Korean Job Discussion Forums

[april]

hi

[ChilgokBlackHole]

One night?

Breathe.

[april]

Good advice.

[peppermint]

Everything looks worse when you just got off a long plane ride. when I first arrived, the people that met me took me to the school instead of my apartment. I remember taking one look at the hagwon bathroom and crying my eyes out for a bit. Give yourself at least enough time to get over the jet lag before making any decisions.

[nchannah]

I don't know about your situation specifically, but you're probably just freaking out over being in an unfamiliar place very far from home. You haven't had time to explore the area yet and find out what's what. Things will get better

[teretere]

Hmm...

[conrad2]

Go with your gut. First impressions mean a lot. Proper housing is just as-if not more important than the job. You should leave Korea asap and go back home. It could and probably will get a lot worse.

[fugitive chicken]

Don't listen to Conrad2, give it time, get settled. fix up your place, make it homey, it will get better. You will make friends, who each have their own arrival and school stories, and you will be able to laugh about it later on. I definitely had many moments where I asked what I was doing here, then I met friends, and am enjoying myself here. Just get to know your surroundings,oand get out there and meet people. Friends made all the difference. YOu're not alone, nearly everyone here has gone through this at some point in time.

[brickabrack]

You can make the most out of any situation that is not your ideal.
How many people actually have fallen into their ideal way of living?

Either way, you'll make friends. Join an activity group.

[nchannah]

Where in Korea are you located, april? Maybe someone here can suggest things to do in your area.

[april]

I'm in Masan. Its not that bad, I just feel like out of all the places I could have ended up, this is it? Its got nice mountains, but the town is a little rugged. Which would be fine, but this is my big adventure, my big risk-I'm a little older, in my mid 30's and I left a lot behind for this, and this is what I got? I probably sound a little bit like a prima donna. Being the person that I am, I just should have chosen one of the bigger cities. I thought this might be a smaller, quainter city, but its not really.

[nchannah]

Well, you're not too far from Busan, so city life isn't totally out of reach. There are buses to Busan and other nearby cities. Read this if you haven't already:

http://www.koreabridge.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8556

Plus, think of it this way: you're in a small town with fewer foreigners. In some ways, that makes it more of an adventure than if you were in a big city full of western-style comforts. True, it may be more boring, but you get to have a less westernized Korean experience.

[april]

So nice. Thank you!

[eIn07912]

Myself, along with many other people had a bad first adjustment. I was none too pleased with my apartment and school when I first got here either. It takes a few days/weeks for things to start to feel "normal." After that first month, I really liked my little apartment. The school was cool too.

Just take a few days to let things settle. You'll see it isn't so bad after all. Everybody gets culture shock when they get here. Some sooner, some later. Looks like your's is hitting first thing. That's good actually. That means by July, you should be over and really starting to enjoy your time here.

Perk up April, it's Spring time, and all is grand.

[red_devil]

Welcome to the suck.

One night, unhappy, and then jump on Dave's to whine about it? You'll fit in well here.