Korean Job Discussion Forums

[D.D.]

I kept thinking while I was in Korea , is it just me or is this place really that bad?

I spent 5 days in China after I left Korea last week. I noticed that China just has a better buzz . The people are more friendly and I was included in their world. People invited me to eat noodles with them even though they didn't speak English. We just sat there smiling and enjoying our breakfast.

In Korea nobody would sit beside me on the bus. In China two pretty girls sat beside me on the airport bus and joked with me , using a guy in the other seat to translate. The girl working at Kfc invited me out for dinner and we had a great night even though it was really innocent.

I even noticed the other foreigners were more outgoing to each other. I scored a great job and I am sitting in Canada now waiting for my visa.

Korea really was boring for me and I always sometimes blamed myself but I am the same guy in China and I get treated with 100 times more respect.

If Korea sucks for you just leave as there is way better places to live.

[reactionary]

Congratulations. I have gotten a job offer or two from China and am always wondering about what could've been.

[roadwork]

Nah, I'm used to it. You really want to get depressed, go to Hong Kong for a week and hang out around there talking to people and stuff. For extreme depression, go to City Super or one of the large grocery stores there and look at the selection of...well, everything.

[egrog1717]

Guys guys... Come now... The reason you are feeling this way is you have not had enough kimchi today! lol...

[Yaya]

[Dharma_Blue]

[redaxe]

[Goku]

Socially other countries are generally "better" than Korea. It's how they deal with others. Korea's a more self invested and less socially aware country. But you have to consider there are great advantages too over countries like China.

Even though you will be more welcomed in China, it's frankly... less blatant they are using you because you are white or foreigner. Sorry to say it but yes that is the case. Being white represents wealth and power in China and the novelty can be so extreme that people will want to befriend you under these premises. If you are ok with this, then China is great. And frankly, I find nothing wrong with it. BUT, some people might... this is why they are your friend.

Korea is much more frank and honestly open. Although they will lie like a pie to save face, Korea will be pretty honest. And honesty hurts a lot. Now, I've been in Korea for a year, and I've studied Chinese culture and visited there. There are good and bad faces to both. I'd probably be in the same boat as you though to be honest. I like China more. But Korea isn't THAT bad. Apples to Oranges really.

[Tundra_Creature]

I'm still waiting for the whole 'novelty' to wear off, but honestly, I'm still really enjoying it here in SK, and I've had basically the opposite of what the OP has experienced. That said, I've also not been here nearly as long.

For the time that I've been in Korea so far (only two months), it's been the opposite for me. I've been invited to eat food several times (usually once a week) with groups of people, or just a friend or two. People usually sit beside me on the bus. Nothing beyond that really, but that's because I'm usually sleeping/not sociable on public transportation.

I've joined the TKD club here at uni, and they've all been really welcoming to me and the two chinese girls that came, whether we all speak each others languages or not.

In general most shops have been nice to me, whether they speak Korean or English to me (mostly Korean for whatever reason. I can barely speak it and I don't look like the type who can).

As for the foreigners, some are super friendly, some aren't, just like the Koreans. I hang out with who I get along with, so that's pretty simple.

Really, the two things that bother me here are the spitting and the amount of smoking (I suppose if I was a smoker, it wouldn't matter though).

But yeah, that's just been my time here. Take it as you want, which is probably the feelings of a newbie.

[Savant]

I don't think that Korea is that bad.

However, in my experience, when the bad stuff hits you; it HITS you and it does take a hell of a lot of goodness to bring me back to my starting mood.

I continually have a love-hate relationship with Korea.

[fermentation]

[Easter Clark]

China's worse. Much worse.

[Old Gil]

China is poorer, so that plays a factor. However, I thought the overall vibe in both Beijing and Shanghai was a lot better, maybe cuz I speak Mandarin a lot better than Korean. Maybe they liked that, but I never got that "OH MY GOD you can speak our amazing and special language" from the Chinese though, a few fake compliments here and there but nothing fawning or terribly artificial.

Customer service is pretty bad in China, however, but I don't really care about that.

[Junior]

[beercanman]