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demaratusinTW
Joined: 25 Feb 2007
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 Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:52 am Post subject: How Do You All Function Here? |
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Everythings pretty topsy-turvy here. I feel lost. There's a crabby old woman who scowls at me. Some kids are pointing at me all the time. . .one threw a rock. It's really depressing. In Taiwan they never mocked me like they do here.
I mean I'm not that bad of a guy but Taiwan seemed so nice compared to these people. How do you all function here?
They say Taiwan's better. . .but I'm feeling that working here is definitely better. Although living is bitter as the old woman's scowl. I'm a Canadian too, so they shouldn't be angry at me, should they? I heard they hate the Americans. So I feel like they think I'm an American, is that it?
One guy cut right in front of me when I was at the bus station too. I burped behind his back. Then he said something like 'Twagee.' What's that mean? |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:11 am Post subject: |
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| No way, this can't be real. Too stereotypical. |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:18 am Post subject: Re: How Do You All Function Here? |
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| demaratusinTW wrote: |
| 'Twagee.' |
I'll bite. Sounds like 돼지. Pig. |
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yesnoyesyesno
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:59 am Post subject: Re: How Do You All Function Here? |
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| i think korean kids (and even adults) should be educated so that they realize that pointing and staring and saying "HELLO" to a white person they see on the street is incredibly rude and offensive. No one is teaching those kids that that's rude, in Canada, kids are taught to treat everyone equally and people who act racist or do anything rude like that are not highly thought of. most people in canada who do those kinds of things know its rude and do it because of it. but the problem is no one in korea knows that that is rude. i think white people in korea should make it a point to the koreans that that kind of behaviour is rude. most white people in canada probably didn't know that using funny jive talk when the see black people or making funny asian sounding sounds to asian people was rude until they were told it was rude and they changed. that pointing and "HELLO!" business will not end if they are told its rude, but it will sure be looked down upon |
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huffdaddy
Joined: 25 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:19 am Post subject: Re: How Do You All Function Here? |
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| yesnoyesyesno wrote: |
| i think korean kids (and even adults) should be educated so that they realize that pointing and staring and saying "HELLO" to a white person they see on the street is incredibly rude and offensive. |
It'd be interesting to see if there is a correlation between exposure to foreigners and staring and saying "HELLO." My guess is that kids with close contact to foreigners, predominately via hogwans, are less likely to behave like asses. And if you asked parents, alleviating this behavior is probably one of the main reasons why they prefer non-gyopos as hagwon teachers. Again, this is only conjecture on my part. But it'd be an interesting study. Too bad the social sciences aren't emphasised more in Korea. |
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djsmnc
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:20 am Post subject: Re: How Do You All Function Here? |
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| demaratusinTW wrote: |
Everythings pretty topsy-turvy here. I feel lost. There's a crabby old woman who scowls at me. Some kids are pointing at me all the time. . .one threw a rock. It's really depressing.
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Are you a leper? |
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Woland
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:35 am Post subject: Re: How Do You All Function Here? |
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| huffdaddy wrote: |
| yesnoyesyesno wrote: |
| i think korean kids (and even adults) should be educated so that they realize that pointing and staring and saying "HELLO" to a white person they see on the street is incredibly rude and offensive. |
It'd be interesting to see if there is a correlation between exposure to foreigners and staring and saying "HELLO." My guess is that kids with close contact to foreigners, predominately via hogwans, are less likely to behave like asses. And if you asked parents, alleviating this behavior is probably one of the main reasons why they prefer non-gyopos as hagwon teachers. Again, this is only conjecture on my part. But it'd be an interesting study. Too bad the social sciences aren't emphasised more in Korea. |
Compared to ten years ago, hello-ing in Seoul has declined to almost nothing. Then, it was a daily experience. Over the past year, I've been hello-ed only twice. And this must be set against the one time an elementary school girl looked up at me in sudden shock as she walked along and blurted out an annyeong haseyo. She was in even more shock when I responded in similar fashion. I live in a neighborhood where I've seen exactly three other foreigners, but my apartment building is next door to an elementary school.
