Living in Jeju Foreign Language High School

제주외국어고등학교 기숙사
州外國語高等學校 寄宿舍

School Website (best viewed with Internet Explorer)

Location

Jeju Foreign Language High School (Wae-go; 외고 for short) is located in Go-seong village (고성리; 古城里), in the Aeweol-eup area (애월읍; 涯月邑), about 25 minutes outside of Jeju City (제주시; 濟州市), and 12 minutes outside of Sin-Jeju (신제주; 新濟州). The local area name is Yang-jam-dan-ji (양잠단지; 養蠶團地), which is also the name of the bus stop, and means something like silkworm housing development.

The area is definitely rural, but there are houses, farms, and a couple of small restaurants within walking distance. The area is generally very quiet, aside from the high school kids passing by in the late evenings, the school bell and the rooster. The biggest noise problems will likely come from within the building.

Since the high school is located outside the city and at a higher altitude, temperatures are about 2-3 degrees C colder than in the city. Expect a little more snow in the wintertime along with the wind. Once or twice during the winter the road from the highway up to the high school may freeze.

Apartments

There are eighteen apartments located inside the four-story dormitory, solely for foreign teachers. The building is definitely a dormitory and the rooms feel more like dorms than apartments, but they're spacious by Korean standards. Including the bathroom and the entryway, the apartments measure about 450 square feet or about 40 square meters. They all have a small kitchen, a balcony, and floor heating. They are all well furnished with a refrigerator, microwave, vacuum cleaner, water boiler, gas range, table, chairs, clothing cabinet, dresser, desk, bed, air conditioning, washing machine, computer, LCD monitor, printer, portable stereo, and a television. There is also a telephone for making internal calls to other rooms in the building as well as local calls. Underground parking is available underneath the west wing.

More photos

Problems and hazards

There are a number of problems with the apartments. For basic repairs, you can contact the staff at the High School, but you or someone else will need to speak Korean.

The biggest problem is mold. Keep boxes and other objects from touching the wallpaper, otherwise mold will start to grow. Running a dehumidifier will keep this problem at a minimum. Once it starts growing it's impossible to clean mold off the wallpaper. Depending on which room you occupy, water may leak into the apartment either from the sliding glass door or the walls near the entryway. Water also leaks through the balconies when it rains or when others do laundry on the floors above. During big storms, rain also leaks into the stairwell so watch your step.

Another major problem is insulation. In winter, rooms 201, 202, 203, are the coldest (3-5°C colder than the others) since they have poor insulation underneath due to the parking garage. The rooms on the outside, 206, 301, 306, 401, and 406 will also be somewhat colder since they aren’t insulated by the other rooms as much. The warmest rooms will be on the third and fourth floors, and especially those with rooms on both sides: 205, 302, 305, 402, and 405.

To keep your room warm, first attach a flap at the bottom of the entry door to block cold air from coming in. Then put insulation foam on both sides of the front door and above. Also, keep the curtains and the bathroom door closed. You can further improve insulation by putting a curtain between the entryway and the main living area. Diverting some of your heating bill to buying floor rugs might also work as well.

Some residents have also reported problems with the plumbing and drainage systems, as well as the hot water heater. The computers also seem to have the same problem of either restarting randomly or not starting at all. Don’t store anything you can’t afford to lose on the hard drives without first backing up files.

Trash

Food waste must be separated from other trash. Both must be stored in separate trash bags that must be bought from the local convenience store. Put food waste in the yellow bag and all other trash in the white bags. Bags cost anywhere from a nickel to over a quarter, depending on the size. Just ask for a white sseu-re-gi bong-tu (쓰레기 봉투) for trash and a yellow eum-sheek bong-tu (음식 봉투) for food waste.

Put all trash alongside the Eagle Hall building, nearest the dormitory. Recycle cans, plastic and class in the labeled bins right beside the Eagle Hall building.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are a nuisance during the warm months. They come around in early spring and stay as late as early December. Even if you seal every point of entry, they still somehow manage to enter.

As of September 2007, there will be no licensed mosquito hunters residing in the building. Should the mosquito hunter return, the going rate is 2,000 won per mosquito during mosquito hunting season, and 3,000 won during the off-season. Many have invested in Mosquito nets (mogi-jang; 모기장) or a deterrent you can plug in the wall available at any supermarket (Home mate; 홈 매트). Novice mosquito hunters can purchase an electric racket at the 5-day market for 5,000 won. Contact a mosquito hunter for all serious mosquito problems.

Utilities and appliances

Gas

Most important, at the end of each month, and when you first arrive, you must record the readout on the gas meter. The meter can be found inside the heating compartment which is located outside on the balcony. On the card outside the front door, write the four leftmost numbers from the meter in the column labeled 검칠수 and the day of the month in column 일.

The wall console operates both the floor and hot water heating. In order to run, the top wall switch below the console must be on. The power switch on the console itself is the red button on the upper right hand corner and also must be turned on.

