Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hochhasd]

I just started in Namyangju,but I am going F#$%% nuts.Dont get me wrong, the princpal is great so is the co-teacher and I have a two bedroom apt with A/C,but it is a bit country. I have yet to meet any Westerns. Is there anyone out this way? I can not wait until orientation.

[Zulethe]

Get yourself a Korean phrase book and go to the local market and practice your Korean with the local old ladies.

Your Korean will vastly improve and they will also give you free rice. Really get to know these ladies. They usually have a dance place for the old folks to get their groove on.

It may not be your thing but drunk adjumas can be a hoot and you just might get lucky...wink wink

[saw6436]

Welcome to Korea. I actually miss my time in the countryside.

[AgentM]

[waynehead]

Friday night hop on a bus to the nearest big city. You'll run into some other round eyes, I assure you.

[Big Mac]

I used to live in Guri City, which is close to there. There is a small group of foreigners in Guri...I would imagine even more than there were when I lived there 4 years ago. Most of the foreigners back then lived in Topyeong-dong. There's also a bar in Guri...I think it was called Red Dog or something like that where foreigners would hang out, but I'm not even sure if it's still there.

Seoul isn't that far away either and there are lots of foreigners there.

[Kikomom]

Unless you brought tons of money with you, you'll probably have to suck it this month and do some normal exploring of your neighborhoods on your own, finding nice eating places, pc bangs, and just wandering around.

When/if you do run into people you feel you could get along with, get their Facebook info to get in touch with again when you have a cell phone. Zippy told me his life was so much easier after he got a phone. Then he could meet up with his friends for evening dinner dates, etc. just by texting where the gang is heading out to.

[yingwenlaoshi]

Go to Seoul a couple of times a month and spend all your cash. That'll offset whatever. During the week, eat a couple of huge steaks every week and get fat. It's fun.

[okayden223]

Learn to embrace your solitude...if you can conquer that then you'll be a better person for it. Honestly I was in a similar situation in a similarly sized city. I went 4 months before I really met anyone in my town that I actually could stand to hang out with more than occasionally. That's the thing with Korea...even when you do meet other FTs, they're not necessarily people with great social skills. But by the end of it all I had a cool little group of people to meet with for a beer on the weekends and a nice routine that kept me busy and sane. Join a gym, go hiking, go the jimjilbang (an awesome way to relax once you get used to a few things), figure out what your favorite Korean dish is and who makes it the best. Like the others have written: go away for the weekend now and again. As long as you don't hate your job the rest will fall into place.

[oldtactics]

Walk around busy areas on Friday and Saturday nights, and if you see other foreigners, ask them what bars they hang out at. Chances are that they invite you along or at least point you in the right direction.

Alternately, learn the bus schedule and get out of town!