Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ya-ta Boy]

Here we are in late July. The new batch of newbies will be arriving in a couple of weeks or so. Let's make fun of them before they arrive.

My definition: a person (loosely defined) who either has tired feet from walking to work or (shades of adventuresomeness/spendthriftiness) rides a bike to work. And he/she bakes with a toaster oven provided by the school. The phrase that comes to mind is 'transient mentality'. (I'm not criticizing that. We are what we are.)

My definition of an old-timer: Someone who has decided life is too short to consider tuna fish sandwiches a gourmet meal and has invested in something more mechanically advanced than a pair of shoes to get to the grocery store and something other than a 2-burner gas range to cook on.

PS: I'm not criticizing newbies. We all were at one time or another. I actually enjoy being around them. They bring back the excitement and joy of the new experience. But that is no reason we can't make fun of them.

To show that I'm not really mean-spirited, I'll tell my newbie story. When I first came here, I had to memorize my way to work. There were no shop signs in English. I had to come out of my apt and turn right and walk to the corner. At the corner, I had to turn right and walk to the T intersection and turn left. Down that street at the next T intersection I had to turn right and walk to the street that had a manikin in a red dress in the window and turn left, cross the 'big' street and walk till I got to the coffee shop on the corner. My hakwon was in the next building.

One day the shop changed the red dress on the manikin in the window. I was nearly late for my early morning class.

[shapeshifter]

[rockstarsmooth]

i like their informed insights into korean culture based on one or two examples. after 2 weeks, it's amazing how well-informed someone can be. i've had people explain the alphabet to me, tell me that women here are treated as equally as their north american counterparts are, expound upon the virtues of kimchi, as well as tell me that bondaegi is made of cockroaches.
yew!
newbies!
bring 'em on!
ya-ta, glad you're back.
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right now i'm listening to: matt and kim - lightspeed

[xtchr]

[Ya-ta Boy]

[sojourner1]

Who is a newbie?

Someone with less than 1 year here such as myself. Yea, if you're a 1st year teacher, then you're a newbie. So that means, you're cooking with a 2 burner stove, don't have an oven of any sort, don't own any more transportation than your 2 feet, and just feeling your way around like a mouse in a maze.


I don't ever want a car here, but I do want an oven to bake stuff in and maybe a motorcycle to jaunt around on a whim. Buses suck if you want to go fishing and enjoy nature out in the real country and to wiz out to a restaurant serving hot good food during lunch hour.

You're a newbie if you still don't know anyone here that you don't work with. Of course, you could be in a small town for a whole year and not know anyone or you could be in Seoul and know 20 people within your 1st month. In my newbie experience, I would classify the socialization possibilities to be very poor(small town), but the money savings is starting to add up nicely after 7 months. It would be nice to be able to hang out with others I can relate with and maybe develop rewarding friendships. Just maybe... Kinda strange not interacting on a social level or even having small talks such as in stores and streets that are common in public in the west. Kinda feels like being all by myself on some far away peninsula cut off from the rest of the world where no one converses in English. Well, it is.

I think Seoul is probably a good bet for newbies as long as they aren't too crazy with all the possibilities that exist there.

[jlb]

Hmmm....I guess I'm a newbie after 2 years because:

1. I ride my bike everywhere or walk. It's better for my health, the bank account and the environment. I never had a car back home in Canada and I actually never plan on owning one.

2. I maybe used the oven once every 6 months back home so why would I stress about not having one here? I'm quite happy cooking stovetop because I don't bake (bad for health!) or cook large slabs of meat (I only eat meat when other people cook it or I'm out at restaurants).

I don't think these 2 things are very good indications of newbie-ness. I would suggest:

1. The wide-eyed half-crazed "I can't believe I'm here" look.

2. A dislike of kimchi. Aren't all long-termers addicted?

3. Drinking every night with no real discernable hobbies or friends.

4. Talking randomly to every whitey they see with the expectation that you'll become their new best friend.

5. The hagwon talk. Ad nauseum.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think newbies are cute and fun. I'm not being sarcastic. I've been here about 12 years. Being around a newbie helps me recapture the fun and thrill of it all. Face it, life is just life. For me, most of life is just routine. Going out to dinner with a newbie (like Tuesday) was fun because it reminded me of how much fun Korea is when it is new. I still enjoy Korea but the level of excitement is necessarily lower.

We all have different standards. I happen to think someone who has been here for a couple of years and seems to be settled in, but still holds on to the idea that 'this' is temporary are interesting. Many of them obsess about leaving but never do. I went through that phase.

But back to my intended topic: What do you enjoy about newbies? I like the innocence and inquisitiveness. (I don't like the 'I've been here a few months and now I'm an expert on East Asian culture' phase that some people go through, although it can be entertaining to listen to.)

[shapeshifter]

[Marlboro]

Hello

I spent a year in korea, left last tuesday and now im heading back, so i guess im still a newbie, im still enjoying korea and btw i dont ride a bike and i dont have tired feet,but i do have a tired brain oh its such hard work teaching ENGLISH in korea fun fun fun

Anyway im going to have a glass of cranberry juice now,and im looking forward to coming home , oh i mean Korea

[swetepete]

There's good newbs and bad newbs.

Good newbs are the ones who, when you take them on a cruise through your favourite parts of town, make you feel like a tourist in your own backyard, seeing the trite as new again, and appreciating all the weirdness and crazy stuff that becomes so banal when you see it every day.* They reserve judgement, and have the wit to question that what you tell them is gospel.

Spending time with bad newbs ('spewbs') who either a) already Know Everything or b) believe everything you (or another random know-it-all) says, without a lick of skepticism, is like babysitting for free.

Which is of course pretty much the last thing I want to do here in Korea...I'm a highly paid professional babysitter, dude; I don't wanna school kids on my time unless it's on their dime. Or, unless they're cool people.

*Yeah, like you said about the dinner, ytb

[Ya-ta Boy]

swetepete hit the nail on the head. Thank you. There is a difference.

shapeshifter: You are right: There are some people who are not

[rockstarsmooth]

as it happens, i spent a few hours last night in the company of a couple of newbies, and it was somewhat painful. one has been here 4 months, the other 6 weeks.
they were neither cute nor entertaining.
they don't like spicy food, so finding food we could all enjoy was difficult. the "wild hot" sunchips were too hot.
they had a vast array of knowledge about korean culture. "korean people do this", "korean people never...", "korean people always..."
aish.
it was trying.
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right now i'm listening to: jackie mittoo - honey pot

[eamo]

I hate the term 'newbie'. Maybe because I'm not North American, but it sounds so dismissive.

I've met many 'newcomers' who were a lot more cool and sussed than vets.

There should be a new term to describe those who continue to be clueless after years living here.

I really enjoy the company of newcomers who take the bull by the horns and decide that they want to try to understand Korean culture. Then I enjoy the company of those who wanted to try and enjoy Korean culture but couldn't!!!

[Yesterday]