What to bring to Korea

I'm departing Thursday, August 21.

Seems like now would be a good time to think about packing.

I've set aside some clothing, packed my camera, camcorder, tape recorder and notebook and now I need to start thinking about the practical things.

Hopefully I'll be able to preempt any packing disasters by referring to existing recommendations regarding what one should take to Korea.

I've talked to a few friends who either live there, are visiting currently or have been before and I've also run a standard Google search for "what to bring to Korea."

Items to pack

Apparently, they don't use deodorant here. I've heard the temperatures will rise well out of my comfort zone and the humidity during the summer may place a permanent layer of moisture on my skin, so I'll bring along at least three sticks of my brand of choice for my four month stay. I've read the prices aren't cheap for deodorant in Korea and it's convenient enough to pack.

Friends have told me toothpaste is limited to several brands, none of which are the standard Crest of Colgate.
I'm bringing my own. I'm rather fond of Crest. My mouth loves it.

For the care of one's more private needs, I've read in several places that condoms, bras and tampons can be difficult to find in the necessary size. These items can be packed with little expense to suitcase so I'd recommend bringing them along if they'll be useful.

Clothing was mentioned on several blogs, but mainly for those who require larger sizes for tops and pants.
Luckily, my birth parents are Korean (I am assuming) and I'll be able to buy clothes in my size in Korea.

What's more of a concern is packing clothes for the weather; I don't want to buy a new winter coat when I have a perfectly good one already. As far as I can tell, the weather in Seoul is much like the weather along much of the Eastern seaboard: hot and humid during the summer and bone chillingly cold during the winter.
Pack accordingly.

Apart from the weather, I've heard one might do well to pack several more clothing items.

Thongs, apparently, are nearly nonexistent in the Korean market.
Sheets are questionable, so I brought those along as well.

I ended up with two suitcases and two carry-on bags full of electronics.

Apart from the Dell Inspiron 1525 Laptop I am using now, I brought along this gear.

• Nikon D50 DSLR


• 17-35mm F2.8 lens


• 28-80mm F3.3 lens


• 50mm F1.8 lens


• Nikon Speedlight SB-600 flash


• Olympus digital voice recorder


• JVC digital camcorder


• Sony "cybershot" digital camera


• Infrared and polarizing filters for lens

These tools will help me update my blog with some unique content, which will be coming shortly.

I've uploaded a few pictures already, which can be viewed on the slideshow to the right.

The countdown begins

I'll be leaving for Seoul in 40 days.
My flight jets out of SeaTac International Airport on August 21 and I won't be landing back in the States until December 21. I'll be studying abroad for one semester at Yonsei University in Seoul. It's the first time I'll be traveling out of the country by myself. I'm anxious.

I have one year of Korean language experience thanks to the University of Washington, but I am nowhere near ready to plunge into a witty, fast-paced conversation with a native Korean speaker. I'll be lucky if I can order food or find my way to a bathroom before I resort to . . . other measures.

I suppose I still have 40 days to prepare.

During that time, I plan to read up on my Korean history and find a place to live while I'm there (my dorm room assignment is still pending). While I would enjoy living with other international students, I am also hoping to spend at least a few days crashing at a stranger's place couch surfing

Searching for "Seoul" and indicating my primary language is English yielded a healthy number of results on that Web site. I haven't talked to anyone yet, but I hope someone will take me in. I'm not a creep nor am I a crook. I promise.

For the time being, I'll be plenty busy with my summer job.

I am the editor-in-chief of the University of Washington's student newspaper, The Daily. This job has been greedily hoarding my summer away: so much for the sun. I only bring this aspect up because I am a journalism major and I've been a Daily staff writer for more than two years. I'm quite interested in pursuing news topics in Korea when I arrive.

If you'd like anything investigated or have any suggestions for me, I'd be delighted to do my research and see what I can find while I'm over there.

That's all for now. I'll be updating rather infrequently during the summer to detail my preparation, but certainly the more interesting and frequent posts will begin to pour onto this Web site when I arrive in Korea. I'll be supplementing my posts with photographs shot on my Nikon D50 and I am currently searching the market for a cheap video camera so I can upload videos to YouTube and paste them back here.

P.S.

Perhaps this is a moment of bliss that you may not appreciate, but it is wonderful and scary to be able to publish my writing by simply clicking "publish post." Where are the copy editors? I've read through once for clarity, but I'm afraid there might be a grammatical travesty lurking somewhere in this post.
Well, I suppose this is my introduction to blogging.




I was searching through YouTube for a video of Seoul or Yonsei and discovered this "guided tour." This fellow drives around on his motorcycle with a (shaky) camera. The raw tape is edited with text overlaying Yonsei's buildings and some of the surrounding neighborhood. According to this video, there seem to be plenty of places to eat cheap food and drink soju.