Living in Yeosu (여 수)

If someone were to ask you to name one city located in South Korea, perhaps the first cities to cross your mind are " Seoul/서울" and " Busan/ 부산." These are the foreigner-friendly hotspots. They have excellent nightlife, shops, and fun activities to do. This was me before I was placed in the beautiful city of Yeosu (여 수) to begin my teaching abroad journey. As someone who started with limited knowledge of Korea, I didn't know what to expect from a city I never heard of. I want to introduce this underrated city I have called home for 6 months, which now holds a special place in my heart.

Where is Yeosu? 
Glad you asked. If we look at the map of South Korea, Yeosu is all the way down south of the country. It is a coastal city, so you will hit the beautiful sea if you go any further. Yeosu is between Gwangu ( 광구) and Busan (부산). Do not be fooled by the map; the distance between these cities is between 3 and 6 hours, depending on your transportation method. Yeosu City has beautiful ocean views. In fact, Yeosu (여 수) translates to "beautiful waters," and it lives up to that name.

What's in Yeosu? 

Are you a fan of lovely strolls by the sea? Do you enjoy the tasty cuisine of a variety of seafood? Yeosu has all that and more. Yeosu has many fish merchants, an oyster farm, and many seafood restaurants. If you come down to Yeosu, you may see a lot of advertisements for Expo 2012 Yeosu. This Expo was held to help spread awareness of the importance of the oceans and the effects of pollution and global warming. This Expo left a significant impact not only locally but globally. The Big O is one of a few attractions born to help promote the Expo. It is still used today to showcase beautiful water and light shows for events. The Sky Tower was also built during the Expo and is still open to the public. I recommend you check out the view sometime in spring or summer because winter will have harsh winds. A giant marionette wooden boy named "Yeonani" is a beautiful gem brought to life during the Expo to showcase the importance of ocean life through storytelling. It is now in front of the convention center facing Yeosu EXPO train station.

What is it like living in Yeosu? 
I have lived here in Yeosu (여 수)for 6 months. Like any place you live, there will be things you love about it and things you can live without. These are my opinions on the positives and negatives of living in Yeosu based on my own experience.

Pros of Living in Yeosu (여 수) 
Starting with the positives, I enjoy the less hustle of living in Yeosu. Compared to the big cities, there aren't huge waves of people walking the streets. If you are someone like me who doesn't do well in a fast-paced environment and likes to take it easy and slow pace, you will find comfort in Yeosu. Yeosu is the perfect city if you enjoy excellent, slow-paced living. As someone from a big city, living in a small city that isn't always busy is nice. It is ideal for a quiet night environment and is perfect for sleep. Since Yeosu is a small city, getting around with a just Tmoney card and public transportation is easy. I hardly ever have to purchase a taxi to get around. Which helps save money and is also good for the environment. Yeosu isn't Yeosu without the beautiful ocean views. For free, you can see the vast ocean and feel the calm wind in many different spots. I am always amazed by the stunning ocean view, whether I walk by the port or travel by bus. This is more of a personal positive, but I got lucky to land in a neighborhood called a "university town." This means there is a public university near where I live, surrounded by residents and student housing. Because of this, many food shops are nearby, and most are used to serving foreigners because of the international students who attend the university.

Cons of Living in Yeosu ( 여 수) 
Time for some hard truths, all based on personal opinions. Do not expect to find all your favorite snacks, meals, or fast food chains from your home countries here. I know that the reason why Seoul is famous for foreigners is because it is more foreigners friendly. Yeosu, by Korean standards, is not considered a city and is closer to the countryside town. So, don't expect it to be as lively as the big cities. It is a small city, and the people that live here tend to be more quiet-natured. I remember I wanted to have some avocado for a meal, so I decided to look for some at more local grocery stores and couldn't find any. Until I found out that avocados can typically be found in Seoul. So unless you have Coupang or someone from the States to ship you your favorite snacks, you will be out of luck. Winter in Yeosu is brutal with the lack of snow. If you are looking to see snow, it rarely happens in Yeosu. Since Yeosu is located near the coast, it brings harsh winds that can hurt your face. I don't recommend heading down to Yeosu for the winter. Yeosu is more of a spring and summer spot. This issue isn't tied to just Yeosu, but it is something that I have noticed, and that is the cigarette buds left on the sidewalk. Some days, the sidewalk will be covered with used cigarette buds, which is unpleasant.

Overall thoughts about Yeosu (여 수) 
This is the first city that I have lived alone and abroad. I didn't know what to expect from Yeosu when I first arrived. I spent most of my life as a big city girl and didn't know how I would handle the change in environment. Now that I have been living here for 6 months, in my opinion, Yeosu is the perfect city for the first time living abroad in South Korea if you are new to living on your own. It also helped me become accustomed to the cultural differences much easier because it wasn't too overwhelming. I visited Seoul during a weekend break and compared how I felt there to how I felt in Yeosu. I genuinely believe that if I were located in Seoul to live, it would be overwhelmingly because of the vast population and fast-paced environment. I do love Seoul, and I spent an enjoyable weekend there, but personally, I couldn't see myself living there. Yeosu has everything that I would need and more. I appreciate that everything is close by and creates a peaceful environment. It helps create a mundane day-to-day lifestyle. My parents even told me they were happy. They were relieved that I landed a placement in Yeosu because they appreciated how quiet and safe the city was and enjoyed their time in Yeosu when they visited me during my winter break. This was their first time aboard and the first city they visited. I understand that not everyone would like a slow-paced environment, and maybe you prefer a bit more hustle. However, I have heard of new teachers in Seoul and expressed how it was too much for them during their first week. I am saying this to scare you into not moving to a big city. Everyone has their preferences, and everyone has what they are comfortable with. If there is one thing I can advise, it is that, sometimes, a place that is good for a weekend is probably only good for a weekend.