|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
|
 Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 7:32 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| jajdude wrote: |
| Re: Washing hands in the bathroom. It's a pleasure do so when you have warm water and soap. When it's just cold water, like in most bathrooms in Korea, hmm... not so pleasant. It may help, but I can see why many skip it. Parhaps we should carry soap with us? |
Soap, I agree, is pleasant and I don't see much point in washing without it. But hot water? Bah!
You're lucky if you don't have to break the ice forming on the surface with numb fingers. In fact, it would make a man of you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 5:51 am Post subject: Re: Korea Korea Korea! |
|
|
| Bingo wrote: |
Recently Korea is really bothering me. Maybe it's the change in the weather, but every negative thing that I can usually get passed is piling up. The horking, snorting, hacking, spitting, littering, bumping, pushing in line, prehistoric table manners, people not saying thank you, excuse me or I'm sorry, cars blocking crosswalks, motorcycles on the sidewalk, general discouresy, gum snapping, staring, inane questions, those vegetable trucks, the dude who invades my privacy (and sleep) over the speaker at six in the morning, car horns, excessive whistle blowing by those traffic guys, traffic congestion, polllution, neglect of dogs that are tied up all day, jerks who smoke anywhere and everywhere (even directly under no smoking signs), the ongoing nonsense about blood type, incessant insistences on Koreans being geniuses and very kind, taxi drivers who don't stop for foreigners, anti-Americanism, the whole 5000 year nonsense, noise (everywhere, all the time), having to tell my students a hundred times each class to stop talking, the incredible hassle that one must go through to get a sick day off when you have the flu, cars going down one way streets in the wrong direction, neighbours slamming their doors every time they go in or out, lying recruiters, dishonest employers, sneezing on packed buses and subways, pushing onto an elevator before the people on the elevator have exited, the (criminal) refusal of parents to place their children in seatbelts, the fact that nobody washes their hands after using the bathroom, bus drivers who think that throwing their passengers around the cabin is part of their job description, the fact that they wait until the very last minute to inform
the foreign teacher of anything, etc etc etc.
I like my job and adore my students. Besides that, however, I'm really piszed off with Korea recently. It'll pass, but at the moment I aint feeling the dynamism....And that whole 'Dynamic Korea' thing. Don't get me started on that. If it was so friggin dynamic they wouldn't need to keep going on about it. It would be so obvious we'd be telling them that Korea is dynamic. Not the other way around.
I'm finished. Thank you for your indulgence. |
Go back to your own freakin' country if you have any criticisms about anything in Korea!!
Who do you think you are asking for such relativistic stuff, huh?! You think Korea should be like Kansas or Kanata?! Well, go back there! Bring your attitude there, too, and do not forget that a few of you white wetbacks are wrong about Korea. Show me one local who dares to spit, leave the bathroom without washing his/her hands, drive like a maniac, or eat like a gorilla and act badly in other ways and I'll devote an entire pack of This Plus cigs to you.
Got it?!
Over and out, eh!
R |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ChopChaeJoe
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2006 7:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I think Koreans have fairly polite table manners. not the kids, but the regular folks. Sharing food is not impolite in my book, though I wouldn't do it if I had a gamgi. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
philipjames
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 3:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Yep, not feeling the dynamism either. Way too many things in this country get me down. The friggin traffic, and zero enforcement of traffic laws, is one of my biggest peeves. Drives me friggin crazy. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
venus
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Location: Near Seoul
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 4:06 pm Post subject: Re: Korea Korea Korea! |
|
|
| Roch wrote: |
| Bingo wrote: |
Recently Korea is really bothering me. Maybe it's the change in the weather, but every negative thing that I can usually get passed is piling up. The horking, snorting, hacking, spitting, littering, bumping, pushing in line, prehistoric table manners, people not saying thank you, excuse me or I'm sorry, cars blocking crosswalks, motorcycles on the sidewalk, general discouresy, gum snapping, staring, inane questions, those vegetable trucks, the dude who invades my privacy (and sleep) over the speaker at six in the morning, car horns, excessive whistle blowing by those traffic guys, traffic congestion, polllution, neglect of dogs that are tied up all day, jerks who smoke anywhere and everywhere (even directly under no smoking signs), the ongoing nonsense about blood type, incessant insistences on Koreans being geniuses and very kind, taxi drivers who don't stop for foreigners, anti-Americanism, the whole 5000 year nonsense, noise (everywhere, all the time), having to tell my students a hundred times each class to stop talking, the incredible hassle that one must go through to get a sick day off when you have the flu, cars going down one way streets in the wrong direction, neighbours slamming their doors every time they go in or out, lying recruiters, dishonest employers, sneezing on packed buses and subways, pushing onto an elevator before the people on the elevator have exited, the (criminal) refusal of parents to place their children in seatbelts, the fact that nobody washes their hands after using the bathroom, bus drivers who think that throwing their passengers around the cabin is part of their job description, the fact that they wait until the very last minute to inform
the foreign teacher of anything, etc etc etc.
