Korean Job Discussion Forums

roll_eks · Joined: 31 Aug 2009 Location: Seoul from Nevada

Jee... I watched Korean movies at home. Thought it looked like Japan, so I came by after a 2 week stop in Tokyo, no problem in Japan. I came here and streets are smelly, people rude, drivers crazy, the air dirty... where is the nice Korea??
OK I'll need time to adjust... but hey?? howd you manage to survive here??
Its my first trip out of America, except Canada. ...
Yeah I saw a foreigner like me here but didn't bother to say hello to me on the street.. rude behavior again. ...

roadwork · Joined: 24 Nov 2008 Location: Goin' up the country

Welcome to the board, new troll.

oskinny1 · Joined: 10 Nov 2006 Location: Right behind you!

Why should someone say "hi" to you just because you have the same skin color?

What is rude is complaining about a country before you even had a chance to experience it.

roll_eks · Joined: 31 Aug 2009 Location: Seoul from Nevada

roll_eks · Joined: 31 Aug 2009 Location: Seoul from Nevada

curiousaboutkorea · Joined: 21 Jan 2009

Movies??? Sorry, but is the US really anything like the Hollywood movies portray?

I have only been here half a year, but I haven't found the air to be dirty. If you're in an urban area like Seoul or Busan, sure there will be some pollution, but I don't think it's any worse than most cities in the developed world.

I have no reason to say 'hi' or talk to other foreigners here. Why should I? They're just random people on the street. I think talking to them just because they are foreign just further pushes the divide between Koreans and Foreigners. I'll make an exception if talking to them arises from the need to ask a question (they may be familiar with the area or something).

Anyways, you said it yourself, you need to time to adjust. First time outside of North America, it's understandable. Just go with it. And hey, the food's cheap, the liquor even cheaper, and getting around is a breeze.

seong83 · Joined: 30 Aug 2009 Location: Jinju

It is really overwhelming and I think your reaction is natural to being out of your comfort zone. The driving here is mental compared to back home, but as long as they don't run me over I've no complaints.

Just try to keep an open mind, things will get easier. This is how people live here and you're a visitor to their home.

shinramyun · Joined: 31 Jul 2009

You won't even survive a day if you go to southern china, if you think korea is scary.

pie eater · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Location: The Bando

Steelrails · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Location: Earth, Solar System

You'll survive by not making judgements like dirty, smelly, or rude. Not saying this in the sense of 'you're dissing Korea' but saying this in the sense that if you are going to make judgments and come in with pre-determined expectations about how things should be, that will make things more difficult.

Focus on the positives, not the negatives.

koala5 · Joined: 21 Aug 2006

can we start a thread about the OP being scary? Sure most places in Korea have what you said, but what place in the world doesn't have what you are mentioned? Oh that is right we all live in a paradise country in our hometown, where there is no crime, there is not a dirty building and the OP isn't scary!

pkang0202 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

Good morning students. Today's words are: Culture shock!

beercanman · Joined: 16 May 2009

Yeah, who would have guess that Japan and Korea could be different?

I have never been to Africa or Europe or Latin America and would not know the differences between various countries there, but would expect differences.

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

I wouldn't necessarily say Korea is scary, but Korea WAS backwards when I first came in 2000. I was a bit shocked...