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this board is so friendly compared to the Korea board!

 
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pest2



Joined: 28 Oct 2006
Posts: 170

PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:50 am    Post subject: this board is so friendly compared to the Korea board! Reply with quote

I wonder why. Is it because people are happier in Taiwan? Or maybe there just aren't as many people reading to clash with others....?
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Serious_Fun



Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 1171
Location: terra incognita

PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 2:34 pm    Post subject: Re: this board is so friendly compared to the Korea board! Reply with quote

pest2 wrote:
I wonder why. Is it because people are happier in Taiwan? Or maybe there just aren't as many people reading to clash with others....?


We are much to busy either teaching our students OR doing the Happy Dance!



(no...that is not me in the photo! I only dance while surrounded by a bevy of betelnut beauties)
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tedkarma



Joined: 17 May 2004
Posts: 1598
Location: The World is my Oyster

PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 3:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was a lot happier living in Taiwan than in Korea . . .
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SEndrigo



Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 437

PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 6:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That seems to be the consensus across the board, from what I've seen.

Essentially this: In Korea you can save more money, but the quality of life is better in Taiwan.

I have a friend who has done Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, and is now back in his home country, but he tells me he liked Taiwan the best.

Now that the OP mentions it, yes, the people in this forum are really helpful and courteous, much more so than the Japan forum, where people tend to lash out sometimes.

It's all good though, we're all human beings, we're all expats looking for adventure and excitement living in another country, so really, we all experience a part of ourselves through each other, and experience life through each other...not to sound all philosophical or esoteric here, but I think it's good that people in this forum are getting along, and they help everyone, even people like me who aren't English teachers.

Let's keep it that way!
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forest1979



Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 507
Location: SE Asia

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can only speak for myself, and can only give a my perception of people on this site, but the Taiwan board seems to be full of pragmatists who much prefer to offer constructive advice than spend the same amount of time pouring vitriol onto someone. I don't think it's any more complicated than that. And long may it continue!
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jotham



Joined: 05 Jul 2007
Posts: 77

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Japan board can be a little strange sometimes. Recently, I was on there to talk about setting up and employing interesting debate forums in class as an effective tool for speaking practice. The discussion quickly broke down from there and took a turn as they started tearing into each other about whether the Japanese or British were worse colonists than the other. It was so deeply felt and vehement � you would have thought it was all transpiring today. The moderator finally locked it up.
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taiwiener



Joined: 23 Apr 2007
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can only agree, however there seems to be a few posters from Korea who "play the piper" about Korea. Why would you think that is ? Question
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SEndrigo



Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 437

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jotham wrote:
The Japan board can be a little strange sometimes. Recently, I was on there to talk about setting up and employing interesting debate forums in class as an effective tool for speaking practice. The discussion quickly broke down from there and took a turn as they started tearing into each other about whether the Japanese or British were worse colonists than the other. It was so deeply felt and vehement � you would have thought it was all transpiring today. The moderator finally locked it up.


hahaha...why am I not surprised!

Sometimes you have to wonder why people put so much energy into discussions and interactions that hurt other people...it's mind boggling, actually!

Those guys need to just take it easy. They should all get baked and go to karaoke together!

There are a lot of karaoke parlors in Japan...lol!
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SEndrigo



Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 437

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

taiwiener wrote:
I can only agree, however there seems to be a few posters from Korea who "play the piper" about Korea. Why would you think that is ? Question


Same as in the Japan forums or anywhere else - they're not happy with their lives or truly happy with themselves.

It's a mirror of how they actually, deep down inside, feel about themselves.

If you're happy, if you're TRULY happy, then you won't waste time arguing with others or making people feel worse about themselves.

Just my two yen...two won...two cents rather!
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MomCat



Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 297

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, we have our days here too. We're human and have differing opinions. But I don't think you'll find anyone really evil here. Thanks for the kind words, I hope a few of you end up making this your home and adding to the mix.
Cat
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SEndrigo



Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 437

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MomCat wrote:
Oh, we have our days here too. We're human and have differing opinions. But I don't think you'll find anyone really evil here. Thanks for the kind words, I hope a few of you end up making this your home and adding to the mix.
Cat


Thanks, Cat!

Well, I'll be there for at least 3 months, hoping to be there longer too, if things work out.

Would like to travel the country extensively while I'm there too, just to see if I might like another city more than Taipei, though at first I'll be based in Taipei.
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just4u



Joined: 27 May 2007
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 12:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

People say that the Korea board is the worst, but in my personal experience, on the Korean forum, you just get flamed and made fun of if you post something goofy, and there does seem to be the occasional dark horse, but the Japan forum is the only one I can think of where you get chewed out for asking newbie questions and for not having a doctorate....at the age of 22....

