Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Join Me]

You are a white person in Korea. That means you will be watched 24/7. The fact that you are a giant will command more attention. I for one miss my anonymity but I guess there are other benefits of living here that compensate for it. If you don't like being the center of attention like me, there will be days where you simply want to strangle people. You just need to try to keep it in perspective and realize most people are just curious. If you stay here more than a couple of years, I guarantee you will find yourself staring at every white person you see as well. It is the national past time. It isn't as bad as when I came here four years ago however. Most of the kids don't seem to freak out every time they see a white person now days.

[JerBear]

I have multiple strikes against me:

1) Heavy

My first day in class, the kids had a little reading assignment. The words were "She is fat. She isn't thin." Even though I'm a male, after the class, each kid came up to me, poked me in the stomach and said "She is fat. She isn't thin." And they giggled and giggled. My firm belief is that, while in the states, you'd never point something like someone's weight out in a public forum like that, when the Koreans (particularly kids) do it here, it's truly just out of novelty and there's just nothing negative implied. Actually, many kids adore me. Some of them call me Santa Claus.

2) Older than the other teachers (I'm 39 and they're all 20-something)

First day in class, one older female student asked "Teacher, hold old?" I responded "In American years, 39; In Korean years, 40." She said (remember, she's probably 12 or 13), "Oh, still young!" Her very next question was "Married?" I said "no" and when she asked "why?" I said "Still young!" It hasn't been an issue since.

3) Gay (not that the Koreans know - they seem pretty oblivious to clues that any Westerner would pick up on)

[ReeseDog]

So it's not just being heavy. White folks stand out like a booger on a wedding cake. Got it.

[JerBear]

[KumaraKitty]

[ciccone_youth]

hehe!!!

just keep in mind that kids will point out any noticeable flaw you have, they notice every single thing. they don't do it in a mean way, they are just straightforward about things.

[moosehead]

[citizen erased]

[Brady]

I'm 6'6" and pushing 200 pounds. Quite literally every Korean I've ever met has told me I'm tall. Which is great, because I was beginning to forget. Most of the hagwon kids are used to me now, and they get one of the world's best piggy-back rides.

[Hank the Iconoclast]

I'm 6'3" and 225 lbs. I never get told I'm fat except when I got my recruiter's exam.

[Css]

Im fat and ive never had any comments....ive had people looking but they look at all white folk...

edit..by comments i mean insults on the street..that kind of thing...you will find that people you know are somewhat more honest than they are back home..they will tell you you are fat..but not in a malicious way..

if you actually are fat that is.

[bogey666]

[Dome Vans]

I have an American lady friend, she's a bit of the chubs side. She gets told quite a lot by her teachers and boss that's she's a bit fat. First it was probably a bit of a cultural misunderstanding that telling somebody they're fat is not a nice thing in the West. She told them, this but they still seem to persist with it. Shame really.

I'm 6 foot and weigh 171lbs (78kgs) I'm well within my BMI, but then again I'm vege and go to the gym three times a week and play footie with my students a couple of times a week. The PE teacher at one of my schools who I have a bit of banter with (he secretly likes me as opposed to other native teachers he's worked with and he says as much) about the fact he thinks I'm fat. I find this funny because he's a soju alcoholic. Which would be worse?

I am a bit hairy, legs, arms and bit on the hands, and I have daily well kept stubble on my face because I hate to be clean shaven. The fact I'm hairy is probably more of a eyeopener for Koreans, especially at the gym. To be honest I don't really notice people staring at me, I've got better things to be getting on with than to bother about this. I get in the monkey comment with my kids before they get the chance. What I've found that in later life you are sensitive to comments about nose size, hairiness, weight, size, one ear bigger than the other, then you obviously didn't go through school yourself particularly well without getting used to these issues. Not everyone who's adult acts like they are when they come to comments like this.

[Hank the Iconoclast]

[egrog1717]

Pfft... I could have been a linebacker, but joined the band and played Trombone instead... That makes me a real man