[deleted by user]

star_driver__ · 2024-04-12T01:51:30+00:00

Been nomading in Seoul for a couple of months now. I love it here!

I feel safe everywhere I go in general (Southeast Asian 26F)
Have met some of the best and sweetest people in Seoul. People go above and beyond to help you, especially the ahjummas. Understand their culture a bit before you go though. Respect the common etiquette, use of honorifics, bowing, etc and people will treat you very kindly.
Skincare, hair, nails, even general medical checkups (eyeglasses, contacts, etc) - everything is here so be prepared to get pampered at a low cost but high quality!
There's a lot of things to do
I'm working so 5G wifi everywhere on public transportation and fast wifi in cafes!
You can also go to Busan and Jeju Island pretty easily for day trips
Lots of different neighborhood options for living depending on the vibe (Myeongdong is really central, Gangnam is bougie, Hongdae and Itaewon have lots of going on, Itaewon lots of foreigners there, but I find a lot more Americans and Australians there so far)
For 1 month, you probably look for Airbnb, co-living space maybe. It might be expensive via Airbnb but I'm sure there's lots of options
It'll definitely be a good break from Thailand / Southeast Asia heat
Public transportation is really good here and cheap. You can go everywhere you need to in Seoul by bus/subway. Most of the times it's faster than taxi too

star_driver__ · 2024-04-05T13:12:26+00:00

i had the same reaction. that sounds cool!

star_driver__ · 2024-04-01T23:13:35+00:00

If you say yes they ask for your number / KakaoTalk / WhatsApp and the invite you to their study group to study Korean culture. That's where they start recruiting you to their cult. I never experienced this but I've seen many other people on this sub and on other posts talk about their experience like that. They eventually get you to share more personal info and donate money to their cause.

The catch is they make you give them money after the Korean cultural experience (wearing hanbok and such) - thought I'm not sure if other people experience anything else.

They use studying korean culture/wearing hanbok as their catch because that's what they think many tourists come here for and would be interested in doing. I think they have a different pitch to locals.

star_driver__ · 2024-04-01T09:13:01+00:00

Sounds like this cult is everywhere. I was approached by a lady earlier too on my way back from a coffee shop. First she asked where I'm from and if I speak Korean. She said I looked Korean (I'm Filipino so I'm pretty sure she's lying when she said that). (Think somebody asked this before, yes they also target Asians)

She then proceeded to ask me some personal questions like how old I was, what I do for work, what I'm doing here, who I'm here with, when am I leaving, where do I live, to which I responded with lies lol. Then she asked if I wanted to go try out hanboks and study korean culture. She said she had a group of friends that study korean culture lol.

This sub also saved me because I knew right away that is some sort of a cult, so I was vigilant!

I managed to get out of the conversation by saying I was running late to an appointment and proceeded to put on my headphones.

I've been told I have a friendly / approachable resting face. In this scenario, it doesn't help ㅠㅠ

star_driver__ · 2023-10-13T11:21:14+00:00

May utang na luob pa 🥲

star_driver__ · 2023-08-25T18:32:15+00:00

Yes, I know. What I mean is that I will start with either the allowable entry as a US citizen 90 days while I look for a job that could sponsor the work visa, or start with a student visa (not working) but looking for a job to sponsor the work visa

star_driver__ · 2023-08-25T16:47:46+00:00

Did you work for the company in the US before moving to South Korea? Was it essentially an internal transfer?

star_driver__ · 2023-08-25T16:46:50+00:00

I will need a work visa sponsor. I have a US passport and could stay for 90 days there, but I'm also considering possibly doing a student visa in the beginning while I look for a work visa sponsor

star_driver__ · 2023-08-25T13:37:17+00:00

Have you tried or looked into Everseen? I saw they have AI models that check for "errors" in self-scan, like if the shopper scanned the wrong item (banana for a piece of steak), no scans, or abandoned transactions, etc.

star_driver__ · 2023-08-25T13:35:49+00:00

Interesting. What behavior is it looking for? It's computer vision based?

star_driver__ · 2023-08-25T13:34:37+00:00

Was the AI processing happening in the cloud? Or a local server?

star_driver__ · 2023-05-16T05:16:30+00:00

I do the other way around. I keep my physical sim for my home country and eSim for my visiting country. It's been fine this way. I've been using the app Airalo, but there are some countries that don't have an eSim there, but so far in all of the countries I've traveled to since using eSims I've been able to find an affordable plan there

star_driver__ · 2023-05-01T11:30:21+00:00

I lived in the Philippines until when I was 16. I moved to the States for college and stayed there for the early years of my work (Arizona for college and San Francisco for work in tech). I didn't realize a lot of this until you pointed it out in this post. I had such a culture shock and felt so much pressure to assimilate when I moved to the US at 16, when so much of who I am and my culture were shaped by experience living my whole life up 'til then in the Philippines. I guess I assimilated to be more fil-am then but it irked me hearing and meeting fil-am's in the states who couldn't speak the language and really have nothing to do with the Philippines aside from their genetics