To run the floor heating, first turn on the console as mentioned above. The light to the left of the red button should be lit (green). If the light next to green button below is also lit (as in the picture), then the floor heating is turned off. Push the green button and the green light next to it will turn off. Set the center dial below to the desired room temperature °C. Whether it be for hot water or to heat the floor, you’ll know the heater is running when the green light on the upper left hand corner is on. It usually takes a half hour or longer before the floor heats up. The heating costs about 1,500 won per hour while the system is running. If you're still not sure whether or not the system is running, you can always check to see if the meter is moving.

For hot water without running the floor-heating make sure the green light next to the green button on the right is on like in the picture above. The hot water heater will automatically turn on and off when you turn on the hot water in the kitchen or the bathroom. It can take five minutes or longer before having running hot water.

Telephone

You can dial to any other room in the building by just dialing the room number. To dial out and make a local call, you’ll need to dial 9 first, and then the phone number. You can only make local calls within the 064 area code. For international calls, many use Skype. You will have to invest a few bucks on a headset or a microphone. It's an excellent way to stay in touch with other expats in Korea and family back home.

It is only possible to receive outside calls to the apartment during the week when the admin staff are on duty (usually on weekdays until the evening). Anyone who can speak Korean may contact you during that time by first calling admin (064) 799-2381 and then asking to be transferred to your room.

Washing Machine

To operate the washing machine, first press the power button. Rotate the dial to the 표주 position if it's not set to that position already. Locate the row of four buttons and don't touch the leftmost one. Select the desired water temperature with the second button (냉수 is cold water). The third button selects the number of rinses 헹굼 and the fourth the spin speed, 강 high, 중 medium, and 약 low. Open the slot in the upper left hand corner of the machine and pour laundry powder or detergent. Start the wash by pressing the button on the dial. If you suddenly find something else you want to wash shortly after having started the wash, you can press the button on the dial again to pause the wash and unlock the door. Open the door and put in any other forgotten laundry items, then press the button on the dial once more to restart the wash.

Costs

Utilities are pretty reasonable if you use the floor heating sparingly. 3,000 won a month goes to water, regardless of how much you use. Electric bills range between 10,000 and 30,000 per month, depending on whether or not you use an electric heater or air conditioning. Gas bills can be 5,000 or over 100,000, depending on how warm you keep your room or whether or not you have one of the cold apartments mentioned above. Running the floor heating costs about 1,500 won per hour, while the system is operating. Running an electric space heater is over ten times cheaper, but will not heat up the room to the extent that the floor heating will. All prices mentioned were in 2007.

Internet

High speed DSL with KT is around 35,000 won a month if you sign a one-year contract. If Korea will be your home for awhile, you can sign a three-year contract and benefit from a slight price reduction. Before you can sign up for Internet, you must have your alien registration card. When you do, dial 108 to speak with an English speaking representative to get you set up and arrange for a technician to connect your computer to the Internet. Make appointments several days in advance, and technicians can only come out on weekdays during normal business hours. If you reformat or change operating systems, you will have to contact KT and the software that connects your computer to the internet has to be reinstalled by a technician.

Mail

For post, the mailing address is listed below. For International post, write addresses in English. The address is also listed in Korean for the purpose of opening a bank account, alien registration, etc.

[name] Room [room number]
Jeju Foreign Language High School
#94 Koseong-ri, Aewol-eup
Jeju-si. Jeju-do
South Korea
690-834

(우)690-834. 제주특별자치도 제주시 애월읍 고성리 94번지 제주외국어고등학교 기숙사 [Name] [Room number]호.

Individual mailboxes were recently installed at the entrance of the dormitory, so all letters can now be picked up there. All packages must be picked up on the first floor of the main building of the high school, furthest from the dormitory. After entering the building, turn left and find room 101 that says "General Affairs." Knock on the door before entering. The mail for the foreign residents is on a shelf just beside the door inside the office. You can pick up mail until around 6pm or so during the week and on every other Saturday until noon when there's school.

Transportation

Buses: Going east (as of August 2007)

The bus stop, Yang-jam-dan-ji (양잠단지), is located about 400 meters down the hill from the dormitory, about a 5-7 minute walk. Each hour, three to five rural buses pass by in both directions, starting at around 6:30am until around 10pm. All buses going into the city (eastward) follow the same route and end their journeys at the bus terminal in the city. The bus fare is 850 won. Buses are known to skip the Yang-jam-dan-ji bus stop, especially in the evening and during bad weather, so don’t be surprised if you’ve waited half an hour.

The rural buses follow this route:

Start 28min 양짐단지 Yang-jam-dan-ji
1min 27min 신천지 미술관 Shincheonji Art Museum
3min 25min 제주관광대학 Jeju Tourism College
5min 23min 무수천 Moosucheon
8min 20min 한라대학 Halla College
12min 16min 노형로더리 Nohyeong Rotary (Sin Jeju, E-mart nearby)
13min 15min 한라병원 Halla Hospital
20min Start 제주시의 버스 터미너 Jeju city bus terminal

The buses going into the city stop at Yang-jam-dan-ji at the following times:

Coming back by bus is a little trickier, though from the bus terminal it’s easy. Find the ticket counter, and tell the cashier the name of the bus stop: Yang-jam-dan-ji. The fare is 850 won. Buses leave every 20 minutes, at :05, :25 and :45 until 9:25pm from gate 8.