I like my job and adore my students. Besides that, however, I'm really piszed off with Korea recently. It'll pass, but at the moment I aint feeling the dynamism....And that whole 'Dynamic Korea' thing. Don't get me started on that. If it was so friggin dynamic they wouldn't need to keep going on about it. It would be so obvious we'd be telling them that Korea is dynamic. Not the other way around.
I'm finished. Thank you for your indulgence. |
Go back to your own freakin' country if you have any criticisms about anything in Korea!!
Who do you think you are asking for such relativistic stuff, huh?! You think Korea should be like Kansas or Kanata?! Well, go back there! Bring your attitude there, too, and do not forget that a few of you white wetbacks are wrong about Korea. Show me one local who dares to spit, leave the bathroom without washing his/her hands, drive like a maniac, or eat like a gorilla and act badly in other ways and I'll devote an entire pack of This Plus cigs to you.
Got it?!
Over and out, eh!
R |
Shame I don't smoke is all I can say.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
crusher_of_heads
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Location: kimbop and kimchi for kimberly!!!!
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| princess wrote: |
| Ear plugs are a godsend!!! Use them...It also kills me about the lack of hand-washing in Korea. I will see a nice-looking lady come out of the bathroom and touch her face and hair all over while primping, but never wash her hands. It's also disgusting to see an attractive person pull out a nasty cigarette. |
I won't smoke or spit because Korean duds think its cool, and I won't throw you to the curb because mommy tells me to. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RJjr
Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Location: Turning on a Lamp
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 11:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I'm here on vacation for a week to close my bank accounts and have had a blast so far. Everybody (except for one taxi driver) has been really polite and cool. KB Bank gave great service today. My hotel has been excellent. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
darkcity
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: SF, CA
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
coming from a guy who's lived ten different places in his life (soon to be eleven), let me just say it ain't perfect no matter where you go. just make the most of your situation, find the one you love, and enjoy the good times together.
as they say, without the bitter, the sweet just ain't as sweet. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GreenlightmeansGO
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Location: Daegu
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
Go back to your own freakin' country if you have any criticisms about anything in Korea!!
Who do you think you are asking for such relativistic stuff, huh?! You think Korea should be like Kansas or Kanata?! Well, go back there! Bring your attitude there, too, and do not forget that a few of you white wetbacks are wrong about Korea. Show me one local who dares to spit, leave the bathroom without washing his/her hands, drive like a maniac, or eat like a gorilla and act badly in other ways and I'll devote an entire pack of This Plus cigs to you.
Got it?!
Over and out, eh!
R |
Dude, I hope you are joking.
If you aren't joking: good god, are you blind? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Oreovictim
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 4:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
Just out of curiosity, how long have you been here?
I feel the way you do sometimes; it's natural. But then I get my paycheck, and the ill feelings go away.
Talk about frustration, I constantly correct this student who says "page-e" and "English-e" on a daily basis. I just found out today that he's been at our hagwon for SIX years. ARGH!!!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
We learned our lesson about Korea after teaching in a couple other countries....when we left Korea we were counting down the days just like many people on here, but now we're headed back because now we see that WE ARE compensated for putting up with the absurdities of Korea. The salaries there are high because they need to attract people to teach in Korea that would normally go to a cooler country if the conditions were the same.
I don't think that you can truly appreciate how good the set-up is in Korea until you've worked in a couple other countries and see that the lifestyle you can have in Korea while still saving good money is pretty hard to beat (meaning as an ESL teacher).
At the end of the day I think that Korea is not the best place to live in general, but is one of the best places to live if you're an ESL teacher.
I think that people who LOVE Korea and rant on and on about how great it is and how great the culture is and how there is nothing worth complaining about living there are certainly in the minority....but those who REALLY hate it need to realize that they ARE being paid to live somewhere that it driving them nuts, and that there are many many ways to combat this.....
1. buy a motorcycle, nothing gets you relaxed better before the hagwan than a 2 hour bike ride in the countryside (not an option in Seoul of course)....the countryside in Korea is actually quite nice, no matter how jaded you are with the country
2. join a gym, same thing, do something productive before going to work at 3 and you'll feel better....this also requires cutting back your drinking to 2 nights a week (I found that my hagwan job was far less painful after I only got ridiculously wasted on Friday and Saturday nights as opposed to all of them)
3. buy a playstation, sounds corny but you can rent movies and do something other than going out....plus then you can have friends over and forget that you're in Korea altogether
4. and most importantly, just laugh at all of the madness....it's hard to do sometimes, but you can't fix their absurdities, so just mock them (not to their face of course), but laughing is a healthier way to vent your frustrations than getting angry |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:17 am Post subject: Re: Korea Korea Korea! |
|
|
| Roch wrote: |
| Show me one local who dares to spit, leave the bathroom without washing his/her hands, drive like a maniac, or eat like a gorilla and act badly in other ways and I'll devote an entire pack of This Plus cigs to you. |
Come on! Make it worth our while. At least make it a Cuban. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Beej
Joined: 05 Mar 2005
Location: Eungam Loop
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:51 am Post subject: Re: Korea Korea Korea! |
|
|
| markhan wrote: |
Ahh, yes, pleasantries, public manners, silent peace, I do miss good ole USA.
