Korean Job Discussion Forums

[s.tickbeat]

[some waygug-in]

Back to the topic;

that Western teachers will not just automatically assimilate Korean customs,

teaching styles and work habits. Westerners will be who they are.


Not saying Western ways are better or worse, nor are Eastern ways better

or worse. They are just different.


Expecting Western teachers to adopt traditional Korean approaches to

education is like asking horses to act like chickens. It will never work.

[young_clinton]

Do your best not to fart on the bus. I think it's just as bad in the US buses, the difference is the Kimchi smell.

[atwood]

[young_clinton]

[PatrickGHBusan]

The personal space issue I agree with. However 2 feet might be a bit much for that ole personal bubble.

I would say stay out of touching range and it's all good.

[Unibrow]

Not waiting until I'm finished at the post office or bus station or whatever to come up and start talking to the clerk and trying to do your thing. Wait a minute, it's not that hard. And those stupid megaphones.

[Lunar Groove Gardener]

-Waiting your turn is a requirement of civilized behavior
-Beeping for one to drive when there are still buses and cement
trucks racing through the light which has just turned red is very
offensive
- Saying hello to colleagues and neighbors is more normal than
ignoring them
- Not liking every type of the local food is an acceptable and realistic
response
- Personal questions about age, family, money are best left for actual
friends
- Chewing with your mouth open is not appealing
- Hawking loogies is a poor choice for a national anthem
- It is impolite to stare
- There is a whole world of music worth listening to, none of it being
played in Korea
-Giving students passing grades in university because they are sports
students is illegal elsewhere
- Admitting when you're wrong or have made a mistake is a strength
not being able to admit when you are wrong or have made a mistake
is proof of very weak character
-you aren't allowed to touch children that you do not know
-no matter how drunk you are, touching another man on the upper thigh
is a clear indication of sexual orientation

I could make a list for other countries, but these will surely ring true with
anyone that has lived in the land of the morning loogie for any period.

Grease for peace

[johnnyrook]

I don't live in Korea anymore but recently my girlfriend and I had her parents come to visit, and I found myself playing chaperone for a few days while she was working.

We'd be out all day sight-seeing, and at times I'd find myself getting quite hungry or thirsty and deciding to grab a quick bite or a drink or something. So we'd stop somewhere, and I'd be planning to buy say some fries to snack on or a juice, and I'd ask her parents if they wanted to eat/drink anything... they'd say no, so I'd buy something adequate just for me. Of course then as we'd continue on our way they'd suddenly be grabbing the food/drink from me to help themselves to it, and by the time it was all gone my thirst/hunger would be nowhere near satisfied.

So yeh, I wish Korean people would understand that Westerners don't consider that all food is for sharing.

[alongway]

[Underwaterbob]

That language. Man, I can't understand a word they're saying! Speak English already!!!

Sarcasm aside, I feel it's the cultural differences that make Korea an interesting place to be. Yes, many of them are annoying and offensive to my western sensibilities, but without them, Korea would just not be Korea.

So, I'll put with the guy touching my thigh, the constant lip smacking and slurping during meal-time and the loogie hocking sound which is often just a part of the way they express themselves when speaking, all of them being relatively harmless things that westerners need to stop whining about already. Though if some random stranger ever picks up my child - should I have one - I might lose it.

[atwood]

[fosterman]

[KimchiNinja]

[nautilus]