Korean Job Discussion Forums

peemil · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Location: Koowoompa

Ride a motorcycle on the sidewalk... Sleep till midday on a week day... Be disappointed when I get in a taxi and the guy isn't a complete lunatic. Oh one more... Running into people in the street if they don't move out of the way... What's good for the goose is good for the gander... Think I am turning into a little bit of a bastard in this country... Laughing

Been Here Years · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul

I think I'm becoming a Korean. I can relate to all the above except the urinals and getting beaten up by naked women.

There is one you've left out though - walking up the street to push in front of the Koreans waiting for a taxi next to me!!! I learnt this one the hard way from many Koreans pushing in front of me. I do it now!!!

Drinking Hazelnut flavoured hot water and calling it coffee.

Paying $10 for a small packet of cheese and saying it was cheap!!!.

NQP · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

things I don't do at home that I did in Korea:

spit in ashtrays instead of on the floor, because I'm so polite

eat dog stew, and enjoy it

believe that "because they are older than you" is a valid excuse for anything

dance like I'm the king shit

many more that don't come to mind right now

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

How about finding it hard not to gawk at another foreigner because you haven't seen one yourself for a week or so? And being surprised how strange we really do look here.

Getting drunk more often than is either sane or healthy.

Paying twice or more the price you'd pay in Canamerica for a stupid can of soup.

Eating canned tuna like it was the world's greatest undiscovered secret.

Eating instant noodles once a month or so.

Use chopsticks like it's totally normal.

Walk around vomit on the sidewalk almost daily.

Think some meals are incomplete without a certain spicy cabbage.

Just think of being shoved without an "excuse me" as normal, routine behavior,

Think nothing of a cab driver screaming at you in a language you barely comprehend.

Expect to have to point and use body language even when you know the right words to use, but perhaps do not pronounce correctly, or else cannot get across because of your white face.

Sometimes believe soju is really a good deal.

Spend many mindless hours in front of a computer in a noisy smoky room and consider this the backbone of your sanity-retaining behavior!

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Saying "Oh of course" when a thirty year old woman tells you she has to be home by 11 or her parents will be concerned.

Getting up at 2 pm and thinking, "man, I wish I could sleep in today."

Looking forward to a Starbuck's or a Subway Sandwich like it was a great luxury and privelege to be able to dine in such fine style.

Waking up in PC rooms .... not one I am proud of but have done more times than I can remember.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Whoops forgot one very significant one... assuming the baseball catcher's position to take a dump into the floor (squat toilet) in a dirty bathroom and then hoping you remember the toilet paper! Fun stuff.

Or how about hoping on a bus and not caring where it goes, somewhat hoping to get lost, because you're bored and hope to see something new and interesting.

The Bobster · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

jajdude is on a roll ...

Hopping on a random bus is something I used to do also, but these days it's not really possible for me to get lost in Seoul like it used to be, and what ends up happening is I get depressed that every new neighborhood we crawl into is pretty indistinguishable from the last 11 or so ...

Dunno if I should be proud of this or not, but even after 3+ years over here I have never yet been forced to use a squat toilet for other than what biology has allowed me to be able to do while standing up - maybe I been lucky, but also if I spend a lot of time in a particular neighborhood I tend to scout out where the good bathrooms are - it's a survival skill, isn't it. (I think there was a Seinfeld episode about that ...)

phil · Joined: 24 Jan 2003

i feel ya bobster.... only 8 months for me but i'm keeping the faith....

squatters, just say no.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Middle Land

(1) Saying "ok" far more than I ever have in my life Rolling Eyes

(2) Using two hands to give/recieve money/change in the store

(3) Play "count the white people" while sitting outside having tea with friend.

kangnam mafioso · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Teheranno

eating octopus on a plate that's still moving

asking a girl out on a date in itaewon only to find out that she is freelance prostitute

travelling an hour and 30 minutes to go visit a friend in the same city

liking instant coffee

going to an anma
Rolling Eyes

The Bobster · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

sarahbrach · Joined: 18 Mar 2003

Sleep with GI's
Shower in the middle of the bathroom

The Lemon · Joined: 11 Jan 2003

richinkorea · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2003 11:53 pm Post subject:

Welcome Sarah Twisted Evil

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

I have more, now that I really think about the 'dead' factor in the question.

One: eating dog meat. I couldn't do this back home.

Two: Passing students who do nothing. Back home I would be fired pretty fast.

Three: The rare out burst of anger and really telling somebody off with out getting your arsed kicked in or worse & they just smile. Back home their isn't the language wall. (Hey we all have the really bad day every so often.)