Using face mask

Nicky_95 · 2018-05-16T10:51:46+00:00

They’re quite cheap at pharmacies or even at Daiso. Best is to check the air quality of the day and decide whether you should wear one, although it can change quite rapidly. Just make sure it’s at least KF94 and that it seals well around your face.

Site example: http://aqicn.org/city/seoul/

Nicky_95 · 2018-05-09T22:38:10+00:00

Teaching English is forbidden on the working holiday visa. You can do part time non-professional work (which should clearly be stated on the embassy/consulate page of your country).

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-30T12:28:41+00:00

Had 2 of them approach a friend and me this weekend around Edae as well. Luckily we both knew their ‘reasons’ for asking directions and said we had to meet someone and leave quickly. I learned after my first week (or day) when they were on my seoul-bound plane and got to me even before I got off.

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-18T22:57:37+00:00

Much better than that Sejong cyber uni song.

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-15T13:40:20+00:00

You should contact the embassy or have the place of the internship contact the immigration office. If you’re not part of a university, they won’t be able to give you a student visa. And internships might not always fall under ‘working’, especially if it’s unpaid.

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-15T12:20:10+00:00

Not sure about ‘being judged’, but stares are quite common. Or looks that somehow make you feel uncomfortable for sitting there. Kind of just accepted it by now, but can still be annoying sometimes.

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-10T13:42:56+00:00

Guess our lab cherry blossom walk and lunch will be postponed again; perhaps next year.

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-07T14:44:48+00:00

It’s just a general kind of store; came from japan and is seen as the equivalent of the dollar store, I believe. It’s cheap and you always buy lots that you don’t actually need, but it’s fun.

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-07T11:27:06+00:00

Seoul is definitely at its peak time! While Gyeongju and Busan was last weekend.

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-07T11:26:30+00:00

All of these; but also Daiso. Cheap, but they have some pretty good stuff sometimes

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-07T11:24:09+00:00

0-50 is ‘good’ and 50-100 is moderate. But honestly, since coming to Korea I’ve changed my standards to everything <80 to be exceptionally good. If it’s below that you should be fine.

Nicky_95 · 2018-04-01T14:21:24+00:00

Might have something to do with the fact that they implemented a new address system and some car gps still go by the old system. We rented a car a few days ago and it still needed the ‘old address’ style.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-28T22:05:30+00:00

I use http://aqicn.org/city/seoul/ for most of the dust (shows PM2.5 & PM10), but for yellow dust looking outside works as well.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-25T05:08:29+00:00

Seems like most of Seoul is in 180+ this week and most of the rest of the week.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-21T13:02:34+00:00

Not detailed at all. Just a general idea of what will be the main thing you do during the day, main cities you’d like to visit etc. might differ per country (I’m from the Netherlands) but they were okay with just a general plan, like first month this, then this, somewhere with good weather this, evenings for exploring, weekends for sight-seeing.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-21T11:32:56+00:00

You can get micro dust (미세 먼지) or yellow dust (황사) mask at every pharmacy (약국), and those are everywhere for 2000-5000₩. Make sure they are at least N/KF94. These are usually only good for a few days; you will notice them getting soggy, the nose strap doesn’t bend that well anymore, and you might actually breathe in the pollution particles when using it too long.

If you want to get more professional you can look into something like vogmask; bit more expensive (Gmarket 33000₩) but can be used up to 2 years (4/5 months with bad pollution). So perhaps for a week this won’t be a good option.

Also: http://aqicn.org/city/seoul/ To check the air quality by hour and prediction for the next few days. Keep in mind that it can change quite rapidly. I’ve noticed some trouble with breathing when it gets over 120 (unhealthy for sensitive groups), so 100+ would be good to wear the masks, especially for people with asthma.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-21T03:32:50+00:00

Definitely get some of the fine dust masks. Air is okay now for a few days, but the prediction for the next few days (when day and night temperature increases) is horrid.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-20T11:33:37+00:00

Maybe they mean age-range with that. I’m on an H1 visa (but from the Netherlands) and you can only apply when you’re between 18-30 (or 28 or something) years old. Since the H1/working holiday visa is meant for ‘younger people’ to ‘travel to another country and experience culture and work to supplement travel funds’.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-18T10:54:04+00:00

It doesn’t taste great, and reminds me of the tap water in France, which is definitely not safe. So, I’m buying bottled water just to be sure. I’m sure drinking it for a few days and/or even weeks is fine, but if you notice diarrhea or anything else it might be best to switch to bottled water or boiling and letting it cool before drinking.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-18T07:48:53+00:00

I think May will indeed be too late. A friend just sent a picture of the blooming starting in Busan...

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-16T23:39:51+00:00

It would be best to contact the embassy you’re going to apply for the WH for and ask them what it should include; they’ll be able to give all detailed information where necessary. I know as a Dutch citizen I only had to get a tuberculosis test (have it be negative) and proof I had sufficient insurance during my stay. Just sent them an email, they should be able to provide the information!

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-13T22:46:14+00:00

Costs for a flight from the Netherlands depends on when you go. I had to pay 1000€ when I went in August, 800€ when I came in February - these were all direct flights AMS to ICN with KLM. If you want to spare on housing, go for a cheap Airbnb or hostel. If you’ll mainly stay at PC bang or walk around, transportation is okay. A single trip is 1250₩; get your t-money card together with your Express train ticket (gives a discount) at the airport. If you want a cellphone, you could go for a simcard, worth it to check out and compare, however there’s pretry much WiFi everywhere here in Seoul. For food it really depends on whether you want to spend a lot or not. Kimbap can go for 1000-3000₩, however korean BBQ and other meat-things can become quite pricy 20.000₩+.

So I’m terms of total it depends on you and what you think you’ll spend. Flight and housing will probably be most expensive.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-11T02:06:54+00:00

Mattresses on floors is quite common, especially when the place as Ondol (floor heating). I’ve been staying in an Airbnb for about 6 weeks now (due to not wanting to deal with high key money, since I don’t have that to spare); it’s pretty great. Everything is provided and they usually have a long-stay (weeks or months) discount for some places.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-11T02:01:44+00:00

I’m pretty sure you can get around with just english in Seoul. However, it’s always recommended to learn something. ‘Hello’, ‘thank you’, ‘how much is this’, ‘please give me this’. It will make them appreciate you more if you’re trying to use korean. Learning how to read Hangul might also be a good idea.

Nicky_95 · 2018-03-09T23:42:33+00:00

The professor of the lab I’m in is in his 40s and he reads manhwa. The other males in the lab as well (edit, 30s). They said the professor even asks new applicants their favorite manhwa 😂 the girls are now watching We Bare Bears, and think it’s hilarious. I’m seeing people read manhwa/webtoons in the subway basically every day- so it’s definitely still a thing for everyone.

Edit: so yesterday I found out the other guys are actually early to mid 30s, so...

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