Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Derrek]

The really old people are usually the nice ones, in my experience. They remember the korean war, and come from a totally different time period. It's the 30 and 40-something men that seem the worst.

[captain kirk]

in japan on the subway with my camera out to get a shot (visa RUN) of real japanese on the subway looking stoic. a japanese with a camera bag looking like he was off on a hobby photo shoot day-stroll reaches over and hands me a box containing a roll of film, smiling gently. CONNECTION.

[just because]

I've got one to add.....
On saturday, it was in the middle of a thunderstorm and i was looking for a phone(no I don't own a hand phone). So this young man(about 20) asks me what is wrong. i look at him and ask jeonwhaga odiaeissumnikka??? He just hands me his cell phone and when i come back he has bought me an umbrella and a choco milk. I gave him his phone and said thank you and he smiled and kept walking down the street. That was pretty cool, even more impressed considering his age.

[Mosley]

I wouldn't agree that it's usually only the older types that are helpful. I was totally lost in Suwon, looking for my friends' hogwan, when a young guy in his 20s came along, abandoned his wife & child(!) and spent the next half hour helping me find the place. Another time I was walking on the highway after visiting the Canadian Forces Kapyong Memorial. I would've had a W7000 taxi ride back to the bus station, but along comes a guy(35-40) in a phone company van & he takes me to the station! I couldn't pay him anything, of course- he wouldn't hear of it....

[Butterfly]

[BTM]

Thanks for this thread, folks. Although we all need this place to vent a bit, it is true (and I often forget) that there are kind, decent people here, as there are anywhere.

Foreign and Korean.

[Jensen]

Damn, this is too positive for me, I think I'm feeling ill.

[ratslash]

wicked!

can't complain about that now can ya!

[Seoultrader]

[coolsage]

Spontaneous gestures such as these are exceptional and well-remembered. They indicate that there are indeed splendid people in this country, in places where one would least expect them, such as a snack bar in a bus depot. And their very presence does much to obviate the frequent daily grind here of the pushing, the shoving, the spitting in ashtrays, the puking in urinals or on the pavement, the veggie trucks shouting in your face at six o'clock on a Sunday morning, the garbage collectors crushing stuff around your place at three in the morning. It's all a matter of perspective. Given these conditions, it is conceivable to live a life of some quality here, even without regular access to some of the ingredients that tend to smooth the path.

[Squid]

Wifey suckered me into an outing to Youido a while back to look at the blossoming trees that line the street. The usual mad crush of people taking a 100MPH "Stroll" made my head spin so we took a moment to sit in a small park.
A family group a few feet away noticed us and the ajummas dug around in their bags to bring us apples, bananas, some cake and those kids little yogurt drinks... more indeed than we could possibly eat- and an embarrassingly shiny, positive and warm moment I've had here in Korea.

Almost makes up for the serial hoiking and spitting.

Squid

[Austin]

I was heading into Seoul on a train. When the train arrived at Seoul station, this little old lady was struggling with her boxes, etc. (you could tell she had lived a hard life). Several Koreans just passed her by as they were looking to exit the train. I went over and grabbed her belongings, and she turned to me with a smile and a touch on the hand.

We made our way through the station, and I asked her where she was going. "Uijongbu" she stated, as she jestered for me to return her things (they were freaking heavy and there was no way I was going to leave her to carry them by herself, as I have a couple of grandmothers of my own). I told her that we would go together (though I was not going that direction). She tried to buy my ticket, but I insisted.

Upon arriving at Uijongbu, I escorted her into taxi. Gave the driver money for her fare and wished her well, as our eyes met one last time to say "good-bye."

During that short time together that little old lady kept on muttering to herself how surprised and grateful she was, but I enjoyed it equally as much.

My point is simple. It goes both ways.

Later that day, I made my way to the Sheraton Walker Hill Casino and won one million KRW!

Thank you Korea! You reap what you sow.

[whatthefunk]

Giving this a bump to share my little tale..

I have one pen to my name, and i don't intend to buy another one. Anyway, a little girl stole my pen today during a game. I later saw that she had it and asked for it back. She said that it was hers. I didn't want to make a scene, and its just a pen, so i let it go. She then hid it from me for the rest of the class. After class, she came up with her head down, almost in tears and gave me my pen back. Wow.

[Son Deureo!]

WTF, I can relate to your tale. I play games in class sometimes where the kids need to flip a coin. Being the forgetful buffoon that I am I frequently forget to take the coin back. I never cease to be amazed that every single time one of my kids brings it back to me, smiling, and offering my coin back to me with both hands. It melts my heart every time.

Oh, and I let them keep it for their honesty.

[inexhile]

Yeah this is very cool thread, whenever I get a little down I just have to take a walk and some strange Korean will soon cheer me up, whether they be young or old.
I was eating Galbi a few weeks ago, and thought I could handle a whole chilli. I ate it, and it was very, very uncomfortably HOT, a korean customer sees my discomfort and rushes to the ice cream machine, brings me a icy cone and apologises for the chilli being hot. Thanx Korea!!