i've been living here in Seoul for almost 10 months now, and, unfortunately, i don't know anything about homestays, or other places to stay here, so i can't help you with that part... (my Korean friend got me set up with an apartment when i first came). but i can try to help you with some other things from my own experiences:
in Seoul, it's actually not too tough to get around without knowing Korean. the subway can be a bit confusing at first, but it's actually fairly easy once you understand how it works. there are signs all over the subway in English, so if the Korean gets overwhelming, you can still get around using the English. also, inside the subways the announcer announces each stop in Korean and English. the only time it's tough (for me at least) is when you have to figure out which direction you have to travel to. there are ticket gates you can enter depending on the direction you want to travel. to figure out the direction easily, just use the last stop name on the subway line you are on as a reference to the direction you want to go to. if this sounds confusing, check this Seoul subway map:
http://traffic.local.naver.com/Traffic_ ... /index.asp (it works best in IE) as an example, if you look at line 5 (the purple line), you can see at one end the last stop is 방화, and at the other end it's 마천 (and also 상일동). inside the subway, you will see signs with these names, so you can figure out which direction you need to go. hope this makes sense. also, before you go through the ticket gates, you need a subway ticket, or a transportation card. i've never used the normal tickets before, and the transportation card is very very convenient that i've never had a desire to try the normal tickets. you can get both from the guy at the ticket booth, or you can also get tickets from one of the ticket machines. if you want a card, just say 교통카드 주세요, and give the person some money. the card itself is less than 2,000 won, and the person will put the rest on the card as credit. then just take the card and hold it on the sensor thing on the gate until it beeps. it will deduct 900 won and you can pass through the gate. unless you travel far on the subway, you won't have to pay any extra when you exit through the ticket gate. but if you do go far, expect an extra deduction--usually 100-300 won. you can easily recharge the card at a card-charging machine
the buses are a bit more confusing. mainly because there's much less English, and a whole lot more Korean because there seems to be an unlimited amount of stops in Seoul. i just use the subway, and it takes me to where i need to go, or close enough so i can easily walk to where i need to go. the buses do have announcers, but all the buses i've been on have always been in Korean only... if you do ride the bus, you will have to really pay attention to what stop you want to get off at, because the bus doesn't stop at every stop unless people want to get off or on (i believe this is normal everywhere in the world?). also, if you can't find a seat when you ride, you must hang on tightly to something! it's best to hang on with two hands if you can, because otherwise you'll must likely fall with the way the bus drivers drive here. it can be scary sometimes...
what sort of things will you need to deal with at the bank (은행)? are you opening a bank account? if you just need cash, there is a currency exchange at the airport. otherwise i think you just need your passport and you may have to fill out a small form at the bank--i haven't had a need to do this. when you have to talk to a bank person (은행원), you'll first have to take a ticket and wait for your number to be called. sometimes a worker will be at the door to help give you a ticket and also with other things.
i've only been to a post office (우체국) once here to mail a letter (편지) to the US. i needed to get an envelope (봉투) and asked the lady at the counter where it was (봉투가 있어요?) she pointed me towards an area that had many envelopes and boxes and a counter where people were boxing up packages and stuffing letters in envelopes (complete with tape, scissors, and glue). so i stuffed my letter in an envelope too, wrote down the address, and took it to the lady. she weighed it, told me the price, i gave her the money, said 감사합니다, and it was done.
pharmacies (약국) seem to be very common here. easy to find too--just look for "약" which is usually written pretty big. i haven't been sick yet, so i've had no need to buy any medicine, but i did buy a mosquito killing machine thing (홈매트). unfortunately, i forgot the name and kept asking the worker if he had 홈택... after explaining i had many mosquitos (우리 집에 모기가 많아요), he attempted to ask if i wanted something to kill them (모기 kill?). this sort of confusion between Korean and foreigner isn't uncommon to happen here (or maybe it only happens to me?). there will definitely be some confusion at times when trying to talk to people here. sometimes they will expect English and be confused when they hear you speak in Korean, and other times they may not understand the pronunciation. this isn't meant to scare you from coming, but just something you may experience--it's kind of fun actually
definitely try using the Korean you've learned--it's a great chance to learn more and practice.
i'm not sure where the best place to get 순대 is, but there is no shortage of street vendors here who will be more than happy to sell you some along with other tasty food
the Newbie and Beginner lessons here as well as the Korean lessons on the survivalphrases.com site are very helpful. some phrases that have been helpful for me:
- 화장실 어디에 있어요? where's the bathroom?
- 포장해 주세요. pack it up please (used if you are buying food for take-out)
- or 가지고 갈거예요 i will take it and go (also used for take-out)
- ____은/는 한국말로 어떻게 말해요? how do you say ____ in Korean?
- 뭐 추천해 주실래요? what do you recommend?
- 뭐가 맛있어요? what tastes good?
- 얼마예요? how much is it?
- 따로 계산해 주세요 i want to pay separately please.
- N1대신에 N2 주세요 i want N2 instead of N1 please
- 어디가 좋아요? where is a good place to go?
- 알레르기 때문에 ____을/를 못먹어요 i can't eat ____ because of my allergic to it
- 잘 모르겠어요 i don't understand (very well)
- 한번더 말(씀)해 주세요? / 다시 한번 말(씀)해 주세요? can you say that again please?
- (미안하지만) ______ 라고 들었어요 (sorry, but) i heard (you say) ______
anyway, hope some of this might be helpful. it's cool you've decided to come visit--it'll definitely be a great experience for you! and apologies this reply is so long XD
