Hey guys!
My name is Saadiya Patrick and I will be a junior at HPU. I recently finished my first of two semesters abroad at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea. I wanted to share my experience with flying to a foreign country and what it was like to actually enter South Korea.
So I imagine that a lot of you who will be flying there will either be going directly from Hawaii or from your home state. I happened to be a student who flew from her home state (Georgia). This most likely means that you will have a very long flight and will have multiple layovers. I thought it might be helpful to leave some nice tips for those who might find themselves in a similar situation I was in. I hope any of these tips help!
#1 KEEP THE WEATHER IN MIND:
Depending on what part of the year you'll be flying to Korea, it might be a good idea to keep the weather conditions of your destination in mind. I flew to Korea around the end of February; which meant that we were deep into winter. When I left my house it was around the 30s but by the time I would land in Korea, it would be closer to 19 degrees and there was a chance of snow. This meant that even though I would spend a lot of time on the plane, I still dressed pretty warm and packed layers in my carry. Having these easily accessible is a really good idea when the weather conditions of your home location might be different from where you're going.
#2 TRY NOT TO OVERPACK
I know it might be tempting to bring your whole closet but keep in mind that you'll have to carry all of these suitcases with you once you land in Seoul. It was a little harder for me not to pack everything as I am staying for a whole year but, I think I did a pretty good job of trying to only bring the essentials. Trust me, when you have been traveling for 12+ hours and you're tired and hungry, you're not going to want to be dragging around more than 2 heavy suitcases around a big city.
#3 BRING SOME SNACKS
I'm not saying to bring the entire convenience store, but I do think it would be a good idea to bring a few comfort snacks. I personally had to fly for almost 16 hours and it made my total travel time almost 2 days. The meals provided on the flights aren't bad but they might not keep you satisfied for your entire trip. It's also good to have a few snacks on hand just in case your flight gets in late. I didn't get to my accommodation until after midnight. This meant that my options for dinner were very limited. Luckily Lotteria (I like to call it the Korean McDonald's) was an option, but otherwise, I would have had to go to bed hungry.
#4 GET YOUR DOCUMENTS READY
Make sure to check up on any requirements that Korea might have in order to enter their country. I know some people who arrived during covid and had to test and quarantine. By the time I entered, the required PCR tests were no longer mandatory. Just make sure you know what documents you'll need to ensure you have a smooth entrance to the country. Another thing! When you land and before you go through customs, there will be a couple workers announcing something in Korean and pointing to banners with QR codes and yellow or pink papers. This is a survey-style form that you'll have to fill out before you can go through customs. It'll ask you for things like where you're staying, why you're there, and what kind of visa you have. I highly recommend filling out the form via the QR code plastered on all the banners. Once you fill out the form, you'll get a QR code that the customs people will ask you to scan. You can also show them the completed form if you fill it out on paper, but just know that there might not be any English copies. *also note that despite the long and stressful process of getting your visa, not a single person at the airport ever asks to see it. Even when I took a flight back to America, nobody even asked if I had a visa. It's more important to have the actual passport and (eventually) your ARC than to have the visa)
#5 KNOW HOW YOU'RE GETTING HOME
Once you've landed, it can seem very stimulating and even overwhelming. You're in a new country with everyone speaking a language you might not know. And now you have to try and figure out a way to your accommodation. I want to help make this part a little bit easier. You will basically have 3 main ways you can choose to go home.
- Express Train + Subway
- depending on where you are going, you can most likely take the express train and the subway. I would probably rate this method a 7 out of 10. Depending on the time of day, the subway can be very busy, and not all the subways have escalators/elevators to carry your luggage. Also in order to use this method, you'll need to purchase and load your T-money card; which can be a little confusing
- BUYING A T-MONEY CARD
- buying and loading a T-money card can be a little confusing at first. In order to purchase a T-money card you can do 2 things:
- buy one at the convenience store
- get one for free if you buy a sim card at the airport.
- buying a T-money card at the convenience store isn't too hard. Simply go into your closest 7/11, GS-25, or CU and go to the register. Say the words "t-money" and make a box gesture and they'll know what you mean. If you really want to test your skills you can also say "kyo tong kadu" which is a transportation card in Korean. *Note that most of the time you can only load your T-money card with cash. The only way to load it using a card is in the convenience store. You are going to want to also have your cash ready so the cashier can put the money on your card. Some stores might let you pick the card that you want and you might even be able to go to specific stores to purchase cards with cute designs on it. But that can be done at a later time. I personally recommend only putting a max of 20,000 won on your T-money card at one time. I have heard and experienced too many situations of people misplacing or losing their cards and all the money they put into them. It's easier to reload your card later on than to worry about it.
- The other option is to get a free T-money card when you buy a sim card at the airport. My mom went this route since she staying in Korea with me for about 10 days. when you exit your gate, there will be quite a few booths advertising sim cards. Make sure you look for the one that mentions a free T-money card. When you buy the sim card, the worker will load the T-money card for you.
Either of these methods works for getting the T-money card and it is just a matter of which method makes more sense for your situation.
- If you take the express train, it'll go as far as Seoul Station. From there you'll have to transfer to whichever line will take you to your place. If you are going to Konkuk University, transfer to Line 2 or the Green Line. Taking the Express Train isn't required but it is much faster than taking the subway the entire way. However. keep in mind that you'll have to purchase a separate ticket for the Express train and it cost around 10 dollars. *note: the subway closes around midnight and reopens at 5:30a. If you get the Naver Maps app, you'll be able to check the timetable for your train*
- This is probably the most preferred method and the quickest. Taking a taxi doesn't require buying a T-money card and it's not too hard. If you already have the Uber app downloaded on your phone when you land, you'll notice the name has changed to UT. Other than the name and language change, the app is completely the same. You'll be able to enter any address and get a taxi to that location. I do have to be honest about some of the downsides:
- price: depending on what time you try to grab a taxi, you might have to pay up to $70 for a ride. Also, know that it is common for taxi drivers to take advantage of foreigners by taking longer routes or driving slowly in order to raise your price. Even though you are using the Uber app, it is still a taxi service. This means that they'll use the meter and sometimes they'll try to overcharge you for a ride.
- safety: now this label is a little misleading. Riding in a taxi isn't unsafe. HOWEVER, taxi drivers are known for driving crazy. They drive really fast, slam on breaks, and make plenty of sharp turns. You'll make it to your destination safely but you're heart rate will be elevated.
- language barrier: while a lot of the taxi drivers at UT Taxi might know a few English words, there are still a lot of older drivers who don't know any English AT ALL which can make it difficult to communicate with them. Unfortunately, Papago (a popular translator app in Korea) won't be helpful as they can't type and drive. Hopefully, they won't ask too many questions but if you ever want to let the driver know that they can "drop you off right here" you can say "yogiyo kwen-chanayo" and they'll understand what you mean.
- Taking a taxi is not a bad option, but it isn't going to be for everyone. I would say if you have a lot of bags or if it is after midnight, this will be your best (and maybe only) option.
- This should probably be your last resort. Taking the bus can be difficult, especially with luggage. It is possible but I don't think it'll be enjoyable at all. You'll need to get a T-money card for the bus as well and when you get on and before you exit, you will scan your card. You can use the Naver Maps app to find the bus schedule as well and it'll show the timetable for each bus coming. *note: the bus (like the subway) closes at a certain point. Generally, they close around midnight but, it depends on which bus for the closing time. Also after the regular bus closes, the night bus will open. The night bus will be marked with an N (ex. N15 N62). Naver Maps will have the information for this.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment