Important things to pack in shipping
If you are like me, you wouldnot pack the entire of your home for the move. I took this opportunity to declutter and dump a large portion of the "it might come in handy later", "oh, i could shrink in to fit that", "i would find its pair somewhere"...! I trimmed all of the 8 years of US, 7 years of India only to "i love that". I could fit all of this into the loft of my home. Take this opportunity to junk out and trim your belongings. It really helps.
Clothes: I packed all of my churidhars, salwars along with the jeans and pants. If people are going to stare at me, they might as well stare at me in something i am comfortable in. I also packed some of my favorite sarees. I packed only the clothes that fit my boys in. It is easier to give away/dump clothes in India, rather than in South Korea. His formal clothes were already up in the airplane, so the leisure clothes were the only ones i had to pack.
Bedding: We took all of the mattresses from our beds but did not bring in the frames. I think it will work better this way, when the floor heating would be on in winter. Of course, i packed all the other comforters and floor rugs and floor mats (for the bath rooms, kitchen). Also took the severity of winter in Korea as a reason to stock on the area rugs :)
Appliances: He didnt want to risk carrying the big appliances even though they were of the same voltage (220 V, but varies in Frequency) So, we decided to ditch in our old refrigerator and get a latest on in Korea. Same with the washing machine. We did pack our mixie and grinder. No use packing the stove as the gas standards are different to those in India. I did get the electric stove though, which has been very useful. Small appliances like coffee maker, cake mixer, should all work here. Thank God the dishwasher is in-built and came with the apartment, as did the gas stove. I am having a feeling that my microwave would have survived and worked well for me in Seoul. But i didnot bring it. We did bring our Sony Bravia TV here along with the wii and both are doing very well. Printer, monitors are in their pinkest. Table fans might come in handy during the hot summers.
Furniture: As i had already seen the apartment we were going to move into, i had a clear idea of where to put what furniture in my mind. I did bring in the sofa, dining table with the chairs, study, work desks, chairs, phone table, TV stand. I also brought in all the decorative, wall hanging items from my home. I thought it reasonable to show-off a Indian-style home in Korea while bringing home Korean style stuff :) There is ample storage space in the apartment, shelves and spaces for everything. I didnot want to fill the space with more furniture.
Books: Good English books are so prevalent and cheap in India, that we had built quite a library back at home. We were careful to bring in only the most important and required books. Of course, i packed in most of the children's books. And of course, their books and notes from the previous class in the previous school.
Toys: We had a bit argument about this one. But at last, i let them pick whatever they wanted to bring. Sadly, these days, the games and fun arrive in little boxes and handheld games that were easy enough for us to carry :(
Utensils: I feel no different cooking in Seoul than cooking in Seoul. It is same, mundane process. All the same utensils can be used. I use the same eversilver plates everyday and corelle when we have company. Pressure cookers, tavas, dosa chattis and kadais for vadais and puris. All same, boring same...
Make up: It should be available but i have not yet seen any product which is suited for Indian skin tone. So, it is better to stock up on the compacts and make up that would be necessary until you are ready enough to go around looking for it in Korea.
Miscellaneous: Everything is expensive in Korea when compared to India. Almost 2times. I did pack on the essentials that we like to have like tooth paste, hand soap, facial soaps, stationery, etc.
Food items: There are Indian grocery stores in Itaewon and other parts of Korea that do supply the regularly required items. Check out indianshopkorea.com, expatmart.co.kr for the rates. It is better to bring in how much ever possible. My few choices to bring in would be:
If you are like me, you wouldnot pack the entire of your home for the move. I took this opportunity to declutter and dump a large portion of the "it might come in handy later", "oh, i could shrink in to fit that", "i would find its pair somewhere"...! I trimmed all of the 8 years of US, 7 years of India only to "i love that". I could fit all of this into the loft of my home. Take this opportunity to junk out and trim your belongings. It really helps.
Clothes: I packed all of my churidhars, salwars along with the jeans and pants. If people are going to stare at me, they might as well stare at me in something i am comfortable in. I also packed some of my favorite sarees. I packed only the clothes that fit my boys in. It is easier to give away/dump clothes in India, rather than in South Korea. His formal clothes were already up in the airplane, so the leisure clothes were the only ones i had to pack.
Bedding: We took all of the mattresses from our beds but did not bring in the frames. I think it will work better this way, when the floor heating would be on in winter. Of course, i packed all the other comforters and floor rugs and floor mats (for the bath rooms, kitchen). Also took the severity of winter in Korea as a reason to stock on the area rugs :)
Appliances: He didnt want to risk carrying the big appliances even though they were of the same voltage (220 V, but varies in Frequency) So, we decided to ditch in our old refrigerator and get a latest on in Korea. Same with the washing machine. We did pack our mixie and grinder. No use packing the stove as the gas standards are different to those in India. I did get the electric stove though, which has been very useful. Small appliances like coffee maker, cake mixer, should all work here. Thank God the dishwasher is in-built and came with the apartment, as did the gas stove. I am having a feeling that my microwave would have survived and worked well for me in Seoul. But i didnot bring it. We did bring our Sony Bravia TV here along with the wii and both are doing very well. Printer, monitors are in their pinkest. Table fans might come in handy during the hot summers.
Furniture: As i had already seen the apartment we were going to move into, i had a clear idea of where to put what furniture in my mind. I did bring in the sofa, dining table with the chairs, study, work desks, chairs, phone table, TV stand. I also brought in all the decorative, wall hanging items from my home. I thought it reasonable to show-off a Indian-style home in Korea while bringing home Korean style stuff :) There is ample storage space in the apartment, shelves and spaces for everything. I didnot want to fill the space with more furniture.
Books: Good English books are so prevalent and cheap in India, that we had built quite a library back at home. We were careful to bring in only the most important and required books. Of course, i packed in most of the children's books. And of course, their books and notes from the previous class in the previous school.
Toys: We had a bit argument about this one. But at last, i let them pick whatever they wanted to bring. Sadly, these days, the games and fun arrive in little boxes and handheld games that were easy enough for us to carry :(
Utensils: I feel no different cooking in Seoul than cooking in Seoul. It is same, mundane process. All the same utensils can be used. I use the same eversilver plates everyday and corelle when we have company. Pressure cookers, tavas, dosa chattis and kadais for vadais and puris. All same, boring same...
Make up: It should be available but i have not yet seen any product which is suited for Indian skin tone. So, it is better to stock up on the compacts and make up that would be necessary until you are ready enough to go around looking for it in Korea.
Miscellaneous: Everything is expensive in Korea when compared to India. Almost 2times. I did pack on the essentials that we like to have like tooth paste, hand soap, facial soaps, stationery, etc.
Food items: There are Indian grocery stores in Itaewon and other parts of Korea that do supply the regularly required items. Check out indianshopkorea.com, expatmart.co.kr for the rates. It is better to bring in how much ever possible. My few choices to bring in would be:
- Rice. Only jasmine rice available here. I prefer my sona masoori and basmathi and jeera rice. Bring in idli rice also if idli/dosai is a favorite.
- Dals. I did bring in the toor, urad, channa, green gram in large quantities.
- Spices. Coriander, jeera, turmeric, cloves, mustard, red chillies, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, etc.
- Jaggery, tamarind.
- Atta
- Oats, semia, ragi in little quantities as it is a favorite.
- Anything that doesnt go bad for a long time... And that you need to have!
That was a fine gesture from a Indi Tripper...:)) It's packed with important infos for people moving to Seoul...:)))Great tips..., meoww.
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