came to public education. We thought when my son reached the kindergarten milestone we’d jump up and high five and congratulate ourselves on winning parenthood. We made it. We had ushered him into good human status and now he would showcase it to the world through show-and-tell and friendship superlatives. Of course, covid had other plans – and ruined what would have been an epic high five. The…
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ESL/EFL Educators Welcome Packet, International Student Welcome Packet, New Arrival Information, SOS Seasonal Guide: Spring, SOS Seasonal Pyeongtaek Guide: Fall, SOS South Korean Seasonal Guide: Summer, SOS South Korean Seasonal Guide: Winter, Tourist and Traveler Welcome Packet, USA Military Welcome Packet
Maximizing Instagram In South Korea
Thanks to South Korean bloggers’ excellent hashtag skills which use an easy-to-follow system, Instagram makes tracking how locations look on a particular day and discovering new hashtags is surprisingly easy. Learn how right now! Before you begin, smartphone apps you will need In order to manage the language differences without knowing Korean (but still using pattern recognition skills), you will need the following apps on your smartphone. You will be copying Korean from the South of Seoul app, searching on Instagram, translating new information with Papago, and creating lists of…
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Culture Shock Tips, ESL/EFL Educators Welcome Packet, International Student Welcome Packet, Korean Travel & Adventure, Tourist and Traveler Welcome Packet, USA Military Welcome Packet
How to Pension: A guide to pensions in South Korea
Korean pensions are one of the best things about traveling in Korea. They offer unique stays in amazing places. Learn more about pensions today so that you feel comfortable booking them tomorrow. What is a pension? Pensions are like the Korean version of a Bed and Breakfast, except without someone else making you breakfast. They are rooms, cabins, or spaces that having a sleeping, cooking, and dining space so that you can easily spend a weekend away without ever leaving your own room. Pensions are also often owned by families…
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10 Fun Caves Across Korea
Looking for something a little different to do this weekend? South Korea is full of interesting caves that are a great adventure to escape the rain or summer heat. South of Seoul challenges its readers to get out and explore the wonderful caves across Korea. Our Experience Visiting Caves We’ve enjoyed every cave we’ve visited in South Korea, even though we’re not really cave enthusiasts. Each cave we explored was so well-preserved that we finally understood why people rave about them. In the past, we’ve visited caves in other countries,…
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Korean Gift-giving Etiquette at Work
About Gift-giving at Work Coworkers often give gifts to each other for different occasions. Taking part in these cultural rituals can create a more comfortable workplace. Although Koreans often don’t hold international residents responsible for following Korean Gift-giving Etiquette, participating in the customers creates a more comfortable and copacetic environment for everyone involved. Every Work Place Has Its Own Culture Each company, school, and organization in Korea has its own culture. Just like other countries, Koreans share an overarching culture but also modify their experience in different ways based on…
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Delivery and Meal Prep, Dining & Drinks, ESL/EFL Educators Welcome Packet, International Student Welcome Packet, Vegan and Vegetarian
Exploring Nosh Vegan Meal Delivery
(If you just arrived in South Korea, meal delivery services can make life easier. Seriously consider it your first few weeks of work.) Nosh Vegan meal delivery solves many of your meal planning problems. About this Review Nosh recently contacted South of Seoul to see if any of us would be interested in trying some PR Samples. Since I am exhausted, I volunteered to make everyone in my house try Nosh. To be honest, I just needed a break from cooking. Accepting Nosh’s PR samples turned out to be the…
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Chungcheongnam-do Adventures, Korean Travel & Adventure, Outdoor Activities, Tourist and Traveler Welcome Packet
Immersive Cultural Experiences in Taean
travel Taean, Taean travel, Korean travel, Korean mud flats, Korean experiences, Korean tours, solo travel Korea, Korean solo travelers, Things to do in Taean, What is there to do in Taean,