Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mytime]

Mine is

Been wondering about this for a while...if it's just my co-workers or what but they are more childish in everything they do than most of my kids

Why is that?

In fact I have better conversations with my students than with my colleagues
It's really starting to pi$$ me off because I live in a small town where there are no other foreigners anymore (last one escaped a few weeks ago) and I really need to have an adult conversation from time to time and it's just not possible here

I don't like dissing Koreans or Korea generally because I love my kids and they are really cool and awesome and make it worthwile staying here (and not doing a runner) but the adults here in my town is driving me up the wall

Everwhere I go the old people stare at me like I'm an alien (no hello, no smile or nod of the head, just a blank stare), the ajjussis look at me like they want to hit me (why??) , the ajjummas think I fancy them if I look at them (are you kidding me?) and the aggashis all have princess disease and act like teenagers

The kids I teach are the complete opposite....they are cool, interesting, mature, funny and intelligent

Why the big difference?

[mehamrick]

They havent been brainwashed yet..

[Real Reality]

The students may show you some respect (or give you positive feedback) because you are their teacher.

"...you should not expect to be accepted as a member of a Korean's inner circle."
Consular Affairs Bureau, Canadian Embassy
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/main/pubs/korea-en.asp#Cultural

Here is a quote from the U. S. Embassy.
"Korea is not an egalitarian society traditionally; one is either of a higher or a lower status than other people. Foreigners do not fit neatly into any scheme. They are normally treated graciously as one would a guest, but they may never be able to break into that close, inner circle.... a foreigner will seldom be accepted as part of the inner circle; he will almost always be an outsider looking in."
from the U.S. Citizen Services, U. S. Embassy
http://seoul.usembassy.gov/cultural_pitfalls.html

Foreigners Experience Difficulties in Living in Korea
by Jae-Dong Yu and Soo-Jung Shin, Donga.com (July 4, 2004)
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004070522448

Foreigners Fight Bias
No Foreigners Allowed: Nationality Discrimination Legal in Korea
By Christopher Carpenter and Jane Han
Korea Times (December 12, 2006)
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/news_view.asp?newsIdx=3033479
Image URL
http://photo.hankooki.com/newsphoto/2006/12/12/ensor200612122018471nofor3.jpg

[just4u]

...

[bosintang]

I took a 3-day road trip with 400 middle-school students. Even after spending a long on the bus, surprisingly to me, they were very well behaved on the trip and behaved the whole time.

I also took a road trip with my co-teachers. That was a different matter with them treating the bus like a dancing disco and getting too drunk in a nerdy kind of way.

[Qinella]

Sounds like someone's got a case of the Mooonndaayyyys. Either that, or just didn't do any research at all before packing up and moving across the world.

Quick word of advice: to the people staring at you, how are you looking at them? Do they perceive you the same way you perceive them? "Look at that foreigner--he doesn't smile, or bow, or greet me. He wants to fight me!" Try smiling and giving your best, badly mangled annyong haseyo. Maybe a little bow.

I've been in your shoes. I lived in a tiny town as the only English-speaking foreigner. Try what I tell ye.

[mytime]

qinella, i've been in korea 3 years....really don't need your advice...wasn't asking for any, either, by the way

I was just blowing off steam

Btw, is that your cat?

[jajdude]

Some, nay, many are more mature than me.

yes

[just4u]

...

[Qinella]