Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Morton]

Me and my friend Mark were going to the Peace Cup game last night at the World Cup Stadium. At the subway station i bumped into an adjoshi and apologised to him. He went off and i spoke to my friend but soon the adjoshi was beckoning me over. I thought he was going to give me a piece of his mind but instead he asked, in perfect English, if i was going to the game.
When i said yes he asked if i would like a ticket. I said there were two of us going so he gave us two tickets. I thought he would want some money but he just walked off after giving us the tickets.

When we went to the stadium we realised the tickets were for the vip area. We had amazing seats. Soon the elderly gent and a friend came and sat next to us. At one point someone near us was pointing at me and my friend. I thought they were going to ask us to leave. Instead they gave us free Japanese style sushi. It was amazing.

We both thanked them all profusely and had a great time.

Just goes to show that my mindset could be inhibiting rather than benefiting me. And of course that some Koreans are just really nice.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

That's a nice story. There are some really good, friendly people here and I've experienced some great acts of generosity while being here. It's easy to get jaded, but you can be limited by your perceptions and mood.

Nice acts like these really lift your mood and give you some perspective when you're feeling down.

[SuperFly]

My company gives me free tickets to baseball games in which my company sponsored team is playing. I had two tickets to a game that I couldn't go to and gave them to a couple of university students (Koreans) on the train.

Whitey can be nice too

[twg]

Generally speaking, I find most Koreans will give you the shirt off their backs if you need it.

The only two exceptions are if you work for them, (Then you'll be lucky to get out with your pants on) and when they're drunk.

Not that they undergo a radical personality change when drunk. It's just that they don't know when to back off with their aggressive hostiness: "No, I don't want to drink 'til I puke. No, I don't want to go see the hookers with you. No, I don't want to go stay at the jimjilbang with you. No, I don't want to be dragged back to your home to show your wife and kids how worldly you are..."

[Pak Yu Man]

[SuperFly]

[VanIslander]

nice stories like that happen here quite often

foreigners are often treated like guests in their house

[safeblad]

[Bibbitybop]

I love walking around central Seoul. So many Koreans are friendly. Even though I know where I'm going, if I'm looking at the buses, people often ask me if I need help.

Many Koreans are nice, but just don't know how to express it culturally or in English. Those in central Seoul have met enough foreigners and are more comfortable.

My girlfriend will also hang on me more in Seoul than in smaller cities due to the conservative nature of smaller cities.

[Dev]

You see the bad side of Koreans when they're stressed.

When they're relaxed, they're often quite nice.

I have my share of generous Korean stories. Just yesterday I was buying some eggplants in Namdaemun market for what I thought was a real bargain. The price was so much cheaper than the mart near my house that I thought I was robbing the lady.

Obviously I wasn't because she tossed a couple more eggplants in my bag as "service". In the end, I got (I think) 7 huge eggplants for 2,000 won.

[Qinella]

[the eye]

[therooster]

The following things have been happened to me , and in one week .


- The bank arranged for a security guard to walk me all the way back to my school , just in case I had trouble finding it . (I did not even ask , or in anyway even say anything other than " I'm new here" ).
- My head teacher and co teachers randomely bought me a cake yesterday , because they thought I'd be missing "good baked food" .
- I mention in passing I needed some towels as my bathroom floor was always wet (shower) . Later that day my assistant presented me with 8 towels . (she has also set up everything for me , gave me a computer moniter , insists on giving me lifts and driving me around anywhere ).
-Lots of random small things by my students . They really seem sweet kids .
-extremely warm and enthusiastic welcome by everyone at the school . Trust me. I've experienced the other insincere " Let's have a laugh and make a spectacle of the foriegner" types .

I think you make a good point there about attitude . If you react too cynically and suspiciously you'll never warm yourself to anyone .If a drunken idiot "hello's" you...smile and wave...just smile and wave . Why all the paranoid assuptions that it's an active insult ?

I've really been surprised at how friendly people are . Are these the same "cold , rude" Koreans every talks about ? Maybe my town being out of Seoul helps .

[oneofthesarahs]

When I take the bus up to Seoul, I generally don't get off the bus unless I have to use the restroom. No particular reason, I just don't. Practically every single time that I have stayed on the bus, some random Korean has brought me back some sort of food or a bottle of water. I've met way more nice Koreans than I have blatantly rude ones.

[indiercj]

Those random acts of generosity never happen to me. I guess it is mainly because I look exactly like them and also because I only speak Korean.