Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BoholDiver]

True, actually.

It is a tough double-edged sword for us. Many of us want to be accepted into Korea, but also, many people don't want to follow Korean culture.

I prefer my current situation in Korea.

[wiganer]

[toph]

@wiganer
First, my reply wasn't meant to be sarcastic or cynical. I was genuinely unsure about when I had made such a statement, but I found the quote. Sorry.

Secondly, you're right, many gyopo don't know/understand the Korean culture, but listen...I'm not one of them. I've been brought up in a Korean household my entire life, and the problems that many foreigners complain about in these threads are things that occur in my daily life. So please stop with the whole "just cause you're a gyopo doesn't mean know you more than me" rant, cause I'm included in the 1000s of gyopo who is in touch with his heritage. I am fully aware of my background, and unlike most foreigners...teaching ESL wouldn't be my first time touching ground in Korea. That happened 10 years ago. I think it's amazing how you feel as if my UPBRINGING as a KOREAN does not allot me the right to talk about my culture. Interesting. I am NOT confused about Korean culture, at all. It really is funny to me that you think I am. I've lived 22 years in a Korean household...I think I've learned enough about my heritage to tell a FOREIGNER something about basic manners. But...I guess the only issue is that you're also a foreigner who seems to have "confusions" on basic Korean culture, and you're unable to accept an explanation from a Korean-American who's fully fluent in Korean, visits Korea every year, twice a year, and will move there in January. Oh well.

[Adventurer]

I once met a Korean fellow from on-line who complained about how many foreigners were rude and this and that. I had some grey hair, and he laughed and made fun of me for having grey hair. I was shocked to the point that I didn't know what to say. I will tell you this, that it gave me a very bad impression of the country rather quickly. It may or may not be okay for them to do that to their fellow Koreans, but someone needs to tell them it's not acceptable to say it to foreigners of any background.
I can't really believe that Koreans would like someone to call them fat.
It's not flattering to call any human being fat. I remember a friend of mine who was married to a Korean, and she was called fat, and she was upset about it, and he got into a fight over it. The woman was raised in Korea, and is Korean and was upset.

I remember I went for a job interview at an important Suwon high school, supposedly one of the best schools in South Korea. The director of the English department invited me and this pregnant teacher to the lunch.
I am gracious that he paid for the lunch, but he commented about how fat the pregnant teacher looked. I didn't know she was pregnant, but then found out or figured out. That's one reason I didn't take the job, and they also kept my paperwork and passport too long as if I didn't matter and took their jolly old time to sign things and ignored Korean Immigration law because they were connected.

[CentralCali]

toph: Do you live in Korea? If not, then you live in a Korean household outside of Korea; in other words, it's not what we face here (here being Korea) and you certainly don't live inside the house 24 by 7. By the way, there are plenty of posters here who have lived in Korea longer than you've been alive. Care to guess how they'll react to some gyopo who doesn't even reside in Korea lecturing them on the place where said foreigner has lived more than 22 years?

[NYC_Gal]

@Toph:

A Korean household doesn't prepare you for the reality that is Korean strangers. You learned from family. Try having complete strangers commenting on everything you do.

@Itaewonguy:

You type like English isn't your first language.

@everyone else:

Tell the rude strangers that their faces are very big, and I second the "You eat like pig" comment.

[nfld_chingu]

[toph]

@NYC
"A Korean household doesn't prepare you for the reality that is Korean strangers. You learned from family. Try having complete strangers commenting on everything you do."

A Korean UPBRINGING prepares me for the "reality" of the Korean culture. Strangers are strangers the world over...

Like I've said before, I go to Korea every year, twice a year. I've had random Koreans talk to me like they knew me since birth, and I've had random Koreans tell me there were things wrong with my face. These words bother me, yeah...but I understand that it's supposed to be expected. Also, I know my boundaries IN Korean society (as I'm Korean, and I know the culture) so I know when I'm allowed to criticize back (which seems to be the problem that most foreigners face). So that's why I have no problem with it.

@centralcali
No, I don't live in Korea. But I'm going to move there in January (not just as an ESL teacher, but as an official move). Also, please direct me to those foreigners that have been in Korea for more than 22 years. I would like to hear their opinions on this matter (this is not sarcastic by the way). Lastly, according to your logic...I would be able to pack and move to Thailand right now, and if I stayed for a certain amount of time (what's the minimum: 5 years? 7 years? 10?) I'd have better knowledge in Thai culture than a Thai-American would? Even if that Thai-American was born into a traditional Thai household, spoke Thai his entire life, had Thai friends, attended a Thai church, visited Thailand every year, understood deep cultural Thai traditions, etc? Ahh...I see. Well, I guess that means my upbringing, frequent vacations to Korea, fluency in Korean, knowledge in deep Korean culture, etc account for nothing then.

[Junior]

[BoholDiver]

[toph]

@bohