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Saxiif
Joined: 15 May 2003
Location: Seongnam
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 Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:53 am Post subject: |
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| That said, I wouldn't necessarily want to live there. The people I've talked to who had to live there have done nothing but complain about their accommodations. Moran gave me the creeps, as basically the entire area is a product of the sex industry. |
Yeah most of the buildings are a bit run down and I'd hate to live in hagwon-provided housing in Seongnam. But if you're not living in hagwon-provided housing Seongnam is a great place to commute into Seoul from, with a little looking there are some insanely cheap accomodations. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:14 am Post subject: |
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| Saxiif wrote: |
| Quote: |
| That said, I wouldn't necessarily want to live there. The people I've talked to who had to live there have done nothing but complain about their accommodations. Moran gave me the creeps, as basically the entire area is a product of the sex industry. |
Yeah most of the buildings are a bit run down and I'd hate to live in hagwon-provided housing in Seongnam. But if you're not living in hagwon-provided housing Seongnam is a great place to commute into Seoul from, with a little looking there are some insanely cheap accomodations. |
Right. It may be one of the cheapest places in Gyeonggi-do to live, yet it's 20 minutes from Gangnam!
Hurrah! One plus point for Seongnam! |
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Ecumenist
Joined: 04 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:31 am Post subject: |
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All the love for Seongnam! Woo-hoo!!
It is sad that so many of the women there are involved in the sex industry but the best part of the place is the women there. By which I mean the uni students as well--reall, edgey, partying, smart, SUPER-sexy, thin women. Not like the new breed of privileged, pudge princesses in Seoul. Even the ones that aren't stumpy in Seoul are so obsessed with status, potential hubby's cashflow and meeting the girls for coffee to compare their status and their potential hubby's cashflow, that...blech.
It's also a place to teach real students that you can do something for. I taught right on the edge of Yatap and 75% of my students were from the Seongnam side and 25% were from Bundang. Yes, most of the kids from Bundang spoke better English, but the kids from Seongnam were 1000x more respectful and willing to learn. The Bundang kids tried(they didn't get very far with this) to treat me like they treat their hagwon monkeys--but the Seongnam kids were genuinely grateful for the presence of a foreign teacher--and were willing to work hard to improve. In the end, the Seongnam kids had the best grades and best high school entry results, even though the Bundangers still had better pronunciation.
It really proved to me that the demographic in which the Korean flavors of xenophobia and international status paranoia are endemic are the ones that foreigners usually have contact with--the privileged classes and the social climbers whose kids most expats teach in their hagwons and unis. But there are plenty of real people too.
Seongnam! |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:32 am Post subject: |
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| jinju wrote: |
| Whats the subway stop? |
My stop is "Nam han san seong" station, 8 stops down from Chamsil stn, 4 before Moran station. There aren't that many stations in Seongnam, 8 or 9, about the same as Bundang (speaking as though they are two separate towns because in effect they are, and on different subway lines.) It's only 4 or 5 stops to Seoul, Garak market.
I have not seen any foreign restaurants besides Pizza Hut and McDonalds. I wonder if there are any in Seongnam? So, for certain things like that, at least Bundang is only a half hour trip away. If there a lot of foreign Asian workers, as someone mentioned, maybe there are some SE Asian restaurants or little shops somehwere?
I was surprised too, as "eamo" mentioned, how few hagwons are in the area. Not a lot of competition, which is a good thing for keeping students. I hope not to hear the BS I've heard before about how the hagwon must strive to do better because there are ten more nearby. I've seen 2 or 3 within 5 minutes either way.
It's just odd that it feels like the sticks here, generally that quite low to non-existent level of English accompanying the lack of almost anything foreign, yet just a little trip away brings a big change. Even a trip to the big store ("Save Zone") makes one feel like it's a little hick town somewhere 2 or 3 hours from Seoul, with the little smiles and buzz among the workers. Just a bit weird. Even getting more attention in public. I guess not many foreigners make their way around these here parts.
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PS> This I did not know:
Seongnam Moran market is the biggest market in Korea and is also near Seoul so you can take the subway. The market takes place on the 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, 29th day of every month. This market takes place on a vacant lot beside the Moran bus terminal and 1200 merchants comes from all over Korea to sell their goods. Although goods here are 20 ~ 30% cheaper than anywhere else, as the fun of traditional markets is to bargain, you can see this scene everywhere here.
http://english.whatsonkorea.com/view_reports.ph?rid=1061&code=M&scode=M-03&pst=L
Last edited by jajdude on Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ecumenist
Joined: 04 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:34 am Post subject: |
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| jajdude wrote: |
| jinju wrote: |
| Whats the subway stop? |
I have not seen any foreign restaurants besides Pizza Hut and McDonalds. I wonder if there are any in Seongnam? So, for certain things like that, at least Bundang is only a half hour trip away. If there a lot of foreign Asian workers, as someone mentioned, maybe there are some SE Asian restaurants or little shops somehwere?
