Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Boodleheimer]

right, so one of my students approached me-- actually, he handed me a note that he had obviously painstakingly written. he said he's going to america in February. the "city" is Alabama. he wants to know what i know about it because i'm from Arizona (which is wrong, by the way. i'm virginian)-- i guess the similarities between the two words confused him somehow.

anyhow, the only things i could think of were "redneck", "hick", "hunting", "Gone With the Wind" (which is actually in Georgia), "Dukes of Hazzard" (which i think is also in Georgia) and all the stereotypes associated that i have heretofore not mentioned. (i know, i'm a bad person, but if he had said "new york city" i would have immediately thought "guns", "turf wars", "crack", "metric system" (cocaine), "pollution", "crime", and "racist cops".)

any alabamians/alabamans willing to share their real culture?

[Buff]

I'm not from Alabama, but the space center there is pretty cool.

[Bibbitybop]

Lynyrd Skynyrd may be appropriate here. They have beach access, but that's about all Alabama has going for it.

[hubba bubba]

Forrest Gump was from Alabama. And Jenny.

[PGF]

They speak English as almost as well as Korean students? j/k

Find out what city he/she is going to. Montgomery is not too bad. Any rural areas would be hell for any foreigner, I imagine.

[periwinkle]

Nice weather. I think it's pretty lush and green there. Montgomery sounds peaceful. Bet you could get some damn good fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, homemade macaroni and cheese, etc. I think there's a good civil rights museum in Montgomery, as well. I'm trying to remember what they say on the city quiz (on AFN) about Montgomery , but I keep thinking of Little Rock. I know several Koreans who've studied there. They didn't have anything negative to say.

[Boodleheimer]

i'm simplifying the Wikipedia article for him, but i need something with HEART!

mmmm... biscuits and gravy... good call, periwinkle!

[Smee]

How old is the student?

Aside from racism and rednecks---though you can associate those with any state---I think of football when I think of Alabama. Might be interested in learning about football. And of course, food.

Here's the link to the Korean Student Association at the University of Alabama at Birmingham: http://www.uab.edu/koreans/ Maybe he or his family can get in touch with someone to help learn the ropes.

[charlieDD]

I believe that's where Hyundai has their first North American factory, just outside Montgomery. Maybe his Daddy is going there to work?

[RACETRAITOR]

Why do they always send Korean exchange students to hick states? I had a student who was sent to a home in Kansas where they didn't even have a telephone. She had to go to the school to use the Internet. Also, she was atheist and was paired up with a hardcore Christian family.

[Benicio]

That song is misleading!

Lynyrd Skynyrd are actually from Jacksonville, Florida.
Same as me.

Everybody thinks they are from Alabama because of that song.

Alabama is real country! That's about it.

You can get some great fireworks that are illegal in other states!

[Benicio]

Well, racetraitor, I guess it's cheaper and all the "metropolitan/cosmopolitan" places have been overrun by Koreans. They know that if they go to those places, they'll just hang out with Koreans and not learn any English.

[Rteacher]

Don't forget this website:http://www.thealabamaband.com/

[buster brown]

Well, I'm not from Alabama but most of my family is. I lived next door in Georgia most of my formative years. One of my best friends in college was a Korean-American who grew up in Anniston, Alabama. The first time I met him, I thought he was making fun of my accent because he was talking with this really, really deep southern drawl. After a few hours I figured out that it was the way he really talked!

What's to tell about Alabama? All of those redneck jokes could be told about people in every state in the US...including New York and California. You're right, there won't be too many Koreans to hang around with no matter where your student is going. Let's hope it's Montgomery, Huntsville, Auburn, Tuscaloosa or Birmingham. It might be a coincidence, but one of my adult students is going to be taking a sabattical at the University of Alabama next year. She's taking her two kids along with her...no chance it's the same family, is it?

What kind of stuff do you want to know? The main source of entertainment for Koreans in Alabama is going to come from the Internet. The closest they'll come to any type of Korean experience is a trip to the mall. There's some great pork barbeque to be had, especially Dreamland barbeque ribs. Other than that, Alabama is just a big, mostly-rural state without alot of diversity. Oh yeah, your student is going to come in contact with alot of African-Americans for the first time in his life. If he's any good at sports he'll have lots of chances to play soccer, basketball or baseball...maybe give American football a chance. Alot of the social activity in any southern state revolves around church involvement. There are usually free ESL classes offered by local churches even if he's not Christian.

Alright, I ran out of things write about. He can visit www.50states.com for any other general information. If you have something specific in mind or if you find out where he's going to be living, feel free to PM me. I can always ask my family for information about smaller communities.

[Ya-ta Boy]