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Canada in the house!
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Little Canadian, why did you come here?
Running from my student loan
15%
 15%  [ 10 ]
Seeing the world
27%
 27%  [ 18 ]
No jobs back home
15%
 15%  [ 10 ]
I always wanted to be a teacher
9%
 9%  [ 6 ]
All of the above
15%
 15%  [ 10 ]
none of the above
16%
 16%  [ 11 ]
Total Votes : 65

Author Message
william beckerson
Guest




PostPosted: Thu Jan 16, 2003 11:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The women here are absolutely gorgeous, funny, sexy and such a breath of fresh air compared to North American women.


I find good-looking women to be the same in every country. Like an expensive car: Nice to look at, to make your friends jelous, too damned expensive to maintain.
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paul



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Taiwan

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 12:56 am    Post subject: Re: Thanks Reply with quote

half_pint wrote:
Hotuk, thanks for your defence of North American women......we aren't all horrible creatures! Smile



Well there ya go....I didn't say you were horrible creatures! But that is exactly what I am talking about when I say Korean women are a breath of fresh air: They don't immediately jump to some strange and negative conclusion like North American women who have attitude problems. Come to think of it, that's a big reason I don't mind staying in Korea and having a Korean girlfriend. They actually appreciate men and they certainly are not as presumptuous about having a boyfriend and expecting him to kiss their ass and like it.
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half_pint



Joined: 16 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 1:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Paul, please note the little smiley face at the end of my last post. I am not jumping to conclusions, it was a joke! Laugh a little!

I was actually going to ignore your comment about North American women when I first read it....shouldn't gone with my first instinct. Sorry if I have offended you......
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Hyalucent



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: British North America

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 2:20 am    Post subject: Checking in... Reply with quote

I'll take up the challenge to check in (but avoid the debates Smile ). You guys are right in saying there are a lot of Nova Scotian'ers here. My home town is Miramichi, NB, but Nova Scotia is the ancestral home for me and half my life's been spent there (including university).

If those Bluenoser parties ever start up again, let me know. It'd be nice to meet some old salts from back home. My 'old crew' is currently on 'sabbatical' from Korea right now. Sad
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Ka-CHING!



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 3:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So far, I'm the only one to vote I always wanted to be a teacher. Sigh - I'm such a keener. Razz

And I'll further add that I'm a North American woman, and I'm sure there are some who would say that I am indeed a horrible person. Mr. Green

I'm from BC - grew up in Kamloops, last lived in Vancouver.
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chi-chi



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 5:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why the generalizations and comparisons?
That is like saying, "All black people are loud...white people are such a breath of fresh air compared to black people" (NOT MY OPINION BUT AN EXAMPLE OF A COMPARABLE STATEMENT.)
I think a lot of people come here because they see something they hate in themselves, because they hate their own race.
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william beckerson
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Why the generalizations and comparisons?
That is like saying, "All black people are loud...white people are such a breath of fresh air compared to black people" (NOT MY OPINION BUT AN EXAMPLE OF A COMPARABLE STATEMENT.)
I think a lot of people come here because they see something they hate in themselves, because they hate their own race.


Because making comparisons and to your previous experiences is the only way to stay mentally focused when new information and experinces are presented to you.

Genralizations are important because no one has the time to get to know every little aspect of every single person on earth. Not to mention that these things are self-perpetuating. To use your sarcastic example: Black folks are loud because everyone expects them to be and in order to maintain a racial ID, they need to be loud.

In a perfect "Star Trek" world, we wouldnt have this. But we do and I think its and acceptable thing to help you start figuring things out.

I think this only becomes a problem when you use it as a basis to supress or discriminate against someone. It's really a long way from thinking "Black folks are loud" to thinking "Let's lynch them all" to actually doing the lynching.

try to see a statement for what it actually is instead of there being some hidden meaning.
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taejonguy



Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon, Korea

PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2003 7:25 pm    Post subject: Generalizations... Reply with quote

Let's face it they are at fact of life. We use them every day in uncountable ways. The point is this: the generalization must be filtered with common sense. Use it... it is a wonderous thing! Wink

To say "all Canadians are economic refugees" is patently false... however to say "that the poor economy in Canada is the reason they are in Korea" may be acceptable.
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IconsFanatic



Joined: 19 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 2003 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most North American women are softies: you have have to get through their projected tough shell.

Yeah, there are a lot of head games with most Western women, but it's the same way with Koreans, or any other women, quite frankly. It's just that with Korean women, the head games increase, rather than decrease over time.... Rolling Eyes

Oh, and about me.... from Vancouver, currently on the Sunshine Coast, about to head to Busan in a couple of weeks.