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Yatap is only like 15-20 from Namhansanseong. Some stuff there, but going further down to Seohyeon is the better bet.
Seongnam! |
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rothkowitz
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:45 am Post subject: |
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| Ecumenist wrote: |
All the love for Seongnam! Woo-hoo!!
It is sad that so many of the women there are involved in the sex industry but the best part of the place is the women there. By which I mean the uni students as well--reall, edgey, partying, smart, SUPER-sexy, thin women. Not like the new breed of privileged, pudge princesses in Seoul. Even the ones that aren't stumpy in Seoul are so obsessed with status, potential hubby's cashflow and meeting the girls for coffee to compare their status and their potential hubby's cashflow, that...blech.
It's also a place to teach real students that you can do something for. I taught right on the edge of Yatap and 75% of my students were from the Seongnam side and 25% were from Bundang. Yes, most of the kids from Bundang spoke better English, but the kids from Seongnam were 1000x more respectful and willing to learn. The Bundang kids tried(they didn't get very far with this) to treat me like they treat their hagwon monkeys--but the Seongnam kids were genuinely grateful for the presence of a foreign teacher--and were willing to work hard to improve. In the end, the Seongnam kids had the best grades and best high school entry results, even though the Bundangers still had better pronunciation.
It really proved to me that the demographic in which the Korean flavors of xenophobia and international status paranoia are endemic are the ones that foreigners usually have contact with--the privileged classes and the social climbers whose kids most expats teach in their hagwons and unis. But there are plenty of real people too.
Seongnam! |
I taught at a Seongnam middle school last year-10 times more polite.Majority would spontaneously bow to me passing them in the corridor.None gave me any crap.Well,a couple at the start but that was quickly nipped in the bud.
Bundanger High School-rude,insipid little snots are a mainstay of evry class.Same are the whispered oaths.Sometimes even a direct "F-You".Constant sarcastic mimicking of speech,et al.handful of students have bowed in 6 months.These are kids that will be sent to Canada to "study English".Mark my words.
Telling statistic-the High School connected to my MS had 6 students accepted into SNU.My present High School in Jeongja-1. |
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Ecumenist
Joined: 04 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:48 am Post subject: |
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| Seongnam! |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Ecumenist wrote: |
| Seongnam! |
For Life!
(pictures credited to eamo, 2001) |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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This song always reminds me of Seongnam: 부담 - 백지영
Does anyone else miss Korean 'techno'? The type that always had a rap bit? |
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Ecumenist
Joined: 04 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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| gang ah jee wrote: |
This song always reminds me of Seongnam: 부담 - 백지영
Does anyone else miss Korean 'techno'? The type that always had a rap bit? |
Pakweo!!
Not Seongnam of course. We love you just the way you are, baby. |
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DCJames
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| jajdude wrote: |
| jinju wrote: |
| Whats the subway stop? |
My stop is "Nam han san seong" station, 8 stops down from Chamsil stn, 4 before Moran station. There aren't that many stations in Seongnam, 8 or 9, about the same as Bundang (speaking as though they are two separate towns because in effect they are, and on different subway lines.) It's only 4 or 5 stops to Seoul, Garak market.
I have not seen any foreign restaurants besides Pizza Hut and McDonalds. I wonder if there are any in Seongnam? So, for certain things like that, at least Bundang is only a half hour trip away. If there a lot of foreign Asian workers, as someone mentioned, maybe there are some SE Asian restaurants or little shops somehwere?
I was surprised too, as "eamo" mentioned, how few hagwons are in the area. Not a lot of competition, which is a good thing for keeping students. I hope not to hear the BS I've heard before about how the hagwon must strive to do better because there are ten more nearby. I've seen 2 or 3 within 5 minutes either way.
It's just odd that it feels like the sticks here, generally that quite low to non-existent level of English accompanying the lack of almost anything foreign, yet just a little trip away brings a big change. Even a trip to the big store ("Save Zone") makes one feel like it's a little hick town somewhere 2 or 3 hours from Seoul, with the little smiles and buzz among the workers. Just a bit weird. Even getting more attention in public. I guess not many foreigners make their way around these here parts.
