Korean Job Discussion Forums

[princess]

Does anyone else out there get the feeling that when you talk to people "back home" about Korea and other places you have gone, that they get aggravated and/or angry, jealous? I can get an argument/fight going in a heartbeat. Even my own family members get aggravated and jealous when I talk about how good these places are. Great way to get a fight going at the dinner table.

[caniff]

[Kikomom]

Anger and jealousy are signs of stress. That these emotions are aroused should be your cue that there are joys missing in their lives--that there are pressures existing that keep them from empathizing with the joy in your's.

�One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others.� -- Robert A. Heinlein

[Bloopity Bloop]

I think it's more that if you talk to friends/family about experiences abroad, eyes tend to glaze over

Every seminar/orientation I've attended for studying abroad/teaching abroad has mentioned this unfortunate phenomenon. Most people would rather talk about the new KFC down the road or relationship drama than learn about foreign cultures.

[Robot_Teacher]

I never spoke much with my relatives about my experiences abroad and about life in general as they never ask and when I tried to talk, I got the same response. Because of this lack of communication and assuming I'm highly intelligent, they thought I was living the high life in college and after when it was dramatically the contrary. My mother always preferred to gossip about all these people and radio talk shows I know nothing about due to not living in her town. She gets a bit defensive and offended if I want to talk about things she lacks knowledge on. She never asks me about anything, just assumes it. She'll assume I have $100,000 and in reality, I might only have less than $10,000 without ostentatiously displaying wealth. She always was a gold digger.

My sister tells me I'm lucky to get to see the world, but is not hostile to me though I'm NOT welcome to store any of my belongings even though they have a large house with a basement and 2 garages on 2 acres nor have a mailing address there. My sister told me I could rent one of those pods and set it on her property if I wanted to store anything. More times than not, relatives are not going to be supportive and understanding.

[Zulethe]

ah, to be young again. Yep I learned the hard way. Overseas 101, don't talk about your overseas experiences. Cause they won't care, and they won't get it. It's like trying to describe what a rose smells like to someone who has never smelled a flower before.

[asams]

well your families must not be very close. my family loves to hear about my experiences and always want to see pictures. they always ask me tons of questions to the point where I actually get kind of tired of talking about it. I have a very close-knit family, however.