Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sal2ahj0y]

Hi!
My boyfriend and I have been assigned to Gwangju to work for CDI. We are very excited about it. I have been reading up on Korean culture, etc., but I would like to hear what regular, everyday people have to say about their experiences.

That is, what is the one thing (about Korean culture, work, or otherwise) you wish you knew before moving to Korea?

Thank you in advance for your tips!

[Banana_Man]

I wish I knew not to pay attention to all the scaremongering that goes on, i'm talking from non-Koreans here.

edit for spelling^^*

[crisdean]

The one thing I wish I knew before moving here...?
how to speak Korean... that would have been nice.

[ChilgokBlackHole]

Nothing here is what you expect it to be.

[daemyann]

Your attitude towards others can build or burn just as many bridges here as at home.

However, burned bridges + language barrier = permanently burned.

[aishiii]

[air76]

I don't know if I'd necessarily say "I wish that I'd known this before I came to Korea"...but I would say that the biggest surprise to me was how few Korean friends I have made over the years. Before coming to Korea I assumed that I'd have a lot of local friends, really learn the language, and certainly integrate with the local society to a point. I found that the reality is that all of my good friends are other teachers and that for the most part I live socially isolated from Korean society.

Of course there are some exceptions, but I think that for the most part most expats here don't have many Korean friends, and many of the friends they do have are superficial....not necessarily superficial in a bad way, just that maybe you play basketball with them once a week and maybe have dinner and drinks, but that you don't really have a deep relationship, have never been invited to their home, etc.

That being said...I have only lived in smaller towns, so undoubtedly folk who live in Seoul will have a greater likelihood of having Korean friends...but in my experience the cultural differences and language barrier between Korean society and my society has proven to be great enough that for all intents and purposes I don't really have Korean friends.

I agree with Chilgok as well that nothing here will be what you expected it to be...whatever your image is of Korea will be wrong. It is impossible to explain or predict this place without having lived here....and even then it's still constantly perplexing.

[snowysunshine]

I wish I understood better the culture. I spent six years here and just got annoyed at many things.

After a 4 year break in Canada, and coming back, I'm working in being more open minded and understanding that lot of things that are a bit annoying is just the culture.

It would also be super useful if you did try to learn how to read Korean. (Definitely not as hard as it sounds. ) It can really make things like taking a bus, or the subway so much easier! I remember when I first started learning how to read Korean, and I was living about an hour away from Seoul by subway, I'd get so excited to see a bus, and read that it went to Seoul as well. I know that there are going to be people who can help you and tell you what bus goes where for the most part, but, if your independent, and like to understand it yourself, it is a good idea!

[air76]

If it takes you more than 1 week to learn to read Korean you need to consult a doctor. It shouldn't take more than 3 hours to get the basics down.

[Old fat expat]

In all fairness what air76 means is that it does not take long to know what each symbol's phonetic equivalence represents.

Knowing what those sounds mean i.e. being able to read, is a different story altogether.


The one big thing I found:
Understand that this is a society based on individual desires with a hierarchy super-imposed (your desires take a back seat to someone else's desires if they are higher up the hierarchy). It is not the 'collective/group' society all the books tell you it to be.

[rickpidero]

I wish i knew that a lot of people on Dave's were just negative idiots. Don't let them scare you.

[daemyann]

[sheba]

I did A LOT of research before I came so there wasnt really anything else I wish Id known before coming... except for the fact that other foreigners werent nearly as friendly and helpful as Id expected.

Learning to read and write Korean isnt THAT difficult either. It would only take another hour if you had someone to teach you, longer if youre on your own because there are certain rules (and exceptions to the rules). Understanding what youre reading is the biggest problem! haha

But yes, if you can learn it before you come to korea then that would be much better. Helps a lot!!

And Korea is NOT nearly as scary as it seems after reading this forum. People come here to vent, to ask for help with probs, and sometimes just to annoy other people... not a whole lot of positivity going on. Try not to let this influence your perception of Korea.

[jiberish]

I wish I knew about the monster in the Han river. That bastard is scarey!

[air76]