…I’m meant to be doing this for myself; my open journal if you will. The intention behind starting this blog 2 YEARS ago (ya, I’ve been slacking for two years) was to create a space to share my thoughts and experiences. Whether anyone is actually even interested in reading any of it didn’t matter. Yet, I find myself dragging my feet, feeling like nothing I put out there is necessary. But that’s kinda been the whole point…I’m meant to be doing this for myself; my open journal if you will.
So I’m giving myself one final year to try this thing out again. One year to focus, to be consistent, to show up for myself, because I know I want to do this. So what’s been holding me back…maybe that’s something I’ll figure out along the way.
There are a few things that I had to do in 2024 which were unbelievably daunting. I feel like it’s my duty to share how I managed them in the hopes that anyone else being forced into unknown scary yet exciting situations can navigate them a little more confidently.
Consider this “Part 1: Moving” in a series of Adulting in Korea.
Aside from packing 2 large suitcases and getting on a plane I’ve never moved homes before. I lived in my childhood home all my life, then came to Korea and turned my one-room apartment into my new home.
So this was a big step. I’m definitely the planning type and when there’s a deadline involved my anxiety kicks into overdrive which, in this case, can be helpful.
I started deconstructing and wrapping things up 2 months before my move. I’ve collected A LOT of stuff over the years and I am just one little Jessie so I knew I needed to be proactive with this one.
The essentials (all from Coupang) for moving would be:
–Tape for sealing packing boxes
–Masking tape (for labeling)
–Cardboard boxes (I saved boxes from previous deliveries and got some from Lotte Mart instead of buying them)
–Packing boxes (I borrowed these from a friend but the moving companies often provides them)
Start with the things you aren’t using, things that if they weren’t readily available it wouldn’t inconvenience you all that much. For me those were things like my shoe storage bench, winter clothes, hobby supplies, books, etc.
With about 3 weeks left was when I started packing most of my kitchen stuff cause I wasn’t gonna be doing much cooking in all that chaos. And this goes without saying but moving is the best time to purge! Be honest with yourself and think about what should actually just be replaced instead of moved or thrown out altogether.
Labelling your boxes can be helpful but since I am just one person it wasn’t all that necessary. And by packing backwards in terms of what I use most frequently I just needed to know which boxes to unpack first in my new home.
To save on weight and no. of boxes I vacuum sealed as many of my clothes as I could and put them straight into the packing boxes. When the vacuum seal bags ran out I just put them into large plastic packets and put those into the boxes. I avoided using the cardboard boxes unless they were actually needed, I was trying my best to use space wisely. The more packing boxes I used the more costly the move.
As for the moving company, it would be easiest and cheapest to talk to people from work or friends about getting recommendations from your city. I ended using a company that many of my Changwon friends had used because they gave me the best price and had a soft spot for foreigners
. I did, however, try finding other companies, just for comparison, with the help of a Korean friend and the Soomgo app. One thing I did notice was that even though I was inquiring a month in advance many places were fully booked on Saturdays and prices varied by like ₩350 000! I can’t even tell you why…
I ended up paying ₩250 000 for a 40km journey, 16 large (blue) packing boxes, 1 single mattress and 1 two-seater couch. I did none of the heavy loading or unloading, my old apartment was on the 2nd floor no elevator and the new place does have an elevator (you’re charged per floor if there isn’t an elevator). I could have traveled in the moving truck but had an oh-so kind friend who drove me in her car.
And that was it…no hassle, no damages. In a space of about 4 hours I had cleared out my old home and moved everything into a whole new beginning.
I guess the idea of needing to get all that done on my own was way more daunting than the tasks themselves. And in the end I never really was on my own. From the acquaintances who shared their experiences, the colleagues that guided me and the friends who helped without a second thought…doing it alone wasn’t even in the cards.
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