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Farah2310
Joined: 29 Nov 2008
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 Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject: cultural shocks |
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| I am about to sign my life away and will be heading to S. korea the second week of January. What cultural shocks am I in for...? Thanks so much |
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bundangbabo
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject: Re: cultural shocks |
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| Farah2310 wrote: |
| I am about to sign my life away and will be heading to S. korea the second week of January. What cultural shocks am I in for...? Thanks so much |
Which part are you going to?
Will you be working in a PS or a Hagwon?
How old are you?
Ever lived abroad?
etc etc... |
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jcmarsha
Joined: 09 Nov 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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First of all, don't read this board until you get here.
There is a lot of complaining and negativity towards Korea/Koreans.
Though there is not necessarily anything wrong with venting frustration, you should just keep an open mind and experience things for yourself without any preconceived notions of what you may or may not expect.
My advice, be patient and positive and you'll be fine. |
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sobriquet
Joined: 16 Feb 2007
Location: Nakatomi Plaza
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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OP
Communists are absolute sods to live with. Everything you do is monitored all the time. You have to develop a coded language to speak to your loved ones and friends. |
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Farah2310
Joined: 29 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject: Re: cultural shocks |
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| bundangbabo wrote: |
| Farah2310 wrote: |
| I am about to sign my life away and will be heading to S. korea the second week of January. What cultural shocks am I in for...? Thanks so much |
Which part are you going to?
Will you be working in a PS or a Hagwon?
How old are you?
Ever lived abroad?
etc etc... |
I am going to be in Seoul ( Hongdae). I am going to be working for a hagwon called Korea Poly School. I am twenty two years old and have never lived abroad although I am quite the traveler. |
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Goku
Joined: 10 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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| jcmarsha wrote: |
First of all, don't read this board until you get here.
There is a lot of complaining and negativity towards Korea/Koreans.
Though there is not necessarily anything wrong with venting frustration, you should just keep an open mind and experience things for yourself without any preconceived notions of what you may or may not expect.
My advice, be patient and positive and you'll be fine. |
Actually, this board helped me a lot before I came over.
I expected everything to POTENTIALLY be hell. I was prepared for the worst, I knew all the pitfalls and what could potentially be a pitfall.
I imagined my boss being a total demanding ass, working 12 hours a day, doing incredible seat warming, and my students being demons.
Well, nothing turned out that way and I am very happy. Although I do agree, you have to be strong not let some of this stuff get to you. For example, you see people complain about the food. that's one thing that affected my mentality. I ate gimpap for like 5 days. But then I tried it, it was delcious and now I'm addicted.
Be wary of some of the things said on Dave's
For culture shock, the biggest thing for me was manners. I had to dish it out, but get none in return. Also, when people laugh and look at you like you're a monkey, don't worry, it happens to all of us. Really expect people to laugh at you. Doesn't matter if you're white black or asian. Just being a foreigner expect that stuff, so when it happens it won't bother you as much.
Also, Bumping theres a lot of it, and don't expect anyone to say sorry. But that means you don't have to say sorry when you bump into them!
Students are highly group orientated (collectivists), they are afraid of anything that will distrupt the dynamic of the room. Tailor activities so it's easy for students to shout out answers without drawing too much focus on themselves. THEY HATE being singled out. I did a few times and the students never forgave me (it affects their view of english though :/ ).
Also, expect students to not listen to you. People don't take foreign teachers seriously (with good reason sometimes) so as general advice, you really need to establish yourself from day 1.
Oh and it was recommended by my recruiter to give gifts, I did it a lot and it helps. Some argue its not worth it and it's kind of extinct but I did it for my boss and he's very appreciative. I suggest bringing a few notable american gifts.
I could write a lot more, but it has less and less to do with culture lol |
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ciccone_youth
Joined: 03 Mar 2008
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:53 pm Post subject: Re: cultural shocks |
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| Farah2310 wrote: |
| bundangbabo wrote: |
| Farah2310 wrote: |
| I am about to sign my life away and will be heading to S. korea the second week of January. What cultural shocks am I in for...? Thanks so much |
Which part are you going to?
Will you be working in a PS or a Hagwon?
How old are you?
Ever lived abroad?
etc etc... |
I am going to be in Seoul ( Hongdae). I am going to be working for a hagwon called Korea Poly School. I am twenty two years old and have never lived abroad although I am quite the traveler. |
You'll love Hongdae, it's the party place. And if you're 22 and fresh out of university you'll have a great time i'm sure. No worries. |
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bundangbabo
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: cultural shocks |
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| Farah2310 wrote: |
| bundangbabo wrote: |
| Farah2310 wrote: |
| I am about to sign my life away and will be heading to S. korea the second week of January. What cultural shocks am I in for...? Thanks so much |
Which part are you going to?
Will you be working in a PS or a Hagwon?
How old are you?
Ever lived abroad?
etc etc... |
I am going to be in Seoul ( Hongdae). I am going to be working for a hagwon called Korea Poly School. I am twenty two years old and have never lived abroad although I am quite the traveler. |
Found you a thread about Korea Poly School
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=88717
Hagwon work is harder than public school. May be a bit daunting if you have never taught before but you will have smaller classes so you will get the hang of it.
