DASL Wiki

When coming to a completely different country, with not only the culture and language to understand, but also a significant task to complete, you might feel a bit overwhelmed about it. So here is what I felt (some exaggerated) and the eventual outcome.

Q1.) HAVE I PACKED ENOUGH??!!

A1.) Here's the thing; people pack too much. Stop wondering if you packed enough, and ask instead if you can pack less. Your mind will likely still make you pack too much. I had to bring half of a humanoid robot as part of my luggage, and so did Keitaro, but even then, most of the weight I had in my own checked baggage came from gifts. So, go super light on the clothing. Pack as if you were planning to stay a week; it worked perfectly for us, and it's easy to organize. Wash everything each weekend (or if you're a traveler, Thursday night). I also bought a couple more articles of clothing, so that my wardrobe was less boring.

It helps push off that concern if you keep a number of everyday-carry items that will give you piece of mind. For example, in Korea mine are:

• a small whistle (it has a magnifying glass, compass, and thermometer built in)
• a bottle-opener keychain
• wallet
• tiny flashlight
• passport
• external battery pack with cable

These items are all kept in a small side bag which has room for more items as well; basically a purse. The bag comes with me everywhere, and I know if anything unexpected should happen (rare), I'll be able to either get home, get out, or solve the problem.

Q2.) How am I going to handle money?

A2.) Check the foreign transaction fees for your debit and credit cards ahead of time. If you can, sign up for a card that waives these fees. If you don't, don't worry, they normally will not go over 5% plus 5 dollars for an ATM withdrawal (Woori Bank has global ATMs on campus), which is reasonable if you get in a pinch.

I recommend checking the conversion rate online and then see how you can ask for foreign currency from your bank.

I ordered Korean won from my bank, with no fee, before leaving. I simply went to the nearest banking center once delivered there, asked about it, they counted it out for me, and I took it home. To be honest though, getting settled in will probably cost you a significant amount, so if you're going to go the all-cash route, pull out around 2000 dollars in Korean currency (this is still well below the amount of money you must claim at customs) and it should last a while.

Your KAIST ID can hold credit on it, that can be used to easily speed up payment at the cafeterias and other campus stores (I don't know for sure, but possibly a select few places outside of KAIST also accept the ID). You must be registered with Woori Bank for this feature. If you can qualify for the Alien Registration ID in Korea, that's something I'd highly recommend getting. It allows you to make a bank account and use various other services in Korea as well, including the National Health Insurance.

Q3.) Where am I going to stay?

Our room.

The dorm complex.

A3.) If you're doing the same thing we are, you'll be in a KAIST dormitory. We were placed in the Hwaam dormitories, but others were not. It depends, but our dormitory is a couple miles north of the main campus. There is a shuttle that runs from the main campus, to Munji campus, to our dormitory (Look at Q7).

Q4.) Do I need to learn Korean?

A4.) Here's the short answer: no. You'll somehow survive without it. I get the feeling you're not part of the program because you enjoy just surviving though. Work hard at learning Korean, and I highly doubt you'll regret it.

Pro tip: Go to outside events. You are forced to speak more Korean with someone who is bad at your native tongue. Admission to KAIST requires high English test scores, and many of your labmates here will have traveled to English-speaking countries; they are also VERY accommodating.

Q5.) What and where will I eat?

Selection is better at N11 cafeteria. Hwaam is much quieter, less crowded, and you can eat more for less there. This is what N11 (main campus north cafeteria) looks like from the front.

A5.) The Hwaam dormitory has its own cafeteria open at about the same times as the main campus cafeteria. You may prefer one or the other if you're there. Hwaam is basically all-you-can-eat with limited selection, while main campus has more selection, but at the cost of quantity. Hwaam is most convenient for breakfast if you dorm there. There also exist convenience stores that stay open very late on campus with food in case you miss a meal.

As for what you'll eat… Well I've had cuttlefish balls, chicken balls, bean sprout soup, fried chicken, whole fried fish, omelettes on rice, and so much more. That was just at the main campus cafeteria though.

Beyond that, there are tons of restaurants and cafes to visit. Personally, my favorite thing to do is to try American food and other foreign types of food in Korea. The feeling is sometimes a little like eating real Mexican food, and then getting a Roberto's burrito; sometimes it's as crazy as doing the same thing but with Taco Bell.

Q6.) What about communicating with people back home?

A6.) At the airport, there are phones, portable wifi hotspots, and sim cards available for rent. You can even get discounts for reserving the KT mobile hotspots ahead of time.

You'll need to communicate with people here. Kakao is the best bet for that. You can figure out wifi and data plans just fine with a quick Google search, but here's what I did.

I have a smartphone with a phone number in America. Before leaving, I signed up, with that phone number, for KakaoTalk, Whatsapp, and other services that require a number for registration. On top of that I made sure to download Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts. Everyone that needs to or wants to contact me, can message me, and if they'd like to call, they simply ask for when I'm available. Now so long as I have internet access on that phone, I am still able to communicate with anyone in the world that is on Google, Facebook, or has my phone number saved on their phone. If you can figure out how to register an account with Naver while overseas, that will also help.

Also, bring an external battery pack. The Xiaomi 10,000 mAh is probably the best bang for your buck, and they're really popular here. I was given one as a gift, but they're also really cheap. If you want one now, check out banggood.com; that's where I heard about a lot of gadgets that existed here before they got popular in the U.S., including unlocked cell phones.

Q7.) How am I going to get around?

The schedule for the shuttles KAIST offers can be found at this link. There is even a cheap bus available that can take you to Seoul (not as simple getting back though). All of the KAIST shuttles look the same, except for the smaller one that takes you to E-Mart. So know what time you need to be at the correct stop, and double check the sign on the front of the bus that indicates which one it is.

Besides that, there is also public transportation, so buy a T-Money card, which can get you almost anywhere you want if you can read Korean. Note that you don't even need to understand what you're reading. If you're visiting smaller towns, public transportation is more difficult, but in places like Seoul, it's ubiquitous.

Other things:

There is no convenience store at the Hwaam dormitory hall. Only a cafeteria, and a small gym in the basement.

LAUNDRY!!

I'm sure the other dorms are different, but in Hwaam, we have washing machines available for free, and the option to hang dry, or pay 1000 won for 50 minutes of time in the dryer.