pre-departure & important tips
Here is everything that I think is useful for a student studying abroad, both pre-departure and during your stay in Korea.
I luckily had leftover money from the last time my family came to Korea, which was enough for my quarantine. For the most part, I have been able to use my Costco Visa. It doesn't have any foreign transaction fees, and I believe it takes the days exchange rate (it has been around 1160 won per dollar). However, there are times when I do need cash, such as for refilling my T-money card, eating at small restaurants, and paying my rent. Here are the different ways to exchange money:
1) At a physical money exchange place with USD: Bring NEW $100 bills with you. Justina and I have been going to Myeongdong to exchange money and have been getting really good rates there (1167 KRW per USD). We usually walk down the street with the Chinese Embassy (it has big red gates) and look for the best rate. There's about five money exchange places on this one street, and the rate usually only varies by 1-5 won. I think the exact location of the money exchange place is 26 Myeongdong 2-gil. If you don't have new $100 bills, the exchange rate will not be as good. In addition, they require a passport when exchanging. 2) ATM w/ Schwab Card: While exchanging at Myeongdong was a great option, I didn't think about bringing much USD with me, nor would I have felt safe carrying that much cash. With my Schwab debit card, I am able to withdraw money from ATMs. It will charge a fee (usually around 4,000 won) at first, but it will be reimbursed to you at the end of the month. I found that ATMs vary in the max amount they let you withdraw. At one of the convenience store ATMs, I was only allowed to withdraw a max of 100,000 won. However, at Woori Bank, I was able to withdraw 1,000,000 won. I believe the rate is around the day rate, but I've been exchanging at around 1160 KRW per USD. Also, the ATMs I've been using were able to be switched to English!
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To be honest, I was a little skeptical about SNU's location at first. I thought there wouldn't be much around the area compared to areas like Yonsei and Ewha Woman's University. Although SNU isn't located near all of the touristy locations, there are a ton of restaurants and a supermarket just down the road from my goshiwon. In addition, the train station closest to my goshiwon is on the green line 2, which is super convenient for getting around. From my goshiwon, I could ride the bus for 2 stops or walk for 10-15 minutes to the SNU station. (Note: My goshiwon is located halfway between SNU campus and SNU station. Living at the SNU dorms would require you to take a bus to the station.) For those planning on studying abroad at SNU/Korea in general, finding a place next to a train station is ideal.
T-money Card To go to different places around Seoul, I typically ride the train or bus, depending on where I am going and what my app recommends me to do. In Korea, there is a T-money card, which is similar to the Holo card in Hawaii. The same T-money card can be used for riding on the train and bus. You can purchase a T-money card at almost all convenience stores for 4,000 won. You are also able to load your T-money card at the convenience store, but everything must be paid in CASH. I don't exactly understand the pricing for train/bus rides, but a one-way trip is anywhere from 1,000-1,500 won. Transportation Apps I've heard different things about different transportation apps in Korea. Please keep in mind that I don't know how to read or write Korean, so some of these apps haven't been super easy for me to use. Here is my experience using different transportation apps. Overall, Google Maps has been the easiest for me to use when using public transportation, and Kakao Maps has been best for walking to places.
Riding the Train Riding the train is pretty straightforward. Just follow what your map tells you, and have your T-money card ready when entering and exiting the station. Make sure you are headed in the right direction! The train stations are very English friendly, so it is easy to know which stop to get off at. Your map will also tell you which number exit to exit from. This makes it even easier to get to where you want. Riding the Bus Riding the bus is slightly different than in Hawaii. You must tap your T-money card when entering and exiting the bus. This is so that it knows how far you traveled - when traveling longer distances, they will charge a little bit more. In addition, you must press the stop button when you want to get off. If you get motion sickness, I would not recommend riding the bus. Honestly, the traffic and drivers in Korea are terrible - people are constantly cutting each other off, making sudden stops, running red lights, etc. Walking I am putting a section about walking in here because you will do a lot of walking in Korea. Be careful when crossing in crosswalks, as the drivers will have no patience for you. Drivers do not stop behind the crosswalk, but rather stop past the crosswalk. In addition, walking on the sidewalks doesn't necessarily guarantee you safety from cars. Even when walking on the sidewalk, cars will drive on the sidewalks to park. In addition, the delivery drivers on their mopeds will come very close to you. Also, even though there are sometimes arrows on which direction to walk, they will not follow those arrows. Yes, I am making a blog post dedicated to bugs. At the beginning of my quarantine, I was getting a crazy amount of bites all over my body, and I had over ten large bites (like the size of a penny) over my body at one point. After I got my first few bites, I kept my windows closed and the number of bites went down, and I believe the excess amount of bugs was due to the humidity. I also started sleeping with long sleeves and pants. Even a month later, there are still minor scars from where the bites were. I would show you pictures, but it is kind of disgusting. My bites were so bad that when I showed my parents, they told me to schedule a telehealth appointment with my doctor at home. However, I found out that I couldn't do a telehealth appointment because I wasn't physically in Hawaii (I think it is because my doctor is licensed to only practice in Hawaii). Luckily, my sisters friend in med school is pretty knowledgeable, and she told me the bites are just mosquito bites, not bed bug bites.
