Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dev]

I was just wondering what foreigners think of their neighbors?

I've lived in 3 different buildings, 2 Villas and 1 Offcetel.

Thankfully, my current room in an officetel is quite good. Except for the guy above me running his vacuum at 11 pm / 12 am from time to time, I really don't have any problems with the neighbors.

The villa aprtments were another story. I don't know if because the rent is cheaper that they tend to attract bad tenants, but...

The biggest problem with villa apartments is the fact that your employer will almost without fail find you a room on the first floor. That's the noisiest floor (and the cheapest) in the building because it gets ALL of the traffic coming into the building walking right past your door - loud talking middle age women, high-heeled stomping college girls and soju-filled businessmen.

At the first villa that I lived at, the police came by twice to arrest people (always in the wee hours of the morning).

At my second villa, it was "party central" with drunk people talking loud next door and a college student upstairs watching TV with the volume way up. Thank God for ear plugs.

I'm okay now in my officetel, but I am wondering how satisfied other foreign English teachers are with the conduct of their neigbors.

[Cohiba]

My neighbors are an uncultured, unread, untraveled bunch
of retards. They think McDonald's is fine dining and that MGD
is a wonderful aperitif. They wear white socks with grey
business suits and belts with suspenders. I live in Incheon
and these people are the creme de la creme of society.

So, in a nutshell, we get along fine.

[mrsquirrel]

I suspect my neighbours hate me since since I make more noise than them.

Otherwise they are ok. Never seen them so I don't know what they look like.

[beachbumNC]

my neighbors are quiet. i live in a small 4-story apt. building with only about a dozen units. everybody keeps to themselves, more or less.

but the women in the building sure do make a lot of racket going up and down the stairs in their high heels. other than that, i never see or hear anybody.

[Atavistic]

I live in a one-bedroom Korean style apartment. Sometimes the families of FOUR on either side of me are slightly noisy, but really not too bad at all.

What pisses me off is that twice I've had strangers knock on my door and not go away when I didn't answer. One time the woman knocked for SEVEN solid minutes while yelling for someone. I was...busy and in no state to open the door. I finally did, barely clothed. I threw open the door, knocked on it, and screamed "왜 이렇께? 한국어를 말할수없어요! 7분, 7분! 왜요?!" I very nearly asked her if she was crazy, but the look on her face was so priceless. She started apologizing repeatedly and then backed away slowly while I kept yelling "seven minutes? WHY WHY?"

When I closed the door, my boyfriend was in a heap, laughing on the floor.

I have no AC and it's currently 88 degs. That's the worst thing about my apartment and my public school.

My last studio closet was so damn noisy. And every Saturday without fail some drunk wooman would get into a handphone screaming match in the stairwell. At that place I had three people try to open my door while I was in my apartment. I'd throw open the door (perhaps not the smartest thing to do) and they'd just look shocked. I lived there 4 and a half months.

At my first officetel studio, two people tried to get into my apartment in the middle of the day as if it was their own. I lived there 4 months.

What the hell? In the States I NEVER had crazy people knock on my door for seven minutes or try to come into my apartment. I have a friend who, his first year here, woke up from a nap to find a Jehovah's Witness standing in his apartment. She'd just walked in.

Koreans are nuts.

[princess]

Everyone, be sure to always lock your doors in Korea. Double/triple check, if you need to. You don't need to live here that long to figure out that many Koreans will just come on in your place if your dor is unlocked. Countless times I have had them try to come in my place. Then, when they see it's locked, they knock. If I am not expecting anyone or if I don't know them, I don't answer. I would totally freak if I woke up to a stranger standing over me. I'd go all ballistic and nuts on them, I'm sure! A few weeks ago, some sorry drunken ajosshi was walking around in the corridors being loud and he bumped up against my door twice. It was 1AM and I was still up. I got my knife ready. Finally, my neighbors were stupid enough to open the door for him. He kept apologizing to them and they were getting aggravated with him. Loser!

I've also read stories on here of people waking up to find drunk people trying to get into bed with them, because these idiots were drunk and just walked into the wrong apt. LOCK YOUR DOORS!!!

[Cohiba]

[saw6436]

I hate my neighbors. I'm inviting some taliban over tomorrow. Hopefully that will be the end of my neighbors.

[simone]

Seniors, hookers and laborers, primarily. They stare at us, with their scowling faces, whenever they see us.

I try to remind hubby that our subway stop is #1 is Seoul for Subway related suicides - somehow, that explains the general state of unhappiness.

I'm sure though, that when the baby comes and we're pushing the stroller, everyone will get all clucky and smiley. Otherwise, we'll have to carry tasers with us.

Someday we'll move back to Yongsan-gu.

[Dev]

I had a strange guy ringing my doorbell at 12 am last month.
I didn't answer the door.
He came back 1 1/2 hours later and tried entering numbers in my combination door lock.
He ran as soon as he heard me make some noise.
I saw all this through the TV / camera security system my door has.
I tried to call the police, but the police here were as helpful as ever telling me "We don't speak English"

ADVICE: Definitely lock your doors at all times. Keep a reliable English-speaking Korean's phone number on your telephone's speed dial.

[mrsquirrel]

I had somebody try a few months back on a Sunday evening. He knocked then tried the door then knocked again and tried the door.

I opened it quicky with a polite Yes to see a long haired Korean lad looking rather perplexed at this tall white man in his underwear. He then looked around looked up and went up to the next level where he did the same thing in the room above me and got let in?

No idea what he wanted but I have drummed it into the missus that she only answers the door if they speak to her on the intercom and she knows what they want and never leave it unlocked.

She answered the door once and told me that there were three bible bashers there with suits on. One spoke in Korean and started whittering on about Jesus. She told them in that she doesn't speak KOrean. So one spoke English and she told them she didn't understand, so then one spoke in basic Thai, so she told them to piss off.

Got to give it to them they do try. I thought she was taking the pee with the speaking Thai bit but she swears he did.

[browneyedgirl]