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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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twg
Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Location: Getting some fresh air...
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 Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 6:18 am Post subject: |
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I always give the "Yo, s'up?" head nod.
I-Is that okay? |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, that is acceptable. Not rude and not too gay.  |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| RobertX wrote: |
| The smaller the town the more friendly the foreigner |
Interesting theory. |
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The_Conservative
Joined: 15 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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Man you just can't win. Whether you acknowledge their existence or not, some people think unless you run up to them and embrace them like a long-lost brother, that you're not friendly.
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angielee
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, I'm at least happy to finally get some clue as to why "foreigners" ignore me. And the city size is definitely another bit of information that I testify is true. In Changwon, working at a school where I was the only "foreigner" I got a bit desparate due to being ignored by other westerners. I went to the local foreigner bar, but most people were too cool to speak to a woman who had to come in alone. I can always find people to talk to, but I was looking for a friend or two, maybe in my neighborhood.
Now I'm in Daegu, at a school with 3 other foreigners, see many on the street, and most of the time we say hi to each other, unless I just don't feel like it.
Here's my take on it: it occurs like "reversed racism" to see it in strictly racial terms. What about if you are surrounded 24 hours a day with Koreans speaking only Korean, it's your first month here and you'd really like to find out if other westerners are having trouble with such and such, you know, someone you can speak more than 5 words to? You are homesick, haven't seen another westerner in 2 months and then see a guy and say "hello" to him. Is that racist?
As far as saying "hello" to people no matter who they are, when I first got here, like I said, Changwon is a small city, but conservative with not that many "foreigners" that I saw. I was the only one in my "villa" and in my -dong, that I know of. For the first 2 months walking to school I said hi to all kinds of people who often 1. looked through me 2. looked at me like I was a *beep* or 3. glared at me. I've since gotten over being worried or upset about that, but I came from Victoria, Vancouver Island and we do often say "hi" to people we don't know.
My policy now is to say hi, whether Korean, Chinese, Canadian, whatever, if I've seen them before, we make eye contact and I like what I see or we are about to have some kind of interaction, or if I just plain feel like it.
Oh, yeah!  |
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cosmo
Joined: 09 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 12:18 am Post subject: |
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| angielee wrote: |
| My policy now is to say hi, whether Korean, Chinese, Canadian, whatever, if I've seen them before, we make eye contact and I like what I see or we are about to have some kind of interaction, or if I just plain feel like it. Oh, yeah! |
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you
They're really saying I love you
I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
What A Wonderful World
http://www.eflclub.com/2songs/wonderfulworld/wonderfulworld1.htm |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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| angielee wrote: |
Wow, I'm at least happy to finally get some clue as to why "foreigners" ignore me. And the city size is definitely another bit of information that I testify is true. In Changwon, working at a school where I was the only "foreigner" I got a bit desparate due to being ignored by other westerners. I went to the local foreigner bar, but most people were too cool to speak to a woman who had to come in alone. I can always find people to talk to, but I was looking for a friend or two, maybe in my neighborhood.
Now I'm in Daegu, at a school with 3 other foreigners, see many on the street, and most of the time we say hi to each other, unless I just don't feel like it.
Here's my take on it: it occurs like "reversed racism" to see it in strictly racial terms. What about if you are surrounded 24 hours a day with Koreans speaking only Korean, it's your first month here and you'd really like to find out if other westerners are having trouble with such and such, you know, someone you can speak more than 5 words to? You are homesick, haven't seen another westerner in 2 months and then see a guy and say "hello" to him. Is that racist?
As far as saying "hello" to people no matter who they are, when I first got here, like I said, Changwon is a small city, but conservative with not that many "foreigners" that I saw. I was the only one in my "villa" and in my -dong, that I know of. For the first 2 months walking to school I said hi to all kinds of people who often 1. looked through me 2. looked at me like I was a *beep* or 3. glared at me. I've since gotten over being worried or upset about that, but I came from Victoria, Vancouver Island and we do often say "hi" to people we don't know.
My policy now is to say hi, whether Korean, Chinese, Canadian, whatever, if I've seen them before, we make eye contact and I like what I see or we are about to have some kind of interaction, or if I just plain feel like it.
Oh, yeah! |
I know someone moving to Changwon. Isn't that near Busan? I think it's near the coast. It doesn't sound like a place I would go to, because I don't like areas with few foreigners.
