I am interested in working for the Army in South Korea (either Yongsan or Daegu) as a civilian. I was in Korea as a member of the Air Force a decade ago, but I did not live off-base. If you did live off-base, what were the biggest surprises (good or bad) that you experienced? Was it very expensive for you? Were you generally accepted by the Korean community? Thanks for your input.
Military - 2 Answers
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1 :
I lived in Song Tan in 1980. It was a one room houch in a compund. I found it very afordable. The plumbing was a spigot outside. The conpound I lived in shared a comon bathroom. But it only cost me $50 @ month.
2 :
I live off base in Songtan right now. The Koreans are generally very nice. My utilites were very high this summer. My highest bill was an electric bill over 570,000 won (Korean money), but that was because we had the ac (which is Korean and only cools the 7 foot radius around it, although other people's places I have been to had the same ones and theirs were much better) on all the time. I'm pregnant so and the heat was making me really sick. Generally though the bills aren't bad. OUr buliding is switching to city gas soon so our gas bill will be lower this winter than it was last winter. Something that really surprised me was that Koreans just throw trash where ever, and to take out your trash is to take it to a nearby corner and it just sits there and piles up. It smells aweful and it stains the sidewalks. Another thing I don't like (but I'm not a big city living kind of person) is that my apartment building is 7 feet away from the next buliding. That wouldn't bother me except my bed room is right next to these people's kitchen and they cook at all hours! I don't know if thats typical, although I have noticed the locals stay up fairly late. Really though I like it here and I am glad I came. It's been interesting learning about another culture and seeing how things differ from the states. Hope I was helpful :) *edit: I probably should have said that my rent is 950,000 won. I have a three bed 1 1/2 bath place. Yongsan is, of course, more expensive since it's in Seoul, and I am not sure of Daegu