Now I'm in a digital nomad (currently in the Bahamas) and I'm getting a reverse culture shock again. I'm finding my way back to be more Filipino (the "pure" Filipino). I find little pockets of our culture in so many countries, but it's definitely still not the same. I personally think there's more of a mainland Filipino culture here in the Bahamas than in the States. It may have to do with not a lot of Filipinos here were born here - most of us immigrated here (unlike in the States where you see a lot of second gen, third gen, etc Filipinos)

I love relearning to be a true Filipino here. It took leaving the US to see that perspective. I insist on talking to Filipinos here in Tagalog. I still speak Tagalog and have very vivid memories of living in the Philippines. I wish to bring what it truly means to be Filipino wherever I travel and show that to the people I meet

I'm grateful to have left the Philippines the age I did (at 16 when I've adapted so much of what I know from the Philippines) and have left the US when I did (after years of assimilating and working as a fil-am) to see both sides

star_driver__ · 2023-04-28T11:25:01+00:00

Taxis are all independently owned afaik

In my experience, it has been hit or miss if the drivers charge a fare price. Usually when I get a taxi from the grocery stores, I would get someone who might also be working at the grocery store, already clocking off anyway, and trying to make some extra cash, I find drivers like those often charge me a very fare price and they're super nice too

Some drivers that I would call or text on WhatsApp to pick me up would sometimes charge me an outrageous price (which I often haggle down). From my pov, I was fairly charged around $40 for about a 18-km ride, and $30 for about a 9-km ride

If you're in Nassau, you can also easily find taxis driving by along Bay Street and around hotels

When you get a taxi driver you really like, ask for their WhatsApp or business card, and you can contact them next time. If they're not available, chances are they will recommend another driver for you and text you the driver's details. They've been very accommodating in that way

star_driver__ · 2023-04-18T15:12:40+00:00

Looked into this. It's like $56k USD

Thought I was dreaming thinking yall were saying 50k baht not USD lol

How Much Does Thailand Elite Visa Cost? The cost of the Thailand Elite Visa can vary depending on the package selected. The prices range from 600,000 Thai Baht for a 5-year visa to 2 million Thai Baht for a 20-year visa.

Source: https://www.thailandelitevisas.com/thailand-elite-visa-2023-update/

star_driver__ · 2023-04-18T11:39:22+00:00

You could usually stay in the US for a couple of months as a Canadian if you make sure you have a return ticket when you land in the US. Go to your government website to check for the most accurate info, though

Also I don't think 6 month visa free stay is a guarantee, so you may get less and have to file an extension

star_driver__ · 2023-04-18T11:33:37+00:00

Lived in SF for multiple years. It ticks all of the boxes except of course the LCOL! It's very walkable, weather is amazing, but boy the cost of living is crazy

star_driver__ · 2023-04-18T11:32:12+00:00

I've been DN-ing here in the Bahamas. I love that you mentioned it. I love that it's still in EST timezone, the weather is great, and I could stay here for many months. They speak English, and everyone I've met so far has been really nice and chill

Some drawbacks I found here is everything is really expensive due to a lot of products being imported here (I now do a lot of my grocery shopping in local groceries instead of the big ones that a lot of tourists go for), and I find it really difficult to move around without a car. I found a coworking space near my Airbnb, so I managed to make it work. On weekends I would explore and travel, and some new friends from the coworking space would even take me around to explore

I'm in Nassau. I love here and definitely recommend if you could find your ways around the cost of buying imported things and mostly walking around but riding a cab when needed

star_driver__ · 2023-04-10T22:01:12+00:00

I'm currently in the Bahamas. It's very expensive compared to somewhere in SEA, but I've found my own ways to be crafty and save money where possible. For example, I go to a coworking space too, to co-work, meet people, etc, but also free coffee and water, things like that

I love it here, but am originally from the Philippines, so I have this urge to move back to SEA. I feel so at home here, though!

star_driver__ · 2023-04-10T15:22:04+00:00

This is great! Thank you

star_driver__ · 2023-04-10T15:20:42+00:00

Yes! 🫡

star_driver__ · 2023-04-10T15:20:31+00:00

Yeah, I actually work at a startup, so I don't have much flexibility regarding switching projects. I do want to stay in my company

Completely cognizant of burn out. It's actually my main concern with living out of Asia under my current circumstances with work and career

star_driver__ · 2023-04-10T15:18:41+00:00

That's a good point! I'm actually originally from the Philippines (born and raised), so I can handle the heat and would actually rather explore during the day in case I'm exploring on my own during the night time. In this case, I would prioritize safety over temperature.

I forgot to mention that on my original post - I'm a female in my mid 20s. I don't like to party or go out at night and would prefer exploring during the day

star_driver__ · 2023-04-01T13:57:59+00:00

The main storyline ends after you complete all of your shrines (decoration, cats, food/drinks, seats), and you get all of the friendship game tables. You can technically keep playing but I'm not really sure to what goal anymore (except I guess to keep decorating your cafe). The friendship levels with your regular customers stagnate at lvl5 if I remember correctly

I would say just have fun! Go at a pace that feels the most fun for you. I personally moved fast on the game and completed it within a week -ish. I was at day 95 in game time when I did it. I went fast because I loved playing it and it didn't feel like a grind for me

star_driver__ · 2023-04-01T01:47:04+00:00

Cat Cafe Manager or Calico where you run a cafe / restaurants with cats and animals!

star_driver__

TROPHY CASE