Do It Yourself

Café Sotong Do you want a delicious cup of coffee? Do you want to study Korean? Or French? Or Japanese? Why not do both at the same time? Located in Yongho-dong close to Garosoo-gil is Café Sotong or conversation café. As you descend the stairs and push open the door, …

Happy spring! It is no longer too cold outside to commute by bike, so now is a great time to take advantage of Changwon’s public bike rental system, Nubija! You can buy a yearly pass for 20,000 won or a one-day (24-hour) pass for 1,000 won. In order to check …

Photos and text by Coby Zeifman For most foreigners living in Changwon, less is more. That is to say, having fewer possessions is better. This is because when it eventually comes time to move back to our home countries, it means we have less stuff to move, throw away, or …

Excited about the upcoming Winter Olympics? Korean star Kim Yuna will probably dominate the figure skating competition, and if you fall in love with her like the rest of the country has, perhaps you will be inspired to try your hand (or foot) at ice skating. Changwon doesn’t get much …

The Post Office in Korea is very helpful and useful if you have some basic Korean. If you are not confident in your Korean, the best advice is to tell your coworker what you need to do and ask them to write a note for you. The employees at the …

Language Exchange is popular in big cities. The Language Exchange is good for both learners. By attending the Language Exchange, learners can feel comfortable in many situations. Koreans who learn English don’t feel shy any more. Expats who learn Korean meet good friends who tell them good expressions. Unlike big cities, a …

I dropped a phone. The screen broke. The back screen broke. A beautiful pane of shattered touch-screen glass all over a classroom. A thousand shards in a fingertip. Apple products aren’t that hard to repair yourself. The guides at www.ifixit.com are comprehensive and unsoiled. Here’s the typical end-user experience of …

The lack of readily available tools and hardware stores is the single most emasculating thing about living in South Korea. Whether you want to cover yourself in 10W40 motor oil and eat a burger or just stab yourself repeatedly in the foot with a screwdriver, the poor selection of tools …

The new immigration office sits in bureaucratic hiding towards the Free Trade Area of Masan. The short move: 300 yards down the street, seems to have invigorated the staff and instilled some efficiency. To get there, taking a bus is only around 5 minutes longer than a taxi, although a …

Every month I receive my big fat salary deposited into my surprisingly svelte bank account but I oft feel as though the money is in and out within a few days like a new lover that promises the world and then jumps the next cross-country train once I ‘give it …

Eventually you will need to transfer money in Changwon. Maybe you will want to run in a foot race. Or you will want to rent a pension. Or you will want to buy something. Anyway, when this happens, do not panic. It is quite a simple thing to do. And …

In the process of life in an Asian country it will almost certainly fall upon the hungry, the needy and such to venture out of the space they normally occupy in order to find something. Upon leaving the comfort zone it can quickly become apparent that the city we live …

Please note: All information in this article is current as of early 2013.  If viewing this well in the future, logistics and numbers may vary. If you’ve been here awhile (or at least long enough to be changing jobs), you’ll have learned that if you have a tourist, student, or …

Contributed by Conrad Hughes: The Man With The Plam Sewing Factory in Dogye Dong offers a selection of thread, material, equipment and general textile auxiliaries for the discerning, stylish Dogyite looking to mend that pair of trousers they broke fighting that alligator one time. Located about 100m past Seobu Sports Centre …

2nd hand stores are hard to come by in Korea. The chain, Beautiful Store, is an exception. Here is a map of the Beautiful Stores in the area, as well as the Goodwill near Yongji Lake. Click on the pins to get addresses and bus information. View 2nd Hand Shops …