To leave from Sin Jeju, you must first find the rural buses that will stop at Yang-jam-dan-ji. All buses going to Moseulpo (모슬포) stop at Yang-jam-dan-ji. The rural buses don’t have numbers, but you can find the bus by looking for 모슬포 written vertically on the right hand side of the board posted on the front window of the bus. The Moseulpo buses stop at :00, :20, and :40 after the hour until the last one at 9:40pm at Nohyeong Rotary, across from E-mart. Also, many buses that pass through Sin-Jeju go to Seogwipo, but only one of them per hour stops at Yang-jam-dan-gee. That bus stops at Nohyeong Rotary at :13 every hour. Bus fares are the same as mentioned above.

Buses: Going west (as of August 2007)

For longer trips on the rural buses, be sure and tell the driver where you will be getting off. The buses going west will either end their journeys in Seogwipo (서귀포; 西歸浦) or Moseulpo (모슬포; 毛瑟浦). Only one pus per hour goes to Seogwipo, while three to four per hour go to Moseulpo. The fare to Seogwipo is 3000 won. Buses that go to Seogwipo from Yang-jam-dan-ji stop at 24 past the hour starting at 7:24am until the last one at 9:24pm. The journey to Seogwipo takes about 45 minutes.

To return from Seogwipo, you can only take the buses leaving on the hour. The other buses follow the same route, but don't stop at Yang-jam-dan-ji.

Taxi

Taxis all run on tax-free LPG fuel, so fares are pretty reasonable and start at 1,800 won. From city hall (시청; 時廳) to the dormitory, it usually costs between 8,000 and 12,000 won, depending on traffic. From Sin-Jeju expect to pay from 5,000 to 8,000 won. Taxi fares run slightly higher after midnight.

To get home, be sure and tell the taxi driver the name of the school first. If he/she doesn’t know, then try Yang-jam-dan-ji. If all else fails, say the name of the local village, Go-seong-ee-ri 고성이리.

If you’re comfortable with your Korean, you can call a taxi 064-711-6666, or just 711-6666 from the apartment phone. There is no extra charge.

When waiting at the bus stop, taxis will sometimes offer to take you into the city for a discounted fixed price of 2,000 or 3,000 won. Make sure you clearly negotiate this before getting in the car. Taxi drivers have been known to try and charge more money.

Car

To get to Jeju Foreign Language High School by car, take West Tourist Highway 95 out of Sin-Jeju. Get off at the offramp with the sign that says "Hangpaduri Fortress." The offramp before it says "Sincheongji Art Museum." After the offramp turn left and go through the underpass. Continue up the hill 400 meters over three speed bumps, then make the first right. You'll see a white picket fence. After turning right, the dormitory marked Kheiron Hall is the first building on the right.

Airport (공항)

If you're not pressured for time, the best way to get to the airport from the dormitory is to take a bus to Sin-Jeju (either to No-Hyeong Rotary or Halla Hospital). From there hail a taxi and it shouldn't come out to more than 3,500 won. If you don't want to take a taxi, then go to the terminal. Cross the street so you're opposite the terminal and catch any of airport buses (공항 버스). The bus fare is 800 won.

To come back from the airport, take any of the city buses that to go the Jeju-si bus terminal. From the terminal take the rural bus as mentioned above. For direct travel between the airport and your doorstep, expect to pay between 7,000 and 10,000 won for a cab.

In the Vicinity

Restaurants

There is a small restaurant further up the hill about 200 meters on the right that serves mostly beef dishes.

You'll have more menu options if you walk down the hill and make a right on the onramp. The restaurant is the second building on the right, look for the orange sign.

Local convenience store

승원 슈퍼 is a stone’s throw away from the dormitory. They have a limited selection, but in a pinch you can grab some basic food items (except fruit and produce), beverages, alcohol and cigarettes, a few toiletries and the special trash bags. The store is open seven days a week, from around 7:30am until midnight.

Shopping

For all major shopping or even to just buy an apple, you'll need to go into town. E-mart is the most convenient, and has a little bit of everything, in addition to all the necessary food items. Although fruit and produce are not cheap and not as fresh and abundant as what you'll find at the markets. For going by bus, see the schedule above. For better prices on fruits and produce, try the Dong-moon market (동문시장) in Jeju-si.

Much closer to the dormitory, the five day market (오일시장) is excellent for fruit, produce, nuts, tea, fresh meat and seafood, and also cheap kitchenware and clothing. If you know your Korean numbers well, you'll enjoy bargaining with the locals. The market is on every 2nd, 7th, 12th (and so on) day of the month. The easiest way to go is to grab a cab from Sin Jeju. If you're going by car, from Nohyeong Rotary (노형 로더리) in Sin-Jeju, drive towards the ocean until you reach a major intersection (8 blocks ahead). Turn right and that main road will dead end at a Y into another main road. Turn a slight right and look for the sign that says 오일시장. After that take the first or second left to enter. Traffic can be quite bad going in and out, so parking a few blocks away and walking is a good idea.