I know I have flip flopped about how I feel about the three countries a billion times, simply because there are so many different factors and a pro for one country can be a con for another...but I will say this..in dealing with people I work with and for..I will take a good personality any day over someone who is highly educated, but yet has pretension....someone who is laid back and a little bit less professional over someone overly perfectionistic...and someone who is a little less beautiful over someone beautiful and mean. Korea is known for the beautiful people and Japan is known for being uber-professional, but where's the heart? Both countries have their own great aspects, don't get me wrong. But a big bulk of your social dealings will be with the foreign teacher community. I live in a community now that reminds me a lot of both the ft community in Korea and Japan. I just miss humility and easy going laughter. Whatever. I'm done posting. And before anyone starts, I'm not saying this to flame Korea or Japan, but I think I kept a lot bottled up inside when I was in both of those countries, and I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. So I apologize for my catharatic rant.
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StayingPower



Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 252

PostPosted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think it's because there's sort of a false facade some try to paint here and the Korean board is, if anything, at least REALISTIC! There seems to be a vanguard here-and I'm not pointing fingers-that wants to keep it this way.

MOD EDIT

And No, it's not because "people are happier" There also seems to be quite a hard-bitten lot here. It's just because Taiwan's more civil, less apt to get your goat, and then some.

Korean kindness and generosity are renown compared to Taiwan, though I do find Taiwan offers a good dose of civil kindness and less xenophobia.
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SEndrigo



Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 437

PostPosted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

just4u wrote:
but where's the heart? Both countries have their own great aspects, don't get me wrong. But a big bulk of your social dealings will be with the foreign teacher community. I live in a community now that reminds me a lot of both the ft community in Korea and Japan. I just miss humility and easy going laughter. Whatever. I'm done posting. And before anyone starts, I'm not saying this to flame Korea or Japan, but I think I kept a lot bottled up inside when I was in both of those countries, and I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. So I apologize for my catharatic rant.


Hey man, (you very well could be a woman, but I'm just trying to empathize here...lol!)

Thanks a lot for posting, it's good to hear your honest opinions.

I haven't ever lived in Korea, but I did live in Japan, and think it's a great country, but totally understand what you mean.

I've lived on four different continents so far, and have found it more difficult to create good friendships with Japanese than with any other group of people I have met so far.

Now, I won't really delve into the reasons why I think it is so, but the very fact of the matter is that others have shared my subjective experiences, which makes it so.

DISCLAIMER: I'm going to generalize here...

I have found Japanese people to be the MOST polite people on Earth hands down, but have found few of them to be generally friendly or warm. In my personal and subjective experience, I find a lot of them to be aloof, and I guess that's not bad, but I'm a VERY warm, friendly, open, and approachable person who likes making friends with everybody.

So that's kind of what I am looking for by coming to Taiwan - I'm looking for friendly people.

Again, I am merely generalizing based on my own subjective experiences, and there are Japanese people who are NOT aloof, and who are very friendly and warm.

Also I realize that in order to have people be friendly to you, you have to first be friendly to them, and I live by that every day.
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jotham



Joined: 05 Jul 2007
Posts: 77

PostPosted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

just4u wrote:
Korea is known for the beautiful people and Japan is known for being uber-professional, but where's the heart?

Koreans certainly are classy and tend to show good taste, for example, in clothing � even their casual wear. And I've heard it said that Seoul is the tie capital of the world. Taiwanese, on the other hand, are a bit more earthy in comparison, like their night markets � which are symptomatic of a general lack of commitment to quality and excellence in most fields and endeavours across the board. Fashion is fashion; but it seems to be just one of many small indicators pointing to broader tendencies in the general culture and thinking. Anna Wintour, famous editor of American Vogue, once said, "You look at any great fashion photograph (out of context) � it will tell you just as much about what's going on in the world as a headline in the New York Times." (Anna Wintour was famously depicted by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.)
http://www.time.com/time/2004/style/020904/power/3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Wintour
You say the Japanese are uber-professional, and that may be; but after being in Taiwan for five years, that would come across as a breath of fresh air. Taiwanese friends are wonderful and I could care less about their clothes or any perceived lack of personal high standards � but where a lack of excellence does irritate me is in the workplace. It sometimes appears as if attention to detail and sincere attempts at quality are openly mocked and questioned for the higher purpose of practicality. There should be a balance to be sure � but to disregard quality as utter nonsense is going over that line of balance in my book. I don't think any harm would be done in turning the quality knob in Taiwan up a few notches.
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