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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:53 am Post subject: Korea's a village |
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| That's what a middle school girl said to me yesterday when I compared Korea to about the size and shape of Florida. She said no, Korea very small, a village. Well I figure most of the country seems like one but hey some 50 million people can't quite fit in a village can they? |
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the wrangler
Joined: 24 Oct 2003
Location: the next flight to korea to find mankind
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| no |
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posco's trumpet
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: Beneath the Underdog
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by posco's trumpet on Sat Dec 06, 2003 5:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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| With my students, I compare at least the shape of Florida (penisular) to Korea, and then point out that my home is the Busan of Florida- Miami. It does give them a sense of geography, but then I have to tell them about the climate and beautiful beaches, etc., and there the comparison dies. |
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katydid
Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| I heard Korea was about the same size as Indiana. |
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weatherman
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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| You know, the worlds 13th largest economy, 48 million people, over 70 million speakers if we included the enslaved up north. How does this make it a small country? It is all in their heads, a defeatist, victim mindest. |
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katydid
Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, considering you have the humongous land mass known as China right to the North of them and the economic powerhouse (though yes, everyone is suffering ecnomically these days) Japan to the East, then I can see how they have a supreme inferiority complex. |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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| weatherman wrote: |
| It is all in their heads, a defeatist, victim mindest. |
Someone really needs to give them the figurative and literal explanation of "*beep* envy".
Sparkles*_* |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 2:39 am Post subject: |
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I don't see many Koreans complaining their country is a small defeated insignificant dot on the map. i see a whole lot more who reckon it is at the forefront of ingenuity, technology,human intelligence, sporting achievement, business ability, and a whole lot of other patriotic claims.
Still, other countries have the same attitude. Each country claims to be the centre of the universe for one reason or another.... |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:50 am Post subject: |
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| rapier wrote: |
I don't see many Koreans complaining their country is a small defeated insignificant dot on the map. i see a whole lot more who reckon it is at the forefront of ingenuity, technology,human intelligence, sporting achievement, business ability, and a whole lot of other patriotic claims.
Still, other countries have the same attitude. Each country claims to be the centre of the universe for one reason or another.... |
Ah, the two-facedness of the Korean psyche. One moment they're praising their country to the Nth, the next (perhaps the one you witness quite infrequently, rapier) they're bashing it to shreds.
Example1: "Kimchi is the healthiest food! It protects you from SARS, you know."
Example 2: "Why did you come to Korea?" (a question similar to asking "you're not really going to eat that, are you?")
Sparkles*_* |
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J.B. Clamence
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 5:10 am Post subject: |
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| Tiberious aka Sparkles wrote: |
| Example 2: "Why did you come to Korea?" (a question similar to asking "you're not really going to eat that, are you?") |
Sometimes the question may have that implication, but in my experience, most people ask it either out of curiosity as to what compels a westerner to choose Korea, or as a way of fishing for compliments.
I think Koreans are pretty confident about the greatness of their country (in their minds), but that doesn't necessarily mean that they understand why outsiders would want to live here. In the same sense, asking why an outsider would want to be here is not the same as thinking their country to be inferior in terms of living.
Then there's the "fishing for compliments" questions. Koreans do it all the time: "What do you think about Korea?" is often the same kind of question as "What do you think about my new hairstyle?" |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 5:20 am Post subject: |
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| J.B. Clamence wrote: |
| Tiberious aka Sparkles wrote: |
| Example 2: "Why did you come to Korea?" (a question similar to asking "you're not really going to eat that, are you?") |
Sometimes the question may have that implication, but in my experience, most people ask it either out of curiosity as to what compels a westerner to choose Korea, or as a way of fishing for compliments.
I think Koreans are pretty confident about the greatness of their country (in their minds), but that doesn't necessarily mean that they understand why outsiders would want to live here. In the same sense, asking why an outsider would want to be here is not the same as thinking their country to be inferior in terms of living.
Then there's the "fishing for compliments" questions. Koreans do it all the time: "What do you think about Korea?" is often the same kind of question as "What do you think about my new hairstyle?" |
You're part right, but I've had more than a few students ask, "why are you studying Korean? It is an unimportant language. And, "Korea is so small!"
But who doesn't b*tch about their home country. Only, you won't hear me saying "Canada's just too damn large".
More like "f'n GST/PST" and, "damn commies."
Sparkles*_* |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 5:43 am Post subject: |
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There's also these two:
"Korean letters are the most scientific in the world, which makes Korean very logical and easy to learn."
"You're studying Korean? But it's so difficult for English people..." |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 6:34 am Post subject: |
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Several Koreans I have met who had lived abroad find a lot of things about Korea hard to take now that they are back. Sometimes they say they are eager to go abroad again. For example, one Korean asked me, "How can you lived in Korea? It's so crowded and not very interesting." Well, she had spent 5 years in France and really wanted to go back there.
Yeah, I also heard Korea is about the size of Indiana. I just thought Florida was a good enough comparison as it is a peninsular of a similar shape and size. Koreans know their country is small and that countries like Canada and the states are huge, at least in size if not population. |
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seoulmon
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2003 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| You know, the worlds 13th largest economy, 48 million people, over 70 million speakers if we included the enslaved up north. How does this make it a small country? It is all in their heads, a defeatist, victim mindest. |
I hear the Koreans have a "deafeatist, victim mindset" all the time. Maybe some do, but what I really like about learning Korean is you can really break past these cliches and meet some really cool Koreans.
About the silly beliefs: Yea, many Koreans have these weird beliefs, like Kim-che prevents SARS. But who am I to complain? Look at where I'm from: AMERICA. Talk about a F***-U* belief system! Let's invade a country, lie about it, and screem "WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA" when someone asks a little things like "why?" |
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