Teachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!

Once you have settled into your apartment and are sick of ordering food from Yogiyo and eating processed food from the convenience store, it is time to figure out how to grocery shop in Korea.

First time grocery shopping in Korea can be quite overwhelming. Questions like where to go, how to pay, where are certain products, and how to carry all these bags, are all things that can stress you out before you even begin shopping.  

Also, bear in mind, that you will not have a car nor the tools to communicate (especially when you first move to Korea), so every time you go grocery shopping the experience is a part of the adventure of traveling and living abroad. As a person who has lived in Korea for a few years now, I hope this blog will help making your grocery shopping experience a little easier when you begin teaching in Korea.

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Tags: shopping in Korea, food in Korea, what to buy in Korea, groceries, lottemart, grocery shopping, shopping guide

For many teachers who are moving to Korea, this may be the first time that you are living outside of your parents’ home. It certainly was that for me and I remember being overwhelmed with not knowing what to do. Luckily, the other teachers in my school were there to help me out to buy basic necessities like food and utensils. This is the first of two blogs that will provide you with information on where you should shop to buy furnishings and food so you can live comfortably while you are teaching in Korea.

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Tags: living in Korea, shopping in Korea, groceries, living in South Korea, furniture

As I was preparing to move to Korea, I kept reading online that it was actually cheaper to eat at restaurants than it was to eat at home. This can definitely be true, but I still wanted to cook at home. It took me a while to fully suss out all of my grocery options without getting discouraged -- veggies and (especially) fruits can be significantly pricier here, as are things like ground beef. But, if you know how and where to shop, it's easy to find good deals and not break the bank while trying to cook at home.

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Tags: shopping in Korea, food in Korea, markets, market day, Costco, traditional market, groceries, convenience store

As much as I adore Korean food, sometimes I just need a break from all the rice and kimchi. The availability of western brands and products in the regular supermarkets is definitely respectable, but there are just some things the likes of Lotte Mart, Home Plus, and E-Mart don't carry. Luckily, Costco does exist in Korea, and it's basically a mecca for Westerners who need to stock up on some favorites from home. 

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Tags: a year in Korea, eating in Korea, cooking in korea, shopping in Korea, food in Korea, Costco, what to buy in Korea, foreign products, groceries

Pohang is situated in the Southeast region of Korea; having both a northern region (Buk-gu) and southern region (Nam-gu).  As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, there is a Chungdahm location for teaching English in each region, although the Nam-gu office is the main branch for the English teaching aca.  Having worked at the Buk-gu office in Pohang my first three months in Korea, I learned of Market Day in I-dong from my co-workers at the Nam-gu office.  I had grown accustomed to doing my grocery shopping at the supermarket in the Buk-gu area but I was also very curious about this market day in I-dong.  Here’s what I learned.

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Tags: produce, shopping in Korea, food in Korea, market day, groceries