As far as talking to foreigners, I have met some friendly ones, but all I expect is that we acknowledge each other, not necessarily have a conversation, I may not want to do that. Some people just fall into their clicks and that's that.
On another hand, there are some very weird foreigners I have seen over here. And there are some weird ones I have never met and would never want to meet. However, if you are a normal, educated male or female hit me up, we can hit the bar or cafe.... I am all for friendliness.... Also, people who act aloof are, in the end, distancing themselves from other human beings. |
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faster
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Adventurer wrote: |
As far as talking to foreigners, I have met some friendly ones, but all I expect is that we acknowledge each other, not necessarily have a conversation, I may not want to do that. Some people just fall into their clicks and that's that.
On another hand, there are some very weird foreigners I have seen over here. And there are some weird ones I have never met and would never want to meet. However, if you are a normal, educated male or female hit me up, we can hit the bar or cafe.... I am all for friendliness.... Also, people who act aloof are, in the end, distancing themselves from other human beings. |
That's not necessarily true, and after living here 5 years I'm not sure why I should acknowledge all the honkies and not the Koreans. Should I acknowledge everyone I pass in the street? That'd be a full-time job.
I have stuff to do, and, later, when I'm done with it, I have friends to hang around with. I'm pretty satisfied with that arrangement. |
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Dexter Sword
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Location: London
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:13 am Post subject: |
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| Kyrei wrote: |
| VanIslander wrote: |
| Kyrei wrote: |
| ... do you smile and say Hi to people you do not know back at home? |
What an odd question to ask. Are you from a big city? |
I don't think it is an odd question. I am from a city of 350,000+ so its not big by Seoul standards, but big~ish in Canada. I would look a fool if I wandered the streets smiling and "hello"ing people I don't know. Why would I do it here? |
I'm a white English bloke, and I remember well an African American lad, and then his Mum coming to speak to me at a ski resort in Korea. It was nice, and I don't think it was racist that they came and spoke to me, they just reckoned that I'd speak English and we spoke about good and bad things about living in Korea for a few minutes. We were from different cultures and parts of the world, but we connected due to our experience of being alien residents in Korea.
An Indian fellow come and spoke to me once as well, and talked about his (mostly negative) experiences in Korea also, I didn't take that as racist - it's just that we all share the experience of being foreigners in Korea, and I don't think anyone can deny that we are always foreigners in Korea, nomatter how long we stay there. I think that will always bond people.
You do get a breed of expat there that are very possessive "Get off MY Korea" types who seem to think you are peeing on their experience purely by just being there, but most expats there were pretty friendly. |
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angielee
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 7:11 am Post subject: |
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| Dexter Sword wrote: |
| Kyrei wrote: |
| VanIslander wrote: |
| Kyrei wrote: |
| ... do you smile and say Hi to people you do not know back at home? |
What an odd question to ask. Are you from a big city? |
I don't think it is an odd question. I am from a city of 350,000+ so its not big by Seoul standards, but big~ish in Canada. I would look a fool if I wandered the streets smiling and "hello"ing people I don't know. Why would I do it here? |
I'm a white English bloke, and I remember well an African American lad, and then his Mum coming to speak to me at a ski resort in Korea. It was nice, and I don't think it was racist that they came and spoke to me, they just reckoned that I'd speak English and we spoke about good and bad things about living in Korea for a few minutes. We were from different cultures and parts of the world, but we connected due to our experience of being alien residents in Korea.
An Indian fellow come and spoke to me once as well, and talked about his (mostly negative) experiences in Korea also, I didn't take that as racist - it's just that we all share the experience of being foreigners in Korea, and I don't think anyone can deny that we are always foreigners in Korea, nomatter how long we stay there. I think that will always bond people.
You do get a breed of expat there that are very possessive "Get off MY Korea" types who seem to think you are peeing on their experience purely by just being there, but most expats there were pretty friendly. |
Thanks for that, Dexter, I've been waiting to read a post that didn't sound self-righeous, or snooty or possessively accusing 9 out of 10 foreigners of something-or-other.
I think it's just a case of wanting to be "special" or "different" or "rare" or � oh, no! Now I'm being a self-righteous, know-it-all snob, too. Sorry, sorry . . . I think I'm just mad because 2 of my old friends who have been here nearly 7 or 8 years between them are always so impatient with me because I don't speak much Korean, or I don't know the ingredients in some dish or other or I don't know which bus to take to get somewhere. Good for them, good for everyone who's making a real life here, but jeez, it's not a contest, is it? |
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