Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hello everybody! My name is Alessia, and in early August I'll be heading over to Seoul for the voice feminization surgery at the Yeson Voice Center.  I'm new here, but I've read a lot of the other posts related to the Yeson Voice Center, which has been extremely helpful! Because I'll be traveling alone my concern is about getting around after having the surgery.  I won't be able to speak so how will I travel around etc.  for example, if I need to take a taxi, how will I communicate where I need to go? Has anyone traveled to Yeson alone and can offer some advice on how they were able to get around Korea after surgery?  Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thankssss ciao!

Hi Alessia,

a friend of mine traveled alone. She's not on Susan's, though. Maybe if you send me your email address via PM, I can forward it to her so she can reply to it, if she agrees.

I know that's probably very complicated, but maybe worth a thought if you don't receive any replies that are more to the point.

Regards,

Amy

Hi Amy,

Yeah! that would be great! Sorry I'm new to Susan's, what does PM mean?  Thank you so much for replying I really really appreciate it!

Ciao

PM means Personal Messaging which will unlock for you to use after 15 post's. It is one of the icons under you avatar. :)

Hi Alessia,

I'm sorry I failed to realize that you weren't up to 15 postings yet. Let's do it a different way. Send me an email to e96582d3@opayq.com and I'll forward it to my friend.

BTW, are you from Italy? Hey, we're almost neighbors in this global village – I live in Germany.

Amy

@Jessica:  Thank you for explaining this to me ! :)

@Amy:  Thank you! I'll send an email to the address you provided, thanks again for responding :)  I'm from Miami, in the United States, but I'm a Japanese/Greek/Italian mix

Ciao

Quote from: Alessia on April 09, 2014, 09:52:31 PM
Hello everybody! My name is Alessia, and in early August I'll be heading over to Seoul for the voice feminization surgery at the Yeson Voice Center.  I'm new here, but I've read a lot of the other posts related to the Yeson Voice Center, which has been extremely helpful! Because I'll be traveling alone my concern is about getting around after having the surgery.  I won't be able to speak so how will I travel around etc.  for example, if I need to take a taxi, how will I communicate where I need to go? Has anyone traveled to Yeson alone and can offer some advice on how they were able to get around Korea after surgery?  Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thankssss ciao!

hi Alessia
i traveled alone last month and i was totally fine. language is a huge barrier in Korea anyway, so the fact that you won't be able to speak won't make a difference. i'd just type things on my phone, or write them down for people. also, you are gonna be given a set of flashcards at the clinic in Korean and English for you to use. most restaurants have a menu is English as well, so you can just point out what you wanna order. if you plan on taking a cab just make sure you have the address ready to show it to the driver.  people were very understanding and i didn't have trouble at all.

Quote from: Alessia on April 11, 2014, 07:58:55 PM
@Jessica:  Thank you for explaining this to me ! :)

@Amy:  Thank you! I'll send an email to the address you provided, thanks again for responding :)  I'm from Miami, in the United States, but I'm a Japanese/Greek/Italian mix

Ciao

Hey Alessia,

I am planning to go alone in May. So if you can share the info you gather via email  on here that will be really helpful :)

Quote from: jenn90210 on April 12, 2014, 01:40:37 AM
hi Alessia
i traveled alone last month and i was totally fine. language is a huge barrier in Korea anyway, so the fact that you won't be able to speak won't make a difference. i'd just type things on my phone, or write them down for people. also, you are gonna be given a set of flashcards at the clinic in Korean and English for you to use. most restaurants have a menu is English as well, so you can just point out what you wanna order. if you plan on taking a cab just make sure you have the address ready to show it to the driver.  people were very understanding and i didn't have trouble at all.

Hey Jenn I wanted to check with you to see how your surgery went and if  u were able to talk and hear what you sound like now and if you are happy with the result.

@Amy

Hey Amy!  I sent an email, thanks again for all the help :)

@Jenn

Hey Jenn! Thank you for sharing your experience,  I was a bit worried about the idea of traveling alone in Korea after surgery and not being able to communicate at all, but after reading your post, I feel much much much much better :)  I've been following your Yeson thread, you must be so excited to hear your voice once you've recovered!

@inspire

Hey!  Sure I would love to :)

Ciao

Quote from: Alessia on April 12, 2014, 10:08:21 PM
@Jenn

Hey Jenn! Thank you for sharing your experience,  I was a bit worried about the idea of traveling alone in Korea after surgery and not being able to communicate at all, but after reading your post, I feel much much much much better :)  I've been following your Yeson thread, you must be so excited to hear your voice once you've recovered!

no problem girl, if you have anymore questions let me know. yah i'm very excited to hear the final result, i love it so far.


