Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bgreenster]

[Dev]

Your idea of a perfect Saturday night is playing Korean billiards smoking a thin cigarette while wearing your best pink shirt.

[awalk2remember]

[coldcrush]

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

[bgreenster]

[Fishead soup]

[cwemory]

You start saying 응(eung) instead of yes.

[Sine qua non]

You know you've been in Korea too long when:

...you realize that your job prospects in your home country are worse that the year before; everyone already speaks English there.

...it now takes conscious effort to refrain from smacking the back of the head of the person that just pushed past you on the subway platform/sidewalk/etc.

...Korean food loses it taste.

...you begin to distrust all other people (a la the local interpersonal attitudes).

...you begin to see other people, including friends, as having value only to the extent that the person can provide you with some material benefit(s).

...you want to live close to your family back home, even though you have difficult relations with each other.

And finally, you know you've been in Korea too long when you are though being constantly and passively insulted as "waegukin" (and all the connotations the Korean expression carries with it: i.e., uncontrolled sex monster, illegal teacher, representative of a country that actively seeks/has sought to oppress Korea and Korean people).

[Corky]

Shawner (Shawn Matthews) posted this on Ulsan Web a few years ago:

You've been in Korea too long when�

It no longer bothers you when an Ajuma bumps you out of the way.
You own one of the following: mosquito spray, mosquito smoke coils, mosquito swatters, or a mosquito net.
You own a scooter.
You can order food in Korean.
You have a favorite Korean commercial.
You've eaten Kimchi and rice for breakfast.
You're embarassed about your newly found smoking and drinking habits.
Using chopsticks no longer feels strange and awkward.
You've tried any of the following once: bo shin tang, eel, live squid, whale blubber, or bun dae gi.
You own a handphone, but still find them annoying.
Using a squatter has become bareable.
You eat shrimp chips and seaweed with beer.
You've given in and now beat your students with a stick.
You bought a small dog.
You've purchased several items from subway salesmen.
You know the mystery of the missing 4rth floor.
You understand how to play Baduk.
You eat a lot of the garlic they give you with bulgogi.
Your student loan is almost paid off.
You can drink 1 bottle of Soju.


You've been in Korea MUCH too long when....

You bump Ajumas out of your way.
You own ALL of the following: mosquito spray, mosquito smoke coils, mosquito swatters, and a mosquito net.
You own a car.
You can order food over the phone and give directions.
You have a favorite Korean drama.
You prefer Kimchi and rice for breakfast.
You boast about your now heavy smoking and drinking habits.
Using a fork feels strange and awkward.
You've tried any of the following MORE THAN once: bo shin tang, eel, live squid, whale blubber, or bun dae gi.
You own the newest and most expensive handphone and check it 10 times an hour.
You squat over western style toilets
You eat fruit with beer.
You beat your students with a stick and feel insanely powerful.
You've dyed your dog's ears blue or pink.
Your friend is a subway salesman.
You're terrified to be on any 4rth floor.
You've beaten a Korean at Baduk.
You eat EVERYTHING they give you with bulgogi.
You're student loan is almost paid off.
You hail yourself as Soju drinking champion of your city.

How To Know You Lived Too Long in Korea Now That You're Back Home. . .

You didn't recognize your family at the airport.
You habitually bow your head to people.
You're favorite store is no longer Price Chopper. It's Mr. Kim's Happy Korean Market.
You pay $12.00 for Kimchi Chigae and 10$ for a bottle of Soju.
You gasp in horror when people walk into your home wearing shoes.
You squat over your toilet for old time's sake.
You continually call your friends "babo".
You get depressed when little kids don't notice you now. In fact you get very depressed that no one notices you now.
You can't understand why the bars close at 2AM, why you can't buy beer after 2:00AM, why you always have to show ID, and why you can't walk from bar to bar carrying an open beer.
You can drink 4 bottles of Soju. Your friends can't even drink 1. You hail yourself Soju Master of (Your Town).
You continually tell people, "Hurry! Hurry!"
You're friend asks you what you're fixing for dinner. You reply, "Oh, a little dwen jang chigae, kimchi, various side dishes and rice."
You miss the smell of bun dae gi.
You refer to all your friends as foreigners.
You have nightmares about kids screaming, "Hello! What's your name? What time is it? Do you like Kimchi?"
You now find supermarkets eerily quiet.
You constantly beep your horn in traffic.
You're contemplating opening your town's first O-daeng stand.
Your friends and family are concerned about your new smoking and drinking habits.
You casually offer 500$ to immigration officials to issue your Korean girlfriend a working visa.
You can't sleep at night becuase it's just too quiet.
You've called your mother Ajuma more than 3 times.
You're still buying kimchi, seaweed, spicy leaves, and shrimp chips on a weekly basis.
Your friends call the humane society because your dog's ears are pink and blue.
You talk about people near you forgetting they can understand you.
Your friends wonder why you have a roll of toilet paper on your kitchen table and you wonder why they're asking.

By Shawn Matthews

[Dev]

you die your hair black and wear a pink shirt just to fit in.

you'd rather eat ddeok than home made apple pie.

Hite becomes your brand of beer.

your friends back home start saying "Stop shouting at me, will ya?"

you blast the electroncs salesman back home for not carrying Samsung cell phones, the best in the world.

you think a good gift for your mother would be one of those adjumma visors.

[nateium]

-you feel uncomfortable asking strangers questions, or talking to people that have not been introduced to you.

[whatever]

[Pak Yu Man]

You know you haven't been in Korean long enough when you start a thread like this.

[yingwenlaoshi]

When you get off the plane.