Questions about living in South Korea

Hello! In a week I will be moving to South Korea (two hours south of Seoul) to teach English there for a year.

As I am starting to pack, questions are arising about what I should bring with me -- mostly personal item questions, such as:

1) How dressy are Koreans? Should I plan to dress up everyday or are they more casual in dress?

2) I have curly hair, do they have products for curly hair?

3) Do they have many American items to buy in South Korea, things I might be used to buying in the states (such as shampoos, etc)?

4) Also, concerning feminine hygiene products, are these as good quality abroad as tampax in the US, etc?

Any info would be immensely helpful, even things not asked above! Thanks so much for anyone's help/guidance... I guess these are things one doesn't necessarily think about unless you're staying long-term in a country... Thanks again!

1) You may (or may not) be required to dress smartly for work, but other than that, people are no more dressy than they are anywhere else.

2)Quite a few Koreans get perms, so I'd assume there are some things available.

3)A few brands like Head and Shoulders, Pantene etc. If you really want US stuff though, try Costco, or make friends with a GI and get stuff from an army base.

4)Well my wife uses them, but above and beyond that I wouldn't like to say!

1) Like carruthers said. Also, clothes are very cheap here, so you can easily buy smarter stuff here if required. I can wear more or less what I want to work (jeans, T-shirt, trainers) but my girlfriend works at a different hagwon and she has to dress a little more smartly. It varies from employer to employer.

3) Bring deodorant. Trust me on this. There is deodorant available here in larger Homeplus stores, but it's very expensive and the selection is very limited.

Costco has more or less everything else you might need, except pesto and Mexican spices, so if you like to eat those things bring a decent supply!

4) I just asked my girlfriend, and she said pads are easy to find. Tampons are a little more difficult - but you can find them in larger supermarkets.

Actually, to add to 1), I would also mention that first impressions are important in Korea. Smart dress is definitely appreciated, even if it isn't expected or required. So it would probably be a good idea to bring at least one set of smart clothes to wear for your first day at work!

dominic - You might be interested to know that Body Shop have recently started selling men's deodorant. They never used to do it, but they've obviously changed their policy. It's really good stuff.
Also, if you are anywhere near Seoul, the Foreign Food Store on the street that runs perpendicular to the bottom of Hooker Hill in Itaewon sells pesto and all manner of spices from all over the place.

I tend to keep my nose out of ladies' issue, but sometimes I stumble upon related info every once in a while. And from what I heard, it seems that you'd better bring enough supplies of uttermost personal nature, without which your daily life can become immediately and significantly inconvenient - e.g. underwears of right size, feminine products, other hygiene or cosmetic products (things you'd rather not change brands), and medicines that you think you might need - until you find a proper channel to get supplies or local substitutes.
It might be possible to get the same products in Korea as 'American imports,' but you might have to go the extra mile if they're not readily available in your neighborhood, given that you will be out of Seoul. Equivalent products may or may not be available in Korea, and even if they are, you might have difficulties figuring them out unless you're fluent in Korean to ask around or do the research yourself. Also the range of selection can be limited compared to home - i.e. deodorants.
Carruthers has it spot-on with Costco being the place, but they're not everywhere. Sometimes it's more convenient to shop on-line from specialized importers.

carruthers, thanks for the tip re. deodorant, I will have to check it out! Although in any case I'll stock up when I'm next in Thailand in a couple of weeks time.

Will also check out the Foreign Food Store next time I'm in Seoul. We have similar places here in Changwon where most things can be found, but pesto is especially hard to get hold of here.

I second the foreign food store for multiple western purchases (pesto, salad dressing, real Cheetos:). Also, with respect to deodorant, many western ones are too strong-smelling for Korea (where many people don't use deodorant). Stores here such as E-mart carry a glass-bottle deodorant by Nivea which, while initially expensive, lasts for a much longer time than most western brands, therefore making it comparable (if not cheaper) in price.

Some other things like ear swabs (the ones made in Korea are bad) can be found here (Q-tips); you can also buy American toothpaste and toothbrushes, which I did today at E-mart, but only one brand of each available. The one thing, as a man, I have never been able to buy in Korea is good dental floss. I have tried multiple kinds, but now I get Crest brand "Glide" floss sent to me from the U.S., the only thing I can't truly live without.

Like the others have said i would recommend bringing a years supply of deodrant and tampons. I have problems with shoes here, i am a UK 7 US10 and the shoes go up to about a UK5.5. The foreign food stores are handy for some bits but are often quite expensive. Good Luck!

Hi everyone,

I have loads on information on life here in South Korea, as well as advice on what to pack, and what life is like here in general :)
Check out my blog:

http://farmboyandcitygirlhitasia.blogspot.com/

Hope u find it useful!