Here's me at a soccer game in Toronto this past summer, cheering on Vancouver, in full colour(!):



Last edited by IconsFanatic on Sun Jan 19, 2003 3:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Hank Scorpio



Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 2003 3:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A little boy races home from school and excitedly tells his father, "Dad! We found out in class today that in India men don't even know the women they're going to marry!"

His father looks at him and says, "It's the same way in this country, son."
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Tancred



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Upon a mountain in unknown Kadath

PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 2003 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

taejonguy wrote:
Quote:
after 10 years the loans ARE covered by bankruptcy


Where did you find this information? I am not disputing it but it goes against what a lawyer friend of mine and my account have told me. I would like to correct them if they are wrong. Is there a website where this is stated?

Thanks and good luck...Banks are the SCUM of the earth
!


hey daejonguy...

10 years after you've completed your studies, student loans in canada are no longer exempt from bankruptcy protection. This means that you can declare bankruptcy and the loans get wiped out...you know, if you can bide time for 10 years that is. I don't have any specific links to give you...but i've done extensive research on this...check with a bankruptcy trustee or google any number of sites regarding "bankruptcy student loans canada"...without the quotes. if you truly can't find anything email me, and when i have more time i'll find a link for you....

good luck, and fight the power...

t.
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jsmac



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Gangwon-do

PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 2003 10:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think I have to write in a response to your poll because none of the available options quite cover it. Yes, I have loans, but certainly not crippling ones. I have no problem finding work in Canada, and I've already begun an academic career and have teaching experience, but I need time to decide whether to pursue it full time or focus on my other (theatre) career instead, or switch fields altogether.

Two out of those 3 options will require me to do yet another degree, which I don't want to do right now, and all 3 will require a substantial investment and commitment, and i'm not prepared to do either right now. I want to invest at least two years in travelling before I lock into another degree or theatre company, and if I do a year in Korea I can attend to my debts, do some travelling (I have a uni job with lots of vacation, at least in theory), and then spend the following year doing whatever I want.

So no, I'm certainly not an 'economic refugee' of Soviet Canuckistan. A lot of Americans, especially the working poor who never get to travel, have been led to believe that Canada is a communist hell of hospital waiting rooms, energy shortages and worthless currency. It's easy for them to think that because a canadian dollar is worth less than an american dollar, we must be poor -- it's easy to forget that we don't face crippling medical insurance costs, to name just one example. The pound sterling is worth MORE than an american dollar, but to suggest that the UK standard of living is proportionately higher is absurd! If there are some Canadian deadbeats out there whining to Americans about how they had to come here to skip out on student loans because there are no jobs back home, it's a shame, but really, is it more likely that Canadians are all economic refugees or that one guy crying into his soju about how there are no jobs in Calgary is just an unemployable loser? I wouldn't judge Canada by its most embarrassing backpackers any more than I would judge Americans by Big Bill...
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paul



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Taiwan

PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2003 6:21 am    Post subject: economic refugees? Reply with quote

Maybe we should all ask the question, like what the hell is wrong with being in Asia? It's been around a lot longer than Canada or the U.S. so they must be doing something right.
Simplistic thinking? Maybe. But to be quite honest I'm a Canadian and it was just getting boring over there. I needed a wake up call and I sure got it. I know the cultural experience will do me good. Just imagine all your drinking buddies back home listenting to the same political double-speak and dealing with the same inflation problems (smokes $7 a pack last I heard), not to mention all the pressures of finding a decent job after 10 years out of college or uni. Just think about some of the stories you will tell them. They'll never believe this shit.
At least in Korea we don't have to deal with most of the same problems back home because here, almost everything is temporary.
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Hank Scorpio



Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2003 6:32 am    Post subject: Re: economic refugees? Reply with quote

paul wrote:
Maybe we should all ask the question, like what the hell is wrong with being in Asia? It's been around a lot longer than Canada or the U.S. so they must be doing something right.


To the best of my knowledge, no Asian country has a current government that predates either Canada or the US. If you're implying that the Asian landmass is older than the US or Canada, well that's just silly.

I guess I'm just trying to figure out what you meant by that.
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The Lemon



Joined: 11 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2003 6:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Paul:
Quote:
Just imagine all your drinking buddies back home... Just think about some of the stories you will tell them. They'll never believe this *beep*.

One of the weirdest forms of culture shock is the kind that'll knock you in the head when you go home. Sure, people who missed you will be glad to see you. But you may find (I certainly did) that they will tire very quickly of "Korea" stories. Your experiences here are very personal ones that you'll value more than anyone else. And I guess that's the way it should be.

To Hank Scorpio:
Not to be a know-it-all, but Thailand's been going for a long long long time. And technically, Japan too - they were allowed to retain their emperor in 1945.
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