At first, I thought it was just me who was getting bit, but I later found out that other people (in other parts of Korea too) were getting a bunch of bug bites as well. For those of you studying abroad in Korea, I would bring some kind of itch cream, bug repellent, or long sleeves and pants to prevent yourself from getting bit. In addition, don't open your windows! Beginning on 9/1 (until 9/14), SNU had an online group registration for the Alien Registration Cards. There is also an option to make an appointment on your own, but I figured that it would be easier to utilize the group registration. You MUST get an ARC card within your first 90 days of being in Korea, or else you will be fined. On a side note, because of COVID, when you dine in or enter certain stores, you must either scan a QR code on your phone (which you can get once you get your ARC card), or hand write your phone number, district you live in, time entered, and check a box if you meet the temperature screening. I can't wait until I get my ARC card, as it will make dining in so much easier.
Here are the documents needed for the ARC registration: 1. Copy of passport 2. Confirmation of Visa Issuance If you don't have the Visa you received at the consulate, do not worry! You can still obtain a copy of it from the Korea Visa Portal. Go to "Check Application Status > Check Application Status & Print > Search > Type of applications: Diplomatic Office > Select: Passport No. > Type passport no. > Name in English: type in full name as seen on passport (last name then first and middle) > Date of Birth: type in date of birth (year/month/date) > Hit search." You will be able to retrieve a copy of your Visa. 3. ID Photo When I first submitted my application, I got an email back saying that my scanned passport photo quality was not good enough. I took a picture using the BACK camera (selfie camera quality is not good enough too) of my phone with flash following the same criteria for a passport photo. I had my friend photoshop a white background. 4. Certificate of Enrollment This can be obtained from your SNU portal. Go to "Academic Affairs > Get certificates > Get online > Select: The dropdown with your name and college > Hit next > Under the line with Certificate of Enrollment, select the number of copies you would like > Hit next > Hit Apply." This will send your request for the certificate of enrollment. Next, go to "Issuance List > Internet Issuance > Hit Search." You should see a line with Certificate of Enrollment. Under the Status Column, click issue, and download the application it prompts you to get. Once the application is downloaded, refresh your webpage, and click on the issue button under the status column. It would only allow me to print the document, so I screenshotted it instead. 5. Proof of Residence Because I am staying in a goshiwon, I messaged my host to provide me with the necessary documents. There are mainly foreign students living here, so she is probably very familiar with the documents for the ARC registration. She provided me with a receipt from monthly payment, her Business Registration Certificate, and the Confirmation of Residence/Accommodation. 6. Payment The last thing required for the ARC card is payment. They accept regular credit/debit cards through PayPal, and it was around $37. The website said that it will take up to 8 weeks to receive my ARC. My recommendation to you: do the individual registration that SNU mentions if there is still a 2 week quarantine. The school made us come in by 8/9, but did start the group registration until 9/1. I think they kept the timeline the same as pre-COVID semesters and didn't take into account that the 2 weeks in quarantine still count towards the 90 days. Update (10/18): On 9/28, I received an email from HireVisa notifying me that my documents have been submitted to the immigration office on 9/24. The email also stated that it will take 4-8 weeks from then. On 9/29, I received an email from HireVisa regarding the phone plan. In Korea, when you originally buy your SIM card, you must provide the company with your passport number. The max amount of time you can use the SIM card is for 90 days. You can only use that SIM card for more than 90 days by uploading your ARC to the company website. On 10/7, I received another email from HireVisa stating that we need to come to campus on either 10/13 or 10/14 to get our fingerprints scanned. I went for my scheduled fingerprint appointment on 10/13 at 10:45. It says to get there 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time, but since I had something scheduled after it, I played it safe and got there 30 minutes before my scheduled appointment time. Good thing I did because I was waiting in line for a little over 30 minutes. When I went for my appointment, they said I didn't need to come because they already have my fingerprints scanned. This was really weird because no one else already had their fingerprints scanned. I'm not sure how they would have gotten my fingerprints because I only remember scanning my thumbs at the airport, whereas for the ARC, you need all 10 fingers scanned. |
AuthorStudying abroad at Seoul National University! Archives
January 2022
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