Korean Job Discussion Forums

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

http://www.jeungsando.org
if its those guys, who are based in Daejon, then I'd stay well away

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

Ok I've thought about what you wrote some more...
Why do you need to memorise stuff inside out?
You could translate it without memorising it. ie READ THE STUFF!
With a knowledge of 5000 kanji (wow, more than most Japanese I know)
Surely you could translate this stuff immediately??
My hunch is they don't just want a translator, they want a believer.

Trust me, after 2 years of 6am -10pm 6 days a week, they'll have you believing your mother is a Porcupine God from the Planet Banana

Hey if I'm wrong at least you'll know you checked it out and it was legit,
You have nothing to lose by asking questions....ask lots of questions,
and get concrete answers, if you get any conflicting answers -well then you have reason to be weary,
The Captain has spoken!!

mithridates · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2003 6:08 am Post subject:

Actually, I'm not sure if it's part of a university. The professor has made this place with her own funds and she would be supporting me with those as well. Since it wasn't actually in a university I asked her how a professor could come out of a place like that. Her answer was that the place she had created was better than a university for learning old Chinese texts, and that there is a big shortage of people in Korea with that knowledge now.
But since I don't know a thing about university I thought I would check here. What are universities like with extra-curricular/self-study activities? If a person hasn't gone to a university but it just as if not more proficient than those who have attended it, are they able to get credit for that?
As for studying from morning to evening, I do that anyway if I have nothing else to do, though I take breaks for hikes and so on. That's not a problem. It's also free, that's definate, and it's not religious either. I didn't get any hint of that there which was good.
And to give the professor herself credit, she's very smart. In addition to the ancient Chinese texts she specializes in, she also speaks modern Chinese, English and Japanese, and is quite nice.
Depending on the person apparently it takes 2, 3, or 4 years to memorize all the material. Most of it is self-study, some of it involves the students reading out loud to each other to memorize it, and professors come in every second day or so to give lessons.

The first thought I had after meeting her and seeing the place was, since the material itself is no secret, and if it's not technically part of a university, why don't I just do it myself? But if I were to do that half of my time would be taken up making money to support myself, whereas if I move in there I can spend the whole day with the books.
On the other hand, there is no contract or money involved so there's nothing to prevent me from packing up and leaving prematurely if I find something I don't like or have something more worthwhile to do.

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

Go to www.freedomofmind.com
Join their Yahoo Discussion groups,
Post a summary of the above, especially the hours, university status questions etc....ie she told you it was a university? Now she's saying it isn't but its better??? If thats the case then she lied to you at the begining??
Hey I'm sure she is smart,
(JUST DID THAT FOR YOU)
Email Conrad at
[email protected]

And this guy
[email protected]

Tell them details and ask for their opinions.

Serious as all shit, what are you telling me is freaking me out more and more. Ask the above guys, you will get answers fast.
Email them asap,

mithridates · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2003 6:36 am Post subject:

Actually now that I think about it, that place was featured a few months ago in the same literary magazine that interviewed me in October. I don't get any impression that it's a cult but I am getting some Korean people I know to look into it and I'm also emailing some professors here to see if they can offer any insight.
And any insight I get will naturally get posted here in turn.
Wink

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

Cool! I'm glad you're checking it out, and since you need to make a decision soon I fwded this link on to some of the people I mentioned, and I'll post replies here,
5000 Kanji??? My God thats a lot! I memorised 500 in Japan and I thought that was a lot!! How much does the average Japanes person know??? less or more???

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

[quote="mithridates"]
until two days ago when a phone call came from a professor in a university in Daejon. .........I went down there this afternoon to see exactly what she wanted from me and it turns out she wants me to study for free in this..........I told her that I would get back to her sometime next week.
quote]

Sorry, Maybe I'm giving this too much thought....but......

Who suggested you get back to her with an answer this week???
Not much time to make a decision about a 2 year commitment.

It seems like this is happening way too fast, a phone call from a university professor who may or may not work for a university (with what 6 students?)
An immediate visit and a promise to decide within a week??????

Hey maybe I'm paranoid cause all I've been reading about lately is nasty cultic groups (I like that word cultic)....maybe I'm being paranoid and maybe I'm not.....my robot avatar is back...thats a good sign!!

Looking back did it seem like she was pushing you to make a fast decision??
goodnight!

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

I don't get any impression that it's a cult

Serious question: would you know what a cult looked like if you saw one?
They don't have signs announcing the fact Cool

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

I've got some feedback from a guy over 20 years with experience dealing with cults,

It sound suspicious,

Keep in mind that not all cults are religion based.
And if it's cult-like group, then they'll be lieing their arses off to you

Just ask lots of people about this OK???
Anything this chick tells you try to get varified.

If your concerns about the university status, the number of years, the point of memorising all those texts etc are all answered to your satisfaction, and you decide to try it,
keep in touch and lets even met and chat about how its going,

I'll pm you the responce I got.
cheers big ears

CaptPorridge · Joined: 17 Oct 2003 Location: Saudi Arabia

Getting some more responces:

Tell her to xxxx off: 2
become a monk: 0

Hello,
I wish I would have replied sooner. I decided to reply to you in
person since my reply is so late. Hope you don't mind. I read your
post and checked out the link. I had no intentions of replying but
for some unknown reason I have spent some restless nights thinking
about your post and this guys offer to study ancient Korean text. I
thought that if I responed back then perhaps I would feel better.

It does "NOT" sound good at all in my opinion. Sounds like he's about
to loose his connection with the freedom of life and mind and in turn
perhaps himself as well. This surely sounds like the life of a monk
and I doubt that he would get any credit for it towards his
schooling. I personally think that he would be better off studying
this on his own as a side interest and taking other courses that
would surely apply towards his schooling credits. I am by far not as
highly educated as the members on this link to ESL but I do have
first hand experience on the meaning and reality of freedom. If it's
not too much trouble I would like to be informed of his final
decision. I truly hope that he does not take this offer. I really
don't like the vibes that I am receiving regarding this offer.

Luv and joy,
Suz (concerned Canadian)

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

Captain Porridge, it's obvious that you mean well, but it looks like your posting and looking for answers on a cult survivors' group. Of course they're going to think this is a cult. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. But the reality is that no one there really knows any more about this Confucian study room than we do. The feedback he really needs is from people from Korean university literature departments, or perhaps Confucian schools, who can give him actual information about the legitimacy of the program he's looking into.

I think Mithridates is right to be cautious, and consider this very carefully. But there are programs and projects that can take up that much of one's life without it necessarily being a cult. Ever talk to someone in med school? They feel guilty taking the time out for a shower. A first year law firm associate? They don't get much sleep either. Some things in life are very demanding, and not all of them are cults.

At the same time, since Mithridates is very interested in Asian languages and literature, and has never really cared about getting academic credit for it in the past, it just might be a worthwhile opportunity for him. Be able to live for free for two years to study something you're passionate about? For some people, that's a dream come true.