Hey! I'm going to be stationed at Osan Air Base in South Korea for a year. I'm pretty excited, as I have never been on that side of the world before. It's going to be exciting exploring and interacting with asian culture. I want to know if anyone has any tips of living in South Korea? I'm thinking about picking up a Rosetta stone to get a foundation on the Korean language. Would American phones work with South Korean services? Any cool places I should definately visit? Foods? Thanks a lot!
Korea - 2 Answers
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1 :
ive lived in korea as both a civilian (english teacher) and a serviceman (albeit my tours in korea were just a few wks/months at a time as a reservist). its good on u to attempt to pick up the language. if the rosetta stone thing doesn't work for u, there should be korean classes on post as well as meeting locals for language exchanges. american phones wont work w/ korean services. however,if u are into those iphones or other hi-tech gadgets, u can get those there and get connected. calling home, they've got international plans (dirt cheap), prepaid cards or u can use skype. oab is located in songtan. and right outside the front gate, there is a pretty big shopping district which the workers there pretty much all speak some sort of english. plus u can pay either USD or korean won. they've got a pretty good variety of foods for a small place. walk outside the shopping district past the rail rod tracks and above the overpass and about 5 min drive later, ur at the songtan bus terminal which can take u to seoul and other places. http://osanguide.com/ this site might be of some help as well.
2 :
Good questions! Unless your American phone is unlocked and has the same Sim card as the Korean ones, which I doubt, it won't. It's good to see that you are going to try to learn a little of the language before you get over there. Many American soldiers that come to Korea seem to not care about the language, culture or societal rules. I used Rosetta Stone, but you may also be able to get "Pimsleur Korean" the basic set from your local library just to get a foundation. Either way, both are good. In regards to your cool places or food, what might be cool for me isn't necessarily going to be cool for you so I think you should go to this site (see below). It'll give you language help, food and drinking, cultural rules and travel destination help. I also recommend you pick up a lonely planet travel book. They are the bible in foreign countries. Good luck!