[/quote]

Quote from: inspire on April 12, 2014, 09:40:48 PM
Hey Jenn I wanted to check with you to see how your surgery went and if  u were able to talk and hear what you sound like now and if you are happy with the result.

yah everything's been healing nicely, i started talking a couple days ago and im very pleased with the results so far. i'll be posting a voice recording soon on my yeson thread.

How much would you say the process cost you? I'm planning on visiting yeson towards the end of the year.  I'm going to have to get a loan so I'm trying to get ballpark figures for costs x

Quote from: f_Anna_tastic on April 15, 2014, 04:09:18 AM
How much would you say the process cost you? I'm planning on visiting yeson towards the end of the year.  I'm going to have to get a loan so I'm trying to get ballpark figures for costs x

the surgery         $7380
botox injection     $400
hotel for 9 nights  $900
airfare                 $900
and you'd need at least $800 to $1000 for miscellaneous expenses

you'd be looking at about $11000

Hi Alessia and everyone,

You will be fine travelling around alone as Yeson will give you a list of words written in both English and Korean and you just point when getting taxis etc. My only advice when moving around is to consider buying a mask to wear outside as I found the air pollution to be quite bad in Korea, they are readily available in the shops there and lots of people wear them. Also, another quick tip (hope this helps), you may not want to move around too much for a few days after the surgery for fear of coughing too much, make sure you stock your hotel room with loads of food and water before the op (as you don't want to be lifting anything too heavy straight away), I was getting through 3-4 litres a day the first few days. Hope all goes well, rest assured Dr Kim and his team are absolutely amazing and you are in good hands. Jo x

@Joanne

Hi Joanne!

Thank you for all the great advice! I'll make sure to stock up a lot before the operation.  I was wondering about cell phone usage, my understanding is I'll have to rent a cell phone or use a wireless router.  Did you do either of these?  How about you Jenn?  Did you rent a cell phone or use a wireless router?  Thanks again for all the great feedback :) 

Ciao

I emailed yeson and Jessie has sent a reply.  I discussed it with my sister and she thinks it's definitely worth while.  I will be looking at getting the surgery before I go full time.  I have noted that yeson only accepts credit card or cash.  How did people pay for this?

Hi Anna,

Quote from: f_Anna_tastic on April 17, 2014, 02:55:20 AM
I have noted that yeson only accepts credit card or cash.  How did people pay for this?

I wire-transferred the whole lump sum before heading to Seoul. Just ask Jessie for the account data. It took 4 days for the money to be deducted from my account and credited to Yeson's. Absolutely hassle-free.

Regards,

Amy

Hi Alessia and everyone,

Glad the advice was helpful.

I think you can buy sim cards out there but I just relied on the free wi fi access where I was staying.

I am 9 days post op today and feeling great !!

Jo x

Anyone going there in the beginning of July? :)

Quote from: Alessia on April 16, 2014, 02:00:36 PM
@Joanne

Hi Joanne!

Thank you for all the great advice! I'll make sure to stock up a lot before the operation.  I was wondering about cell phone usage, my understanding is I'll have to rent a cell phone or use a wireless router.  Did you do either of these?  How about you Jenn?  Did you rent a cell phone or use a wireless router?  Thanks again for all the great feedback :) 

Ciao

i'd suggest you rent the wireless router at the airport since you won't be able to talk on the phone. that's what i did and it helped a lot

Quote from: f_Anna_tastic on April 17, 2014, 02:55:20 AM
I emailed yeson and Jessie has sent a reply.  I discussed it with my sister and she thinks it's definitely worth while.  I will be looking at getting the surgery before I go full time.  I have noted that yeson only accepts credit card or cash.  How did people pay for this?

yes you can pay by cash US Dollar or Korean Won only and credit card.

@Jenn
@Joanne

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to go with the wireless router too :)

@Amy

Hi Amy! I'm thinking about doing a wire transfer too, but I heard that there is an expensive wire transfer fee.  Was this the case for you?  A wire transfer seems like the safest way of getting the money over there.  I'm considering paying with cash, in order to save some money on fees, and also to avoid the possibility of my credit card being declined for whatever reason.  But, if the fee for wiring money isn't that bad, I definitely will go with that.  Thanks again :)

Ciao

Hi Alessia,

Quote from: Alessia on April 20, 2014, 05:40:49 PM
Hi Amy! I'm thinking about doing a wire transfer too, but I heard that there is an expensive wire transfer fee.  Was this the case for you? 

