Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
child in a primarily Korean-speaking environment. Many expatriates with young children
comment on the importance of choosing an apartment that has a playground, or at least has
one nearby. Since most South Korean homes lack yards, these are often the only places kids
have to tear around in, and they also make it easy to meet friends.
At this age, kids will require more assurances about the relocation. If you know what school
your child will be attending, ask if they'd be able to recommend a couple of students for
your child to correspond with even prior to the move. Try to keep your children busy and
help them meet new friends by signing them up for the activities or sports they enjoyed at
home, assuming they're available, or for more local pursuits such as
taekwondo
or Korean
language classes. Favorite DVDs, books, and exchanging emails or letters with friends and
relatives can provide a much-needed connection to home.
This can be a tough age to move since relationships with peers and places are often very
entrenched, but your preteens and teens can be assured there are plenty of others in this age
group in the same boat, and they're likely to make friends quickly. Many also enjoy having
new places to explore, and large cities such as Seoul and Busan offer plenty of shopping,
game rooms, cafés, and other distractions for the teenager. South Korea's relatively safe
streets mean teens can be trusted with more independence than they might be back home,
and parents have little cause to worry about drugs, gangs, or guns. Alcohol and tobacco,
however, could well be another story; the fact that South Koreans have a hard time working
out how old non-Korean kids are and Korean society's generally permissive attitude toward
alcohol and tobacco mean teenagers can often access them easily.
It may sound callous, but it's worth thinking carefully before deciding to bring a pet to
South Korea. The procedures can be troublesome and stressful for pet and owner alike, and
when your pet arrives, it is likely to find less space to run around in than it had back home.
Many apartment complexes and landlords simply won't accept pets at all. The whole idea
of animals as companions rather than pests or sources of food is relatively new in South
Korea, and therefore facilities for pets and veterinary standards are relatively undeveloped.
