Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lulu144]

I am! and I was considering taking part of my vacation time to go back to Canada for 2 weeks. I told my mother this and she said... couldn't that money be better spent paying of student loans... thanks for nothing mom, and making me feel soo much better. Fine I guess I'll just stay in Korea and rot away forever. great.

[laogaiguk]

Your avatar is cute

Yeah, I am going home for Christmas for the first time in atleast 3 years (more I think). But don't worry too much. Give the family a call and buy yourself a little Christmas tree and decorate it. Try to spend the day with some friends if you can (or atleast the day before, being a Sunday).

[Boodleheimer]

i do sometimes get homesick, but it's for that idealized christmas, if you get my meaning. once i'm there, with all the relatives and their issues, i want to get the hell out.

i haven't spent christmas at home in about 4 years, and i think that's a good thing.

the worst part isn't the homesickness (once i start to remember what the festivities at home usually involve), but the guilt trips from family. plus, i'm catholic, so i feel guilty anyway.

[crazylemongirl]

Hmmm I must confess that the only things I miss from home at this time of year are some decent christmas mince pies and the beach. Aside from that, the thought of having to join the masses in a consumer frenzy and spending time with relatives I don't like makes me happy to be tucked up safe in Korea.

So no, I'm not homesick for christmas. Once you've been abroad for more than a year in a country that doesn't really celebrate it, you realize it doesn't really matter much.

Find some friends and go to a hotel and shell out for a nice christmas feed if you are desperate.

[ttompatz]

[Corporal]

OP: How old are you??

[hogwonguy1979]

not really anymore when we go back to the states like we will this week, we are forced to spend Christmas staying at a hotel since my mother-in-laws house is too small for us. Not much on my side either, this year my father decided we were too old for Christmas presents and my family is all over the country

I'd rather spend Christmas here in Korea in our own apartment or someplace nice like Bali like we did a few years ago then spend New Years in the States, better things to do there for NYE than here

[mike_gwangju]

I'm only 21 and have been in Korea since early November. This would have been my first Christmas away from home.

A week after arriving, having realised that I hated everything about this strange new land and my crazy new job, I booked a flight home for Christmas.

There was always the option that I might never use the return portion of my ticket. I honestly believed early into my contract that this life wasn't for me, so I was considering giving the required 4 weeks notice and getting out.

But everything is so different now. I'm really enjoying myself. The people are great, the school and children aren't so bad and my apartment is.. well.. let's not go there.

I'll definitely be climbing aboard that plane on 31st December, coming back to Korea after a week in England.

[oneofthesarahs]

Missing Christmas is making me a little homesick. Mostly because my family doesn't get together all that often, but Christmas is our THING. We go all out: presents, decorations, food, the works. This will be my first Christmas away from all that, so I was starting to feel pretty bummed out.

I combatted the homesickness by buying some wicked Christmas presents for my family and mailing them back home so it would still be sort of like I was there. And I decorated my apartment, made cookies for my coworkers, I've switched all of my award stickers for the students to Christmas stickers, and I've been forcing candy canes on every Korean person I know.

It's worked so far!

[Mr. BlackCat]

I've missed Christmas at home a couple of times including last year in Korea. This year I took some time off between contracts be here for the holidays. You know what you're missing?

Crazy middle-aged ladies elbowing you and running into you with carts in stores. Maniacs on the road who have to get to [insert big box store name here] by 9pm. Over-consumption and obscene commercialisation. Religious battles over a tiny tree in a hallway and the use of 'holiday' instead of Christmas. Fox pundits who use this 'war on Christmas' to clog the airways instead of seeing fun movies like the Grinch or Elf. Whiny kids. And, of course, families shouting and calling each other names because one wants dinner at their house and the other cannot imagine agreeing to such a travesty.

Frankly, I enjoyed Christmas abroad because I got to decide what to do and how to do it. I love my family and friends but, man, candy canes must induce insane delusions. I miss the Labour Day camping trip everyone takes here much more.

I'm going to sound like an old man here, but Christmas was much more fun when I was a kid. Stupid movies, arts and crafts. And I was lucky to get a comic book of HeMan. Not these video machines these young 'uns are getting. And to all the parents out there, if your kids yells at Santa in the Mall please, for the good of society, beat the snot out of him and put him on the first plane to New Orleans to see what others are getting for Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

[mindmetoo]

Meh. I appreciate the total lack of pre-Christmas stress. No trip home to plan. No worries about weather and flight delays. No massive expenditures for Christmas presents. It's bliss.

[the_beaver]

I haven't been home for Christmas since 1994.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think it's been since 1987 for me, but I still miss certain parts, not the expense and wacky relatives part.

Living in Korea, I miss things like hearing Christmas music in stores or when walking down the street. I miss the colors of Christmas tree lights, tinsel and wrapping paper. I miss the smell of evergreen trees and turkey roasting.

I think it's a good idea to have your own Christmas tree, arrange to exchange presents with friends, organize a special dinner and a special day, no matter what it is.

[SuperHero]

Christmas, whatever. Back in September my sister called me to let me know she had finished christmas shopping. WTF, it's freakin September. Here it is December 19th and I haven't even started.

I haven't spent a Christmas with my family since 1994, though there was the Christmas in Vancouver with my uncles family in '95 that was much better than my own family.

Christmas = overrated and commercialized.

[theatrelily]

I don't really get homesick.

the best Christmas I have ever had was actually my first one here a few years back. I desperately wanted to try and have a "regular" Christmas so we went all out.

We had 15 people over for a dinner of boiled chickens (no oven, no turkey), everyone brought food and gifts and we spent the better part of 13 hours watching movies, eating, opening gifts and playing drinking games.

I find surrounding myself by friends and just focusing on enjoying their company is exactly what I need this time of year...

...throwing a turkey, some handmade chocolate truffles, barley toys, tourtieres (no accents, sorry), spinach dip and eggnog into the mix doesn't hurt....