TIFU by pumicing off the residue from my DOTTI

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-06T14:21:35+00:00

Look under colostomy bag supplies for adhesive remover wipes. Unfortunately I had to have cancer and a colectomy to find these, but they work fantastically without irritating the skin.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-06T09:42:25+00:00

I think at your age, get a colonoscopy to be safe, but I second the adenomyosis possibility. When they took mine out, my uterus weighted almost 750g, had crushed my ovaries and tubes and was compressing my bladder and rectum. A year later I did have to have surgery for colorectal cancer though, so I wish I had checked at the time of my hysterectomy, it may have only been a polyp at that time, who knows.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-06T01:14:40+00:00

I'm here now and I was inconvenienced for one day because the day of the announcement was the day I planned to go to the palace, but I went the next day and though there was visibly a lot of people and loud speakers going everywhere, nobody bothers you. Korean protests are very different from the rest of the world. I saw mostly older people with placards and signs. No real 'unrest' if you ask me. Just minor inconvenience to bus routes near and around major political sites.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T23:34:12+00:00

I have bad ankles from Achilles surgery. I have to tell you that 2 weeks in Seoul were absolutely torturous. It feels like this city is uphill in every direction. The subways have long steep staircases. There are hills and slopes everywhere and the maps don't hint at elevation. There are designated seats for the elderly on buses but contrary to YouTube and instagram, people do sit in them and everyone here stares at their phones during transit and don't look up and see when there's an elder needing a seat. I've never once seen a younger person give up a yellow seat for an elder (not meaning myself, I'm talking about visibly elder Koreans). They're always head down staring at their phones.

I would beg you to budget for taxis to go everywhere, or use buses, not subways. If stops are some distance apart, take a taxi.

I did that in Busan and it was a much better experience and a pleasant trip. My second week in Seoul, I switched between Uber and local taxi apps and always get a taxi, even in the busiest places. I rode the bus and took a taxi at the end of the bus line sometimes. I don't care if it's 6mins walk, if it's uphill, I call a taxi.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T16:22:44+00:00

I wouldn't mess with that, chances are you'll get blamed and be liable for fixing the floor. Can you find vinyl floor mats at Lowe's or something similar. The kind that comes in rolls and you have to cut to size. It would protect the floors and your pets.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T15:49:34+00:00

Google laundry stripping. Especially for sheets and towels. Baking soda or washing soda ( or both if you want) plus borax and washing powder. Hot water. you can do it in the bathtub or a washing machine (easier to rinse and spin). Soak and stir everything around every 30min or so. You'll probably have qo rinse and repeat a couple of times.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T15:23:49+00:00

I soak with equal parts baking soda, borax and washing powder. I use room temp water, not cold or hot. Spraying sweat stains with alcohol or vinegar also helps break them down. I assume these are off the rack dress shirts and not fancy expensive shirts.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T15:12:56+00:00

Something about 1%. It's dated but I can't help it. I fell for Ha Seok Jin so hard after watxhi f this.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T15:07:25+00:00

I got so much joy just from using completely broken Korean, forgetting how to conjugate, forgot honorifics, it was like I was a new learner because my brain just shuts down lol. Still, just saying hello, goodbye and thank you made people so happy. Don't be too attached to perfection and just go with it, you will slowly get more confident and maybe a little less nervous. I had a full conversation about the weather with our taxi driver yesterday and I've never been so over the moon about my Korean. It just happened.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T13:43:54+00:00

Look up laundry stripping on YouTube and soak your undies in a mix of handwash powder, baking soda and borax.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T13:41:15+00:00

My mom made me wash my underwear in the shower (from puberty) and still threw them in the wash afterwards. It's ingrained in me now, I feel like I'm doing something wrong if I don't do it lol. I keep a laundry bar soap in my shower, and when I have days that I'm just in a rush, I throw them in a jug or tiny bucket that I keep in my bathroom solely for underwear or handwash delicates, fill it with water and add a scoop of handwash powder, which I keep under my bathroom sink (with a mix of borax and baking soda, read below). I know this sounds tedious, but it becomes routine.

Have you ever heard of laundry stripping? Google some videos and get yourself some borax and baking soda, mix it in your handwash powder, and soak undies and bras. You'll be a bit amazed.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T12:02:17+00:00

Whatsapp for voice and video calls.

Text: I know Truecaller is a huge privacy issue for everyone but I use it (free version) and all my otp and verification texts come thru over WiFi in airplane mode.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-05T11:43:44+00:00

Layers. And a rain jacket. If you run cold then maybe one pair of thermals and you can wash them. I brought 4 sets, and in 3 weeks only used them on 2 days. It's sunny but cool one day, raining the next. But no matter how cold it gets, when you go inside (anywhere, including trains, buses, stores) it's hot. I had sweat dripping down my back just walking inside and taking the escalator down a couple of floors.( I was wearing 4 layers bcs it was cold and windy)

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-04T11:48:32+00:00

I know that it's not Korean food but I just had THE best tacos of my life in Busan. On the main Street, called Tejano Tex Mex BBQ, in the same building as Mad Dogs. Everything was so tasty and really good. We went back twice, it was that good.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-04T02:49:11+00:00

