Anyone here living in Korea?

[caden]

My DH was just offered a job assignment there, for 2, maybe 3 years. We are considering it. We have twin boys who are around 3.5. I hope to be able to enroll them in an international preschool, but I don't know anything about that yet since we just found out about this today. My biggest concerns are about not being able to utilize this opportunity well b/c traveling with twins kind of sucks. I think it's just at the point where it could be doable though since they're not in cribs, don't need strollers, etc. The other big concern is that my kids get speech therapy here. I don't have a clue how that would work overseas. Otherwise can anyone tell me what living in Korea is like? The job is in a suburb of Seoul (easy commute from Seoul from what I understand). Do you like it there? Is it easy to get around? Are there many things to do, esp with and for the kids? How is the food? Anything else I"m not thinking of? TIA.

[audette]

Yep. I've been in Korea for about a year.

Although, my situation is a bit different - DH is military, so we have access to some American items on base.


Kids are almost revered here, little old Korean ladies will stop everything and coo at my friend's toddlers. Lots of places are kid-friendly, and there are quite a few things to do with kids. (I'm not a parent, but I know a lot of them... as far as I can tell, they are limited more by time and kid-hours than by potential activities.)

I enjoy it here. Korean food gets a bit boring after a while, but if you're in Seoul, you will have the opportunity to have all kinds of different foods. We are not in Seoul itself, but in an area connected to Seoul by commuter train, and it's convenient enough to get around on buses and trains.

You will likely be able to find an international preschool - quite possibly even one that is staffed/taught by native English speakers. I've met quite a few English teachers here. No clue about speech therapy, though.


I think there might be one or two other lurkers on this board that are in Korea. Maybe. Feel free to PM me if you think of more questions...

[caden]

Thank you audette! I will PM you in a sec

[kpol]

Feb 12, 2014 14:53:53 GMT -5 caden said:

My DH was just offered a job assignment there, for 2, maybe 3 years. We are considering it. We have twin boys who are around 3.5. I hope to be able to enroll them in an international preschool, but I don't know anything about that yet since we just found out about this today. My biggest concerns are about not being able to utilize this opportunity well b/c traveling with twins kind of sucks. I think it's just at the point where it could be doable though since they're not in cribs, don't need strollers, etc. The other big concern is that my kids get speech therapy here. I don't have a clue how that would work overseas. Otherwise can anyone tell me what living in Korea is like? The job is in a suburb of Seoul (easy commute from Seoul from what I understand). Do you like it there? Is it easy to get around? Are there many things to do, esp with and for the kids? How is the food? Anything else I"m not thinking of? TIA.

I lurk over here from time to time, but I'm in Korea as well. Same situation as audette in that my DH is military. We spent our first year in the heart of Seoul but moved south last summer. We don't have kids, but see many other expat families traveling with theirs. Thailand the the Philippines seems to be popular destinations for families around here.
Koreans are extremely helpful with all things related to children.


Transportation is so incredibly easy. The subway system is reliable and simple to use, taxis are cheap and buses are also an option. I don't particularly care for Korean food, but there is so much to offer in Seoul that we never get bored. I know of some seriously good Mexican and Italian places. Plus there are so many coffee shops that are to die for.



Shopping on the economy would be a concern of mine, but since we have post access I can get my American brands pretty easily. There are quite a few Costco's on the outskirts of Seoul that carry familiar things, but they are more expensive.



Although the contributors to this blog are mainly military and DOD employees, the info could still be helpful to you. I know they had a long post on international schools some time ago. www.koreaye.com



Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[caden]

Thank you kpol! I PMd you

[loira]

Hey, H and I lived in Korea for a year, in Bucheon. Unlike pps, we were there to teach ESL, so our experience was probably quite different than what you'd have. I have to say I wasn't in love with Korea, partly because I really disliked my teaching job and that put a damper on the experience, and partly because I was so used to being able to integrate so much more into a host culture (when I lived in France and Brazil I was basically 'one of them'). Koreans are very friendly, but I always felt like much more of a foreigner than I ever did anywhere else I've lived as an expat. This might have been a language barrier, or the fact that I stood out so much with my blonde hair and fair skin, and was likely also due to the fact that I was unhappy with my situation and therefore just didn't make the same effort as I had in other countries. Anyway, I never let my less than stellar experience stop me from recommending Korea, because I did meet a lot of expats who were happy there, and my H really liked it.

I'm sure you will have no problems with the kids. Koreans love children and will go out of their way to help parents with kids. There is also a very strong business expat community in addition to the ESL expat community, and of course the American military has a couple of bases there as well.

The food is amazing. And if you ever tire of Korean food, there are loads of other good restaurants. Seoul is a large city and has lots to offer. The cost of living is very low, which is a plus. It is really easy to get around. Bucheon was actually another city (though sort of a 'suburb city', and we went into Seoul every weekend. It didn't take more than 30 minutes usually.