Sebastian GALINDO (College of Business Administration), from Germany, is an outgoing exchange student here for one semester who likes to try new things and make new friends.
He is living off-campus in a house in Nok-du which he is enjoying immensely because it gives him the chance to live with many other international students from different countries all in the same building. It cost him 2,700,000 won for four months with deposit and all other maintenance fees included. There is even a special person in exclusive charge of cleaning the whole building so he does not need to worry about his turn to clean the floor he lives on, which used to bother him in Germany. His room is not that big and has only a small window and thin walls, but he says it is nice enough for one person. It is fully-equipped and includes a washing machine and air conditioner so he is very satisfied with his room and finds it cozy.
Off-campus housing is actually what students get assigned to when there are not enough rooms available in the dormitory. Sebastian expressed special thanks to Sean Shin, who is in charge of off-campus housing for international students in the College of Business Administration, for his great help and care.
Jie LIU (left, Department of Korean Education) and Yanran LI (right, Department of Korean Education), from China, are one-year exchange student who like to watch Korean dramas and go shopping just like Korean students their age. They are very satisfied living in Nakseongdae, which is the closest area to their department, however it did take them a while to finally make up their minds to settle there. They were first assigned to a house off-campus but they decided to find a room on their own because of the overpriced rent for the house. They looked around each of the three nearest areas for one month with help of other friends who speak better Korean while staying at their place. They did experience quite a number of troubles, such as communicating with their real estate agent, but they feel lucky to have found the place where they live now with a kind building owner.
With a one-year contract, they pay 510,000 won for monthly rent (in addition to the 3,000,000 won deposit they paid) and no other maintenance fees. Nakseongdae area is a bit more expensive than other areas like Shillim-dong, however they prefer Naksengdae because it is a better neighborhood, being much cleaner and quieter.
The building was already equipped with an Internet line so they are enjoying watching Korean dramas very easily without any extra worries about installation. Also, it is great having a traditional market nearby from which to get fresh ingredients at a cheaper price compared to supermarkets. Jie sometimes enjoys cooking Chinese food and there is no difference in the taste using Korean ingredients.
Enrico REGIDOR, from Costa Rica, is one of the most open-minded diplomats in the Korean language course program for diplomats at SNU Language Education Institute. He likes to apply the Korean lifestyle to his own as much as possible. For example, he studies using a traditional Korean table with short legs as a desk. Also, he tries to watch and listen to Korean TV programs as much as he can to improve his Korean and he has visited some temples to learn more about Buddhism as well.
Because his program took care of everything from finding his housing to paying all the related expenses, he did not really need to worry about anything concerning housing. He moved into a studio in Bongcheon-dong right next to Seoul Nat'l Univ. subway station, with his other diplomat friends after having lived first in Shillim-dong (Nok-du). He says that Nok-du was also great in terms of being able to observe ordinary Korean people’s daily lives but Bongcheon-dong gives him better security.
Enrico says he can get everything he needs easily nearby his new home and there are more choices for everything, therefore he feels more comfortable living in Bongcheon-dong. Moreover, it is easier to get to school from this area and find someone who can speak English when needed. However, sometimes it is uncomfortable to open the window because of too much noise outside both during the daytime and nighttime due to the larger streets and the crowds.
Sometimes Enrico finds it difficult to understand why the Korean lifestyle is so fast-paced and emphasizes being on time, but, so far, he is even enjoying these differences as well and having fun adjusting to living in Korea.
June 22, 2010
Written by Min-gi Chung