There will be culture shock - the thing I noticed when I got here was the smell - It effing stunk! In the first few weeks I would be on a euphoric high and would go into a depressive low all within a few minutes.
You may (or may not) be living in a very small officetel - good news is you are where the action is! Hongdae is a place where all the foreigners hang out so I'm sure you will make friends easily and have a hectic nightlife.
The rest of it - food, relationships with Koreans, workmates etc - I can't anwser as it differs from person to person but my positive views about Korea is that it is clean, it is safe (especially for women in my opinion) and you always have money in your pocket as stuff is cheaper back home. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:05 pm Post subject: Re: cultural shocks |
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| Farah2310 wrote: |
| bundangbabo wrote: |
| Farah2310 wrote: |
| I am about to sign my life away and will be heading to S. korea the second week of January. What cultural shocks am I in for...? Thanks so much |
Which part are you going to?
Will you be working in a PS or a Hagwon?
How old are you?
Ever lived abroad?
etc etc... |
I am going to be in Seoul ( Hongdae). I am going to be working for a hagwon called Korea Poly School. I am twenty two years old and have never lived abroad although I am quite the traveler. |
You'll be in for quite a few, I'd imagine, though you sound like the type of person who should enjoy a long honeymoon period of about 3-4 months. You may be surprised by what a joke your job is and how it's all about making some greedy middle-aged idiot money, and has little at the end of the day to do with actually helping the kids. You'll also find that while you're greatly esteemed for your youthful beauty (if you're a 4/10 or better) and may get good treatment from the boss if you fit their mould of young, pretty, and full of energy, you'll aslo be at the very bottom of any Korean staff totem pole. |
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DC in Suwon
Joined: 14 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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| 4/10? Nice. How's that work for guys? |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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| DC in Suwon wrote: |
| 4/10? Nice. How's that work for guys? |
Pretty well the same, but height adds more points than in the west, weight looses more, and a big nose doesn't deduct anything. |
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bundangbabo
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| DC in Suwon wrote: |
| 4/10? Nice. How's that work for guys? |
Pretty well the same, but height adds more points than in the west, weight looses more, and a big nose doesn't deduct anything. |
Blue eyes is another factor - 'but he had blue eyes' gasped my kids who were raving about some teacher at an English village - their native English teacher has boring brown eyes just like them!  |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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| bundangbabo wrote: |
| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| DC in Suwon wrote: |
| 4/10? Nice. How's that work for guys? |
Pretty well the same, but height adds more points than in the west, weight looses more, and a big nose doesn't deduct anything. |
Blue eyes is another factor - 'but he had blue eyes' gasped my kids who were raving about some teacher at an English village - their native English teacher has boring brown eyes just like them! |
True that - I also have boring brown eyes but in a few pictures my students have drawn they've turned blue. My hair's also turned blond in a few renditions, such as my avatar's (it's really a very light brown). Facial hair is also usually a deduction. |
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i4NI
Joined: 17 May 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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Life is what you make it here. As you can see some people are really bitter and hate Koreans on this board.
+Getting a decent paycheck
+Getting laid
+Having good friends
Those three things will pretty much keep you happy anywhere. You can be living in any of the best cities in the world, and without those three things you'll be miserable, thats why it's no surprise there are so many miserable people on this board.
Also learning Korean is quite beneficial (and logical). Knowing Koreans allows you to take care of yourself better and let you do the things you want. You can have better interactions and more interactions with people -- not mention you'll be able to pick up more chicks. I mean imagine a foreigner going to America to live without ever learning English, the amount of fun and interactions he/she can have is pretty limited.
Also remember it's a different culture, not the culture you are used to back home. Contrary to what some posters here think, there is no such thing as a more superior culture.
Another post I've made before:
| Quote: |
I must be living in another world than some of you, but I have never experienced any sort of discrimination, rejection of service or bad service based on my race. In fact I've gotten more benefits for being a foreigner. There's been so many places I've been where I've been given additional service and respect for being a foreigner in Seoul. Not to mention Korean men would be trying to hook me up with Korean girls and giving me drinks at the club. If anyone is doubting me, i'd gladly let you come along with me to prove it.
I however, unlike a lot of people here put in the effort to learn Korean. It only makes sense to learn the language of the country you're staying in. Why wouldn't you? I've always wanted to catch someone talking shit about me in Korean so I could I tell them I understand everything they're saying, but this has never happened, not once. |
Good luck and I hope you have a good time here. I'd hate to see you turn into another 'bad' guy on Daves 
Last edited by i4NI on Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:45 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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OnTheOtherSide
Joined: 29 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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The biggest shocks for me were the language barrier and the overall cultural differences. It takes getting used to to be around people with a totally different perception of things. But after a while you start to understand them and their outlook.
The thing about Korea is that it is grungy, stinky and funky. There are awful smells, and in general, things look old and messed up. Try not to let that bother you. At first, I think this is the biggest thing that makes people say "Oh my God what have I gotten myself into?!" But soon you'll learn to overlook this.
Look at it like an adventure and don't let yourself feel trapped. Remember that you can leave any time.
I suggest getting a good book about expat adventures in a foreign country. Read it and it'll inspire you to see the adventure of living there instead of getting depressed. |
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