Sojourn in Seoul

Our long awaited dream of moving to South Korea finally materialised this year but it was not an easy task to move from one land to another as it calls for a lot of detailed planning if you don't want your life to be jeopardised in a foreign land.

The first challenge starts with house hunting. As we moved from India where big sized apartments are readily available we could not get out of that frame of mind when we started our house hunting process. In most Asian countries as we had heard earlier the size of houses are pretty small but when we practically saw it in Seoul,it was a source of dissapointment as we could not get anything better then studio type villas for USD 1500-2000 with everything in one open room. At most you can get one with a sliding door which doesn't make much of a difference.

However if you are willing to invest a lot of money as deposit for the house you may end up in a big place like an apartment. It is only in the Kangnam area that one can pay one month's rent as deposit which we chose to though it is one of the most expensive areas in Seoul as it had all the amenities in close proximity and was easily accessible by the subway lines.Or else have 10-12 months rent ready to be paid as deposit.Utilities and maintainence charges are extra.

Realtors do a good job in helping you find a home and in most cases you have to pay them 30% as brokerage. We found our home sweet home via http://www.nearsubway.com. Run by a lady named Sue,very professional and helpful, she helped us locate this place which was fully furnished at one go without any hassle unlike in most apartments where you have to buy all things on your own,this villa(usually a 5 storey building in S.Korea) had everything from TV,Fridge,Washing machine with dryer,AC,Gas stove,floor heating,bed,dining table,etc to make your stay comfortable.

A few other realtors that we explored were...nicerent and acerent but most were not prompt in their replies when we tried to contact them via email.

Once you are settled in the house,the next few things to be kept in mind are that Koreans are very particular about garbage disposal. Food,clothings,paper and plastics are all to be separated before disposing.Be sure to ask the manager of the place before doing so or it may be sent back to you.

For shopping one can opt for E Mart ,Home Plus, Diaso etc for reasonably priced groceries and other home items. Communication is very convenient in Korea as most places are easily connected by the subway lines..make sure to get a subway map...they have it english too. Once you buy a ticket it's easy to move around the city though call taxis are readily available too on the roads but make sure to tie your seat belts as they drive really rash and most cannot speak in english so learn a few basic korean verses before boarding to explain your destination.

As we continue our sojourn in S. Korea and undergo new and numerous experiences, I shall keep coming back with more tips and tricks on how you can make your stay more enjoyable and easy in this wonderful land called Seoul which is indeed the "Soul of Asia"