I go back to US and everyone seem to have great manners, everyone smiles pleasantly, say "thank you," "please," "excuse me,'' and so on,,, but tell me, WHY DO I FEEL SO UNSAFE?
Is it because this kind-looking 50ish white who I worked with bragged about how she used to live with the minority guy, about how her beautiful daughter is thinking about dating this black guy, about how open-minded and multi-cultural she is, and yada yada yada.
But upon my question why she did not marry the minority guy, with slight sneer she blurts out, "I am not going to have a Puerto Rican baby!"
Or is it because two white guys decided to have fun with a black guy, except that black guy is tied to a car and drag on for i don't know how long.
And then, you have school shooting where you are not shock anymore.
And so on and on.
Mind you, I hate Korean spitting and other ill-mannered craps as much as next guy. And I tell Koreans that Ajussi loud spitting is like "mouth pooping."
And yet, I cant help thinking it is minor nuisance when compared to life in US. There are a lot of brutish and unsafe behavior in Korea but generally it is harmless. On the other hand, in the US, you see smiling faces, pleasantries, general niceness, and yet, Why do I feel more danger in the State than in Korea?
| Bingo wrote: |
Recently Korea is really bothering me. Maybe it's the change in the weather, but every negative thing that I can usually get passed is piling up. The horking, snorting, hacking, spitting, littering, bumping, pushing in line, prehistoric table manners, people not saying thank you, excuse me or I'm sorry, cars blocking crosswalks, motorcycles on the sidewalk, general discouresy, gum snapping, staring, inane questions, those vegetable trucks, the dude who invades my privacy (and sleep) over the speaker at six in the morning, car horns, excessive whistle blowing by those traffic guys, traffic congestion, polllution, neglect of dogs that are tied up all day, jerks who smoke anywhere and everywhere (even directly under no smoking signs), the ongoing nonsense about blood type, incessant insistences on Koreans being geniuses and very kind, taxi drivers who don't stop for foreigners, anti-Americanism, the whole 5000 year nonsense, noise (everywhere, all the time), having to tell my students a hundred times each class to stop talking, the incredible hassle that one must go through to get a sick day off when you have the flu, cars going down one way streets in the wrong direction, neighbours slamming their doors every time they go in or out, lying recruiters, dishonest employers, sneezing on packed buses and subways, pushing onto an elevator before the people on the elevator have exited, the (criminal) refusal of parents to place their children in seatbelts, the fact that nobody washes their hands after using the bathroom, bus drivers who think that throwing their passengers around the cabin is part of their job description, the fact that they wait until the very last minute to inform
the foreign teacher of anything, etc etc etc.
I like my job and adore my students. Besides that, however, I'm really piszed off with Korea recently. It'll pass, but at the moment I aint feeling the dynamism....And that whole 'Dynamic Korea' thing. Don't get me started on that. If it was so friggin dynamic they wouldn't need to keep going on about it. It would be so obvious we'd be telling them that Korea is dynamic. Not the other way around.
I'm finished. Thank you for your indulgence. |
|
SCHOOL SHOOTINGS!!! A Korean complaining about school shootings in America. Ridiculous. Sorry Kyopo guy. That card has been played and Koreans are the undisputed champion in American school shootings. After ViginaiaTech a Korean such as yourslef should never mention US schools shootings. Got it? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oh_daesu
Joined: 11 Oct 2007
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:59 am Post subject: Re: Korea Korea Korea! |
|
|
| Beej wrote: |
SCHOOL SHOOTINGS!!! A Korean complaining about school shootings in America. Ridiculous. Sorry Kyopo guy. That card has been played and Koreans are the undisputed champion in American school shootings. After ViginaiaTech a Korean such as yourslef should never mention US schools shootings. Got it? |
hey Beej, have you swallowed your brain? If you're living and working in Korea, then please tell me you're doing it illegally. You cannot be university educated and graduate with the mentality of a dumb hick...  can you? Is it so easy?
You're not just implying, but rather stating as an "undisputed" fact that Koreans as a population, an ethnicity, have become the champions of school shootings because of the actions of one single person who happened to be a Korean.
Yeeeaaahhhh riiiiiggghhht....  God damn, you certainly are a dumbass.
Oh, and after that post of yours, a piece-of-sh|t such as yourself should never mention that you ever went to school at all. Got it? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oh_daesu
Joined: 11 Oct 2007
|
| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
| darkcity wrote: |
coming from a guy who's lived ten different places in his life (soon to be eleven), let me just say it ain't perfect no matter where you go. just make the most of your situation, find the one you love, and enjoy the good times together.
as they say, without the bitter, the sweet just ain't as sweet. |
Being well-traveled myself, I couldn't have said it better.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