The wire transfer fee was US$ 40 all in all. In relation to the amount you're transfering, that's a quantité négligeable.

Regards,

Amy

@Amy

Hi Amy! Wow! only $40! That's great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :) I'm going to double check with my bank just in case to make sure it doesn't have any other additional fees.  Thanks again!!!!!

Ciao

Quote from: jenn90210 on April 14, 2014, 12:57:40 AM


no problem girl, if you have anymore questions let me know. yah i'm very excited to hear the final result, i love it so far.



yah everything's been healing nicely, i started talking a couple days ago and im very pleased with the results so far. i'll be posting a voice recording soon on my yeson thread.

@Jenn
Mind putting a link to your thread?

I am planning to go in mid-may...if any if you are lets connect...also if you girls could recommend hotels....i would love to have a room with a kitchen. thanks


~Riya

Quote from: inspire on April 23, 2014, 11:56:05 AM
I am planning to go in mid-may...if any if you are lets connect...also if you girls could recommend hotels....i would love to have a room with a kitchen. thanks


~Riya

I'm going to stay at Gangnam Artnouveau City, like Sarah and a couple of other girls have done. I'm arriving July 5th.

Besides that, Jessie, could recommend a cost effective solution found at http://philhouse.co.kr/index.php?lengs=en (http://philhouse.co.kr/index.php?lengs=en)

-MegC

Hi MegC,

Quote from: MeganChristine on April 23, 2014, 02:27:36 PM
Besides that, Jessie, could recommend a cost effective solution found at http://philhouse.co.kr/index.php?lengs=en (http://philhouse.co.kr/index.php?lengs=en)

We're staying there at the moment. These are nice little self-catering holiday apartments and perfectly suitable for a 10-day stay. In our particular room, the bed frame could use some screw tightening (mattress is fine, though), but everything else works perfectly. And the people that run the place are exceptionally nice.

Regards,

Amy

Hi Amy,

Awesome :) have you trekked up the mountain yet? And how is the area :) might be change location if it's a quiet place :) 

Hi Megan,

no, the mountain is definitely still on the list. Mind you, I only had my surgery yesterday, I need some time to recover! ;-)

Phil House is located in a quiet side street of a main thoroughfare, far enough off to not be noisy. In terms of general shopping and restaurant needs, the area is quite well-equipped – just your standard residential area. The only downside is that it takes ~30 minutes by train to get to the city center.

Amy

Quote from: AmyBerlin on April 23, 2014, 04:14:45 PM
Hi MegC,

We're staying there at the moment. These are nice little self-catering holiday apartments and perfectly suitable for a 10-day stay. In our particular room, the bed frame could use some screw tightening (mattress is fine, though), but everything else works perfectly. And the people that run the place are exceptionally nice.

Regards,

Amy

Does this place come with a kitchen? what is the rate/night?

Hi inspire,

Quote from: inspire on April 23, 2014, 05:35:42 PM
Does this place come with a kitchen? what is the rate/night?

The website, incl. current price quotes, is http://www.philhouse.co.kr/. We paid 60,000 KRW/night for what they call a "Double Room" which is actually more of a studio apartment of about 250-300 sq ft. Facilities include private shower/toilet, TV, AC, refrigerator/freezer combination (important for ice cream, which you should eat after surgery), washing machine, 2-flame gas range and sink.

Hope this helps,

Amy

Quote from: AmyBerlin on April 23, 2014, 06:42:54 PM
Hi inspire,

The website, incl. current price quotes, is http://www.philhouse.co.kr/. We paid 60,000 KRW/night for what they call a "Double Room" which is actually more of a studio apartment of about 250-300 sq ft. Facilities include private shower/toilet, TV, AC, refrigerator/freezer combination (important for ice cream, which you should eat after surgery), washing machine, 2-flame gas range and sink.

Hope this helps,

Amy

Hey Amy,

How is the commute like from the place to Yeson Center? How is the neighborhood like? Are you by yourself? and please excuse me for shooting so many questions :)

~Riya

Hey Riya,

Quote from: inspire on April 23, 2014, 07:10:28 PM
How is the commute like from the place to Yeson Center? How is the neighborhood like? Are you by yourself?

By train: 1,050 won/person, takes 45 minutes due to 2 changeovers. By taxi (recommended): 9,500 won, takes 15 minutes. The neighbourhood of Phil House is middle-class residential, still urban, but not inner-city anymore. And my girlfriend is with me, so there's 2 of us.