=========================================
PS> This I did not know:
Seongnam Moran market is the biggest market in Korea and is also near Seoul so you can take the subway. The market takes place on the 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, 29th day of every month. This market takes place on a vacant lot beside the Moran bus terminal and 1200 merchants comes from all over Korea to sell their goods. Although goods here are 20 ~ 30% cheaper than anywhere else, as the fun of traditional markets is to bargain, you can see this scene everywhere here.
http://english.whatsonkorea.com/view_reports.ph?rid=1061&code=M&scode=M-03&pst=L |
jajdude, I'm somewhat surprised you accepted a job in this area. I used to live in that same area around Namhansan Station and can attest to you that the area is a complete dump of a place. The Koreans that smile and grin at you are laughing at you for choosing to live in such a slum. I knew of a hogwon in that area that had their foreign teacher housing in Yatap and Bundang saying that living in the local area would be too difficult for foreigners. 
I found that some of the people are nice, but other people in that area were crass, uneducated, and just more rude than people that live in other parts of Korea.
Good luck. |
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Ecumenist
Joined: 04 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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| DCJames wrote: |
jajdude, I'm somewhat surprised you accepted a job in this area. I used to live in that same area around Namhansan Station and can attest to you that the area is a complete dump of a place. The Koreans that smile and grin at you are laughing at you for choosing to live in such a slum. I knew of a hogwon in that area that had their foreign teacher housing in Yatap and Bundang saying that living in the local area would be too difficult for foreigners.
I found that some of the people are nice, but other people in that area were crass, uneducated, and just more rude than people that live in other parts of Korea.
Good luck. |
Yes....that's obviously been the experience of most of the people posting in this thread. Aigooo, there's always one.
Seongnam love thread!!
Seongnam! |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Ecumenist wrote: |
| Pakweo!! |
Good call! That was popular when I lived in Seongnam as well. Let's listen again: 바꿔 - 이정현
Actually, I was thinking about what you said earlier:
| Ecumenist wrote: |
| It really proved to me that the demographic in which the Korean flavors of xenophobia and international status paranoia are endemic are the ones that foreigners usually have contact with--the privileged classes and the social climbers whose kids most expats teach in their hagwons and unis. But there are plenty of real people too. |
I've ended up with a pretty similar take on things. I've found both working-class Koreans and the international elite - ie, Koreans from families that have had the resources to develop international ties for longer than the last decade or two - to be much more comfortable around foreigners than the middle-class Bundang and Gangnam social climbers who live in places called things like 'RoyalFamilyVille' and such.
Seongnam uber alles! |
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Saxiif
Joined: 15 May 2003
Location: Seongnam
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| I've ended up with a pretty similar take on things. I've found both working-class Koreans and the international elite - ie, Koreans from families that have had the resources to develop international ties for longer than the last decade or two - to be much more comfortable around foreigners than the middle-class Bundang and Gangnam social climbers who live in places called things like 'RoyalFamilyVille' and such. |
Yeah, I definately agree. The megarich kids that are teach now are mostly very good (the insanely rich kids who come to our hagwon for classes that have a max size of 2 or 3 are some of the best kids I've ever taught and even the lazy ones who never do their homework are usually nice enough people) their families are not quite so nuerotic as some other people since they're already on the top of the heap and don't have so much to worry about. The blue collar types in Seongnam are almost all great people, a little wierd sometimes but except for the odd drunken pervent I've never had any problems from any of them and most of them go out of their way to be nice to me.
I'd take either over the middle class social climber Seoul types (yeck). Incredibly nuerotic and annoyingI think that a lot of people's impressions of Koreans on these boards are mostly based on the urban middle class, who really aren't really that representative of Korea as a whole.
Didn't much like teaching in the boonies either, was too much of a spectacle there.
Teaching at a public school in Seongnam would probably be an a pretty good gig... |
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rothkowitz
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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| gang ah jee wrote: |
| Ecumenist wrote: |
| Pakweo!! |
Good call! That was popular when I lived in Seongnam as well. Let's listen again: 바꿔 - 이정현
Actually, I was thinking about what you said earlier:
| Ecumenist wrote: |
| It really proved to me that the demographic in which the Korean flavors of xenophobia and international status paranoia are endemic are the ones that foreigners usually have contact with--the privileged classes and the social climbers whose kids most expats teach in their hagwons and unis. But there are plenty of real people too. |
I've ended up with a pretty similar take on things. I've found both working-class Koreans and the international elite - ie, Koreans from families that have had the resources to develop international ties for longer than the last decade or two - to be much more comfortable around foreigners than the middle-class Bundang and Gangnam social climbers who live in places called things like 'RoyalFamilyVille' and such.
Seongnam uber alles! |
It starts 비...as in rain.Yep,necessary to know how to get through.Moran is a geriatric magnet.
Gang Ah Jee,if you don't mind me asking ,how's Wellers these days?Used to live there,probably going back end of this year.
Bundang,Bundang ,vaffanculo! |
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