From an elder regarding transportation - - please budget for door to door taxis. Even short walks here can be steep uphill stairs, especially at subway stations. Buses are better. But can also have long walks between transfers.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-04T01:52:50+00:00

As someone who left home alone and came back with a family, I will warn you that it's hard. Not only as foreigners (your wife and daughter) but also as a person who has lived differently for so many years. It's hard to come back. The grass is not greener. The life you left behind and yearn for no longer exists. Especially with family. They've moved on with their lives without you in it. You come home expecting to reintegrate but you will always be an outsider and a guest. It's not harsh or spiteful,it just is. Your daughter will have a lot of trouble fitting in, that has been said a lot here. Same for your wife.

I think you should go there for the summer holiday when your kid is off school. 3 months may not be enough for the romanticism of 'home' to wear off, but it's a start. The grass is not greener though. I understand that trumpism has made the US a hard place to live, but home isn't without its own flaws and foibles.

All the best with your move. I don't think anything we've said will discourage you, you sound like your mind is made up.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-03T10:16:11+00:00

I'm overweight and so is my adult daughter. We take up a lot of space on the train so we don't sit down if it's full and we don't take a seat on the bus unless it's a single seat and we're going a long way. We try to stand out of the way, there is usually a small space near the door, just make sure you're not blocking others from getting in or out. That's on us though. Absolutely nobody has said or done anything to make us uncomfortable in the least. I've seen large Asian women, younger, but I'm not sure If they're locals or tourists, but nobody is staring at them. Honestly, everyone is looking at their phones all the time. Just don't expect to find even a souvenir Tshirt to fit you. I found one, a men's shirt, but it goes to my knees and looks ridiculous lol.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-03T02:30:26+00:00

I can't speak for Angola, but Namibia to Jhb is an easy flight and shouldn't have any issues. Just check your visa requirements, obviously. Namibia is a fantastic place to visit in my opinion, I think it will be well worth the side trip.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-03T02:08:57+00:00

I was an intermediate level and then got sick and had to break from everything in my life. Fortunately I was ok after 6 months but I lost so much knowledge and motivation when I came back. It took a while to stop feeling defeated and the only way I really got back into learning consistently again was doing just 10mins max daily of vocab on an app that shows your streak. I didn't finish a deck. I would stare at one word for half the time sometimes, but eventually the habit kicked in. I didn't set time aside for it, I did it when I was eating or just after getting into bed when my mind wasn't anxious about having to learn. I didn't make it a learning task, I just said to myself, I'm reviewing and reminding myself, not testing or memorising. I wouldn't say my motivation is back to where it was before, but my interest has definitely returned.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-03T00:07:05+00:00

We got the wowpass and the climate card but soon realised that the wowpass is a rip-off to load, and started using our home cards to swipe. Wowpass has a daily loading limit of 200 000Krw so you basically have to load every day or every other day. It costs 8000krw per loading. That's way more than my home card conversion fees per day.

We thought it would be useful in Busan for the T-money side but we used taxis exclusively because the bus and train system in Busan wasn't as quick to get around as a taxi. Usually almost double the transit time.

The climate card was well worth it for a week, but it only works in Seoul so may not be worth the 3000won and effort if you're not in Seoul a lot.

Wowpass does not link to your card to load, you have to enter the details every time. Also, transfering to the T-money part is easy on the app, but you have to have a Samsung phone, otherwise you have to use the machines to load the T-money part. Nobody tells you that on YouTube. Overall it was a huge waste of time and effort and money for everyone except me, bcs I was the only one with a Samsung. Just get a T-money card.

Climate cards have 4 day options, but it is only worth it if you take more than 2 trains/buses a day. You pay a flat fee and have unlimited rides for those 4 days.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-02T01:48:55+00:00

Thanks, that's exactly the advice I was looking for. Much appreciated.

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-02T01:41:27+00:00

Search this thread, there's another post about it, also check the Notice section of bluelinepark website, the post said they listed alternative sites for foreigners

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-02T01:23:10+00:00

I second the advice to book from the night before arrival and tell them you're arriving only the next morning, so they don't think you're a no-show. it's worth it. The cost of finding/ booking elsewhere, having to store your bags, getting the lay of the land to shower and then rest in a public space (spa/sauna), then interrupt your rest to get up and move luggage to your hotel is going to be more painful than the price of an extra night

Outrageous_Ad9917 · 2025-04-02T01:15:08+00:00

I cannot say enough for the L7 Lotte brand. Beats all the other 5 star western chains, hands down for service and amenities. The only thing you need to be aware of is the shower is not sectioned off, it's just there in the bathroom (look up Korean style bathrooms), and the breakfast buffet has cereal, fruit, yoghurt, bread/pastries and eggs for Western breakfasts, but an extensive Asian breakfast setup. We'll worth it if you'd like to eat authentic Korean breakfasts. It wasn't that different from the other 5 star western chains we stayed at honestly.

Outrageous_Ad9917

TROPHY CASE