My students have told me that one of the reasons they want their children to have stereotypical non-Asian native speaker teachers in hagwon is just what you suggest, so that the children will not be afraid of people who look different. I think this atttitude is a positive thing. |
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LiquidSunshine
Joined: 31 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:56 am Post subject: |
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I don't mind the "hello". It's much better than the "YANKEE GO HOME!". What i do hate is the pointing accompanied by the 'ol "waygook-in". Now that's rude.
Big difference between "ouanamin" and "waygook-in"...at least to my eyes. |
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mnhnhyouh
Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Location: The Middle Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:00 am Post subject: Re: How Do You All Function Here? |
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| yesnoyesyesno wrote: |
| i think korean kids (and even adults) should be educated so that they realize that pointing and staring and saying "HELLO" to a white person they see on the street is incredibly rude and offensive. No one is teaching those kids that that's rude, |
I have had two experiences of parents telling their kids not to behave badly toward me today. One was on a subway when one kid just kept staring, more that I have had before. I smiled back twice, then ignored him. Easy with music 
But his dad dragged the kid away to where he couldnt see me.
Later, as I was waiting at a crossing, two kids in the front of a truck saw me, I was only a few meters from them. They made some noise, I guess, and their father saw that they were pointing at me. He gave one of them a whack.
h |
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Smee
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:05 am Post subject: |
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Maybe they called you 튀기? Mongrel/half-breed?
Anyway, once you practice ignoring the stares, the "hellos" the catcalls, etc., it'll be really easy. |
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Doogie
Joined: 19 Jan 2006
Location: Hwaseong City
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:59 am Post subject: Re: How Do You All Function Here? |
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| yesnoyesyesno wrote: |
| i think korean kids (and even adults) should be educated so that they realize that pointing and staring and saying "HELLO" to a white person they see on the street is incredibly rude and offensive. No one is teaching those kids that that's rude, in Canada, kids are taught to treat everyone equally and people who act racist or do anything rude like that are not highly thought of. most people in canada who do those kinds of things know its rude and do it because of it. but the problem is no one in korea knows that that is rude. i think white people in korea should make it a point to the koreans that that kind of behaviour is rude. most white people in canada probably didn't know that using funny jive talk when the see black people or making funny asian sounding sounds to asian people was rude until they were told it was rude and they changed. that pointing and "HELLO!" business will not end if they are told its rude, but it will sure be looked down upon |
What's wrong with saying "Hello"? The way I see it, if they're going to stare anyway, they may as well say hello. |
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Vancouver
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:01 am Post subject: |
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| Unless you have a "I'm not american" shirt, they won't know that you're not american. If you can't handle Korea, just go back to Taiwan |
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SuperFly
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Location: In the doghouse
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:45 am Post subject: |
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At least they don't look at you guys and lick their chops. At least they don't want to eat you for dinner.
It's disheartening when people look at you and think of dinner as their stomachs growl. I even had one guy salivate all over my fur today on the bus!
I had to keep telling him over and over how Korean dogmeat is better tasting than American dogmeat...FTA, FTA! |
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Bondrock
Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Location: ^_^
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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just a few years back we were all called meeguk. i noticed that 2 or 3 years ago children started saying wayguk... to me that is a positive sign that koreans are progressing. to koreans, all non-koreans are foreigners. when koreans are in a different country, (i.e in the Philippines) they refer to the locals as foreigners... its a language/cultural based thing, i dont think it is meant to be rude.
hello-ing... also has dropped off... but when kids say hello to me, i greet them warmly... they are kids.. they are not the enemy for crying out loud...
in a small town in Canada when a stranger is spotted most locals would say hello... isn't it more rude to ignore them or treat them with hostility...
saying hi or hello, (or welcome to korea) is not even remotely aggressive....
relax and enjoy the ride... |
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SuperHero
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout
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| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: How Do You All Function Here? |
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| demaratusinTW wrote: |
| I'm a Canadian too, so they shouldn't be angry at me, should they? I heard they hate the Americans. So I feel like they think I'm an American, is that it? |
The average Korean on the street doesn't give a rats ass if you are American. But yeah, if you are white, it's safe to assume that people will assume you are american. |
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