Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bosintang]

By a bad Korea day, I mean a day when you wonder what the hell you are doing here or you are wishing you were somewhere else.

Me personally, I would say it happens to me about once or twice a month, and it is never in isolation. Usually, but not always, it happens when for some reason or another, a quick dose of reality has set in, and I realize that I can't be here in Korea teaching forever. I wonder to myself what I'm doing here, what I'm trying to accomplish by being here, and I get scared that I have no answer to these questions. I then really get scared that I have no long-term plans for what I'm going to do when I do actually leave here.

[jajdude]

I'd say once a week perhaps? The feeling comes and goes.

[Monty_]

Almost never, and I haven't had one since xmas time.

I think having a tight group of friends is a big help, as is the fact that I know exactly when im leaving and what I plan to do after i've gone (so I dont feel like im drifting aimlessley)

The way my life goes out here is monday-thursday autopilot (with a few regular social nights in the week); friday easy at work and looking forward to finishing for the week; and then on the lash from 7pm friday until sunday night with football match on sunday afternoon chucked in.

Busy schedule and regular routine makes for a happy Monty

[SuperHero]

[Butterfly]

Around once I month I get a little fed up; I've learned how to deal with poor communication and lack of clear direction most of the time, but sometimes it makes me so damn tired, and I feel like everyone is scrabbling and trying to build business on relationships alone rather than any actual real work, which I guess works in my favor most of the time anyway, but sometimes I feel its hard to get things done. My students show up late, and miss days and I wonder how they think they are going to achieve anything with this approach to their lives and what they expect me to do about the work they missed. My boss tells me he's got a new contract, which we'll start on next week in x-place, and it gets cancelled and he fails to tell me, and looks at me in disbelief when I get angry about how easy it would have been for him to just tell me, to save me planning the syllabus. He can't seem to understand why I'm annoyed.

And then I go out and pass a foreigner in the street, I say hi, and he ignores me. Twice last week.

I guess today I'm having my monthly I hate it day.

[sadsac]

Once every 3 or 4 months. It just all gets too much and I wonder is it all worth it. I just go and hide for a weekend somewhere and be very anti-social. I am right again very quickly. Having my wife here is a major plus, she is a good listener and understands.

[rapier]

[quote="bosintang"]By a bad Korea day, I mean a day when you wonder what the hell you are doing here or you are wishing you were somewhere else.[quote]

I get that feeling just as much, if not more, when I am in the west... I feel more fulfilled and living a real experience, when I am travelling/ in a foreign country.
I f I was on the treadmill working at a career job in the west, paying for a pension scheme, mortgage and picket fence, i'd certainly get that feeling, big time.

[Wishmaster]

I 've been in Korea awhile but lately I've been feeling less secure about staying here. I've found myself losing my patience more and thinking of home. Of course, I am not going to make any rash decisions and I'm going to use logic in regard to the situation. However, I must admit that things get old pretty fast here. I've pretty much done everything that I've wanted to do in Korea and I wonder what is next.

We have to be realistic. Most of us are not going to stay here long term. That is a fact. There is not really any long term potential here. If you want to stay in Korea for 20+ years...knock yourself out. Me, I don't plan to veg that long. I keep thinking that I should just go home and get a job once and for all and get on with my life. You have a better chance of avoiding the employment fluctuation there than you do here. No rights here and you can be dropped based on your appearance(no matter how long you've been working for your employer). Think about it.

[weatherman]

I had one of my worst Korean days yesterday. Went to a bar that I am a regular at.... walked in and the whole place was watching TV. No music, no talking.. all eyes, the costumers and bartenders were utterlly fixated with the program, and it kind of scared me a bit... I lost my mood with this strange bunwigi of the place and decided to wait until the show was over to have my beer and talk with the bartenders, as I usually do. What got me a little pissed was that everybody was so fixated with the TV program it was like I wasn't there, the service was non existent... so I made a crappy little comment to one of the barmaids who is really trying hard to be a stewardess saying you will never be a good stewardess if you think this is good sevice... I know I was wrong but I was I bit pissed about the bad service.... She cried, boyfriend the DJ started talking crap to me and kicked me out of the bar..... pretty strange stuff being that I pump a lot of money into that place and have always been on the best and friendliest terms with everbody there... Yesterday was a bad day....

[Corporal]

I have bad days about once a week.

I need to go home for a break. That's the only cure.

[Zyzyfer]

I voted once a month but meant to vote once a week. Sometimes it's two weeks though. The longer I've been here, the more agitated I get with certain stuff. It's generally the driving issues that piss me off the most, as getting cut off on a motorcycle is never fun.

Currently, I'm really itching to get out a take a nice, long break from Korea. I definitely don't have a hate-on for the place, though...I just can't stand the "balli balli" style of things too well. Hate going to Seoul because of stuff like that.

[whitebeagle]

Glad I'm not the only person who has bad days..
Been here 2 years, suffering from lack of energy, enthusiasm for life, and general lack of direction, don't know whether it's Korea or I just need a long break!
To people who's left the country and come back, have you found your enthusiam for Korea return after a break?

[rapier]

[Homer]

Everyone gets bad days.

Its just how you deal with them that counts.

[cacheSurfer]