Quote from: inspire on April 23, 2014, 07:10:28 PM
and please excuse me for shooting so many questions :)

Don't worry, that's what we're here for, to support each other :-)

Amy

Dear Riya,

I've posted a more detailed description of Phil House with photographs under https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,157713.msg1415202.html#msg1415202 (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,157713.msg1415202.html#msg1415202).

Regards,

Amy

If things work out with my refinance I have no one to make the trip to Seoul with me. My SO has a 4 year old so she couldn't get away for the amount of time needed. I should know something in the next two weeks about my refinance, and as far as when I go, I can be flexible. I'll update my situation as I know more.

Ally :icon_flower:

Quote from: Allyda on April 30, 2014, 01:14:42 PM
If things work out with my refinance I have no one to make the trip to Seoul with me. My SO has a 4 year old so she couldn't get away for the amount of time needed. I should know something in the next two weeks about my refinance, and as far as when I go, I can be flexible. I'll update my situation as I know more.

Ally :icon_flower:

When are you going there?

I'm arriving Seoul July 5th and leaving again 16th. Going to stay at the Gangnam artnouveau city.

Btw. Pre-op 7th, op 8th and checkup 15th

-megc

Quote from: MeganChristine on April 30, 2014, 02:37:54 PM
When are you going there?

I'm arriving Seoul July 5th and leaving again 16th. Going to stay at the Gangnam artnouveau city.

Btw. Pre-op 7th, op 8th and checkup 15th

-megc

I won't have an exact date until I know more about my refinance which should be soon. As for my date, I can be flexible for now. Your dates sound OK with me providing I can get my $$ together and schedule my appt's and surgery around the same time. I know I don't want to embark on a trip like this alone though. However it all hinges on my refinance amount. My current home is nearly paid off though so I'm expecting a fairly good offer. I just can't be exact with a date just yet. I will keep this thread informed as soon as I have a clearer picture on my situation.

Hrm. From what I gathered from them they only seem to do one person (one operation) every week (two weeks?) and they're booked well into August already, because I asked to swap/postpone my date back a week or two in mid April and was told they were already booked and confirmed. Your earliest possible date even if you sign up today, would be mid-late August, and I suspect it's into end Aug/early Sep by now.

Quote from: Jessray on May 01, 2014, 02:29:23 AM
Hrm. From what I gathered from them they only seem to do one person (one operation) every week (two weeks?) and they're booked well into August already, because I asked to swap/postpone my date back a week or two in mid April and was told they were already booked and confirmed. Your earliest possible date even if you sign up today, would be mid-late August, and I suspect it's into end Aug/early Sep by now.

wow booked out till August ... I will have my vocal folds picture taken with local ENT surgeon later this month, hopefully I will be eligible to do my 2nd VFS with Dr.Kim later this year

Hey I am scheduled for mine on May21st. I wIll be getting to Seoul the 18th. I am travelling by myself. Let me know if any of you got something scheduled around that time. It be awesome to get together.

Quote from: AmyBerlin on April 29, 2014, 05:52:03 PM
Dear Riya,

I've posted a more detailed description of Phil House with photographs under https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,157713.msg1415202.html#msg1415202 (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,157713.msg1415202.html#msg1415202).

Regards,

Amy

Dear Amy,

Thank you so much. How are u doing now? How long had it been for u and how easy/hard is it being mute 24hrs for the a few weeks? :)

Dear Riya,

Quote from: inspire on May 02, 2014, 02:48:25 PM
How are u doing now? How long had it been for u and how easy/hard is it being mute 24hrs for the a few weeks? :)

I'm 10 days postoperative now, back in Berlin and can say I'm feeling fine. Once you're getting used to it, not saying a word all day actually becomes pretty easy. There are occasions – for example, if you're startled by something – when it can be different to stay silent, but your throat signals you that something has changed, so you'll stop soon enough anyway. Controlling coughs and sneezing is more difficult and takes some time getting used to.

However, it can be quite taxing for your environment: my silence is starting to drive my girlfriend up the wall. Because I cannot react immediately – as writing takes its time –, she misinterprets this sometimes as me being uncaring, absent-minded or stubborn, causing needless tensions between us. When viewing it consciously, she sees that these fears are unfounded, but nevertheless, the tensions are there and we have to deal with them.

Hope this helps,

Amy

Quote from: Alessia on April 09, 2014, 09:52:31 PM
Hello everybody! My name is Alessia, and in early August I'll be heading over to Seoul for the voice feminization surgery at the Yeson Voice Center.  I'm new here, but I've read a lot of the other posts related to the Yeson Voice Center, which has been extremely helpful! Because I'll be traveling alone my concern is about getting around after having the surgery.  I won't be able to speak so how will I travel around etc.  for example, if I need to take a taxi, how will I communicate where I need to go? Has anyone traveled to Yeson alone and can offer some advice on how they were able to get around Korea after surgery?  Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thankssss ciao!

Not being able to speak is no problem at all in Seoul. Most Koreans understand written English far better than spoken English. Thus, if you show a memo written in English or hangul, it is more effective in communication than speaking. You may need to carry paper/pencil or smartphone to make and show a memo.

Regarding air pollution in Seoul, refer to the following figure. Yellow dusts coming from Central Asia and China cause air pollution and health problem, especially in Spring.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ndmi.go.kr%2Fcommon%2Fimages%2Fcontents%2Fknow_1601.jpg&hash=738345565b0faaa232f889c1d398a6ef07b0ad05)
The x-axis of the right figure denotes month. Y-axis is the frequency of yellow dust.

barbie~~

@barbie

Hi Barbie!  Thank you for all the info! I didn't think about the air pollution, I'll make sure to be aware of it when I get to Korea.  Do you know how the air pollution is during August?  That's when I'll be in Korea.  Thanks again :)

Quote from: Alessia on May 06, 2014, 08:49:46 PM
@barbie

Hi Barbie!  Thank you for all the info! I didn't think about the air pollution, I'll make sure to be aware of it when I get to Korea.  Do you know how the air pollution is during August?  That's when I'll be in Korea.  Thanks again :)

Alessia,

Yellow dust will be minimal in August, but it will be very humid and hot. Or, it will rain all day.

barbie~~

Can someone advise what is the smartest thing to get at the airport for styaing in touch with ppl while I cant talk? Also any ideas what the weather like now.

Quote from: inspire on May 07, 2014, 04:01:29 PM
Can someone advise what is the smartest thing to get at the airport for styaing in touch with ppl while I cant talk? Also any ideas what the weather like now.

The weather now is a typical spring. Warm at daytime and a  little bit chilly at night. Blue sky. Weather forecast says it will be warmer this weekend. Probably May and October are the best seasons to enjoy the nature here.

Wi-Fi is free in the airports of Korea. In addition, there are several PCs in the internet cafe of every airport, and you can use them without paying anything.

barbie~~

So I just got back from South Korea. The surgery went well. Had the botox shot. Since then I have had sore throat n runny nose and been coughing a bit. I am not sure whats wrong. I do sound hoarse. You guys have any feedback. Botox side effects?

I am 10 days post op.

~Riya

Quote from: inspire on May 29, 2014, 04:34:14 PM
So I just got back from South Korea. The surgery went well. Had the botox shot. Since then I have had sore throat n runny nose and been coughing a bit. I am not sure whats wrong. I do sound hoarse. You guys have any feedback. Botox side effects?

I am 10 days post op.

~Riya

Congrats.
I was in Seoul on May 30-31, just returning home.
Not yet any schedule of visiting Seoul in June.

barbie~~

Hi ladies,

My partner and I are discussing this exact topic right now. I am a bit of a talkative being and we were wondering if it was best for me to go alone so I wont be tempted to talk for at least the first 10-14 days. Or whether it would be better to have the company there to keep me sane.

What would you choose if you could choose to have someone or not to have someone with you?

I think it all depends on who you can have as company. Those who offered to come with me I would rather refuse since I am so sure Iwould talk to them. One can get really really angry and in trouble for some stupid reason, the other would try to talk english and not be able to, say all wrong and I would need to correct. LOL - I think thy both are better staying home

Quote from: ElleA on October 27, 2014, 04:48:52 AM
Hi ladies,

My partner and I are discussing this exact topic right now. I am a bit of a talkative being and we were wondering if it was best for me to go alone so I wont be tempted to talk for at least the first 10-14 days. Or whether it would be better to have the company there to keep me sane.

What would you choose if you could choose to have someone or not to have someone with you?

I went there alone, but I found that communication with everyone else would have been much easier if someone was there with me. But then again you will have to fight the temptation of speaking.
And it can be very frustrating having to type everything. Something I experienced when I got back home. Prepare yourself for a period of solitude ;) I'd find that MUCH easier ;)

-MegC

Thanks lovelies,

That was pretty mush what I was thinking, I would love the company but am worried that it will make me want to talk.
I think my partner is actually looking forward to me not being able to talk. She say's it is going to be peaceful. hehe.

I will just have to make up my mind. :-\