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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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DejaVu
Joined: 27 Jan 2011 Location: Your dreams
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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Captain Corea wrote: |
As well - what is Korean culture?
Is spitting on the sidewalk Korean culture? Driving on it? What about treating others to meals?
...
After 11+ years here, I don't think I know what "Korean Culture" is anymore. |
I know your Korean is pretty good by now and so you know more than me.
Still, with all respect, I do think that longer you live here, the more accustomed you are and the less you realize how large of a difference there really is. I'm clearly no expert but even after 2 years, I'm starting to forget exactly what thrilled me and debilitated me when I first arrived. |
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fermentation
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with Capt Korea. Where is the line between culture and just traits of certain people? And everybody seems to have a different idea of what Korean culture consists of. I've been hounded by other Koreans for admitting I've eaten dog. There's also plenty of younger Koreans who hate the "Korean drinking culture." |
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eventually
Joined: 30 Nov 2011
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Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
eventually wrote: |
i live in "ri," what is considered a village, and am within walking distance of many wonderful things (norebangs, restaurants, bars, internet cafes, etc) and have access to intercity public transportation in lots of places near or even right in front of my apartment...i can walk down a few blocks and catch a bus to seoul fairly easily and cheaply.
yes, korea IS compact. that's the point. that's what we like, as opposed to the US...
so what is gangwangdo? what's the population? i think a reasonable comparison is similar population. |
Yes, but there are plenty of cities, such as my home city, that have all of those things. That's my point.
My friend lives in Gangwando. She has to ride her bike for 5 minutes just to get to town to buy milk. Bars? Only hofs are available. There's more to Korea than just cities, just as (inversely) there's more to the US than podunk towns. |
your home town being NYC?
listen, right now i'm in the US. i grew up in small town, USA. i have lived in san francisco and places in between.
korea is FAR more likely to have far more services and restaurants and general resources in any given place. i still for the life of me cannot figure out why you are comparing a place that sounds like it's in the boondocks to Witchita, Kansas or any other small place in the states that isn't in the middle of the sticks or country. USA is spread out in such a way that people NEED cars. many other countries are not. this is not really up for debate. |
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motiontodismiss
Joined: 18 Dec 2011
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:02 am Post subject: |
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Captain Corea wrote: |
One common thing amongst the "likes" seems to be drinking.
It's funny, that's actually something I dislike here.
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The drinking really bothers me too. |
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12ax7
Joined: 07 Nov 2009
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:53 am Post subject: |
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Captain Corea wrote: |
One issue is... when we say things we like about Korea or Korean culture, it's bound to have overlap with other peoples and cultures. Same with the negative. So, if we say we hate the smog in Seoul, someone will chime in that LA has it worse. Or if we say it's great that Korea has a lot of multi-generational households, we'll easily find places where it's just as common overseas.
As well - what is Korean culture?
Is spitting on the sidewalk Korean culture? Driving on it? What about treating others to meals?
The thing is, there will always be average norms in society, outliers, and also things that are done that ppl may not like, but generally permit.
So at this point, when I see a question like this, I'm thoroughly confused.
After 11+ years here, I don't think I know what "Korean Culture" is anymore. |
Yes, in the many years I've been here (going on twenty), Korean society has considerably changed.
My problem with threads such as this one is that they bring about far too many gross generalizations. For example, the drinking culture. Koreans supposedly love to drink, and yet of all my in-laws (and my wife has a very large extended family), I can count on one hand the ones who'll sit down and kick them back.
Last edited by 12ax7 on Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:48 am; edited 2 times in total |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:49 am Post subject: |
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eventually wrote: |
NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
eventually wrote: |
i live in "ri," what is considered a village, and am within walking distance of many wonderful things (norebangs, restaurants, bars, internet cafes, etc) and have access to intercity public transportation in lots of places near or even right in front of my apartment...i can walk down a few blocks and catch a bus to seoul fairly easily and cheaply.
yes, korea IS compact. that's the point. that's what we like, as opposed to the US...
so what is gangwangdo? what's the population? i think a reasonable comparison is similar population. |
Yes, but there are plenty of cities, such as my home city, that have all of those things. That's my point.
My friend lives in Gangwando. She has to ride her bike for 5 minutes just to get to town to buy milk. Bars? Only hofs are available. There's more to Korea than just cities, just as (inversely) there's more to the US than podunk towns. |
your home town being NYC?
listen, right now i'm in the US. i grew up in small town, USA. i have lived in san francisco and places in between.
korea is FAR more likely to have far more services and restaurants and general resources in any given place. i still for the life of me cannot figure out why you are comparing a place that sounds like it's in the boondocks to Witchita, Kansas or any other small place in the states that isn't in the middle of the sticks or country. USA is spread out in such a way that people NEED cars. many other countries are not. this is not really up for debate. |
I've stayed for extended periods in San Fran, Chicago, and Boston. I had all of those same conveniences within walking distance of where I was staying. Hell, I lived in London for a while, and had the same conveniences as well.
I needed a car in none of those places. You don't seem to get it. The US isn't some homogenous (not talking about the people here) place. Yes, SK is far more convenient compared to many places in the US (and other English-speaking countries,) but not all of them. It's the black and white generalizations with which I was arguing, not the rest. |
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fermentation
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:59 am Post subject: |
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12ax7 wrote: |
My problem with threads such as this one is that it brings about far too many gross generalizations. For example, the drinking culture. Koreans supposedly love to drink, and yet of all my in-laws (and my wife has a very large extended family), I can count on one hand the ones who'll sit down and kick them back. |
Bah. Every other man in my family is alcoholic. My mother was worried I might turn out like the rest of my family and turns out she was right. |
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12ax7
Joined: 07 Nov 2009
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:50 am Post subject: |
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fermentation wrote: |
12ax7 wrote: |
My problem with threads such as this one is that it brings about far too many gross generalizations. For example, the drinking culture. Koreans supposedly love to drink, and yet of all my in-laws (and my wife has a very large extended family), I can count on one hand the ones who'll sit down and kick them back. |
Bah. Every other man in my family is alcoholic. My mother was worried I might turn out like the rest of my family and turns out she was right. |
When my uncle died, he was incinerated...He burned for a week. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:17 am Post subject: Re: h |
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nicwr2002 wrote: |
I agree, I like the not caring about copyright, it has become way to strict in America and other countries now.
I also like their drinking etiquette as well. It's not demonized like in the bible belt and you can have a bottle of soju or whatever anytime you want.
Also, the service industry is really good. Even if the salesperson is in a bad mood, they at least pretend to me friendly here.
Lastly, the ease of going anywhere I want to go. Just hop in a taxi for long distance or ride my bicycle. |
Haven't been home in ages. What is going on with copyright laws? Are people being hauled off to jail for downloading or what? |
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nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:49 am Post subject: Re: h |
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Weigookin74 wrote: |
nicwr2002 wrote: |
I agree, I like the not caring about copyright, it has become way to strict in America and other countries now.
I also like their drinking etiquette as well. It's not demonized like in the bible belt and you can have a bottle of soju or whatever anytime you want.
Also, the service industry is really good. Even if the salesperson is in a bad mood, they at least pretend to me friendly here.
Lastly, the ease of going anywhere I want to go. Just hop in a taxi for long distance or ride my bicycle. |
Haven't been home in ages. What is going on with copyright laws? Are people being hauled off to jail for downloading or what? |
All the major telecom companies have instituted a six strikes policy. If they think you are pirating then they will take measures against you. They track bittorrent usage and p2p networks and such. First, is a written warning to stop your infringing behavior and gradually work up to throttling your connection speed and giving your personal information to the music and movie industry. This is to allow them to take legal action against you.
I'm not just talking about that though. Congress just passed a law that makes it illegal for you to unlock your cell phone because of "copyright." Just things are getting ridiculous in the name of "copyright." |
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KimchiNinja
Joined: 01 May 2012 Location: Gangnam
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:35 am Post subject: |
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cronolegs wrote: |
Korean drinking culture is cool, but how many of you actually have Korean friends and are able to get involved in this culture?
I for one have tried and failed to make Korean friends who would consider me close enough to bring along to one of their restaurant parties.
So I just observe and think "that looks like fun". |
Yeah Koreans are a blast especially the dudes making some bucks at Samsung, LG, etc. There's none of this "responsible drinking" nonsense. But you have to be formally introduced and be viewed as a peer, and survive a lengthy trust-building phase. It's a complicated social system with lots of unspoken rules. I've developed a small network, it was work, but well worth it. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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It's a bunch of guys, sitting around in a bar getting drunk. What's the big deal? Just curious. |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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edwardcatflap wrote: |
It's a bunch of guys, sitting around in a bar getting drunk. What's the big deal? Just curious. |
Networking!!! |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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DejaVu wrote: |
I know your Korean is pretty good by now and so you know more than me.
Still, with all respect, I do think that longer you live here, the more accustomed you are and the less you realize how large of a difference there really is. I'm clearly no expert but even after 2 years, I'm starting to forget exactly what thrilled me and debilitated me when I first arrived. |
I think it's two part
-Being here so long, and being away from the west, I'm not always clear what belongs to which culture.
-Korea is changing so much, I'm not sure what "Korean" means anymore. Sure, we can say "Korean food is _______". But I asked my class yesterday what they ate for breakfast, and only 25% ate what we would consider Korean food.
/shrug
That's why I just am not sure how to answer any more. |
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12ax7
Joined: 07 Nov 2009
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Captain Corea wrote: |
DejaVu wrote: |
I know your Korean is pretty good by now and so you know more than me.
Still, with all respect, I do think that longer you live here, the more accustomed you are and the less you realize how large of a difference there really is. I'm clearly no expert but even after 2 years, I'm starting to forget exactly what thrilled me and debilitated me when I first arrived. |
I think it's two part
-Being here so long, and being away from the west, I'm not always clear what belongs to which culture.
-Korea is changing so much, I'm not sure what "Korean" means anymore. Sure, we can say "Korean food is _______". But I asked my class yesterday what they ate for breakfast, and only 25% ate what we would consider Korean food.
/shrug
That's why I just am not sure how to answer any more. |
Yup. When it comes up with my students, many will answer, "Coffee and bread".
A bit off topic, but I remember when it was nearly impossible to get a good cup of coffee in Korea. Your choices were limited to instant or watered down hazelnut-scented coffee at 99.99% of coffee shop.
It all changed when Starbucks opened its first store near Ewha University somewhere between 1999 and 2001. Coffee became trendy and consumers started demanding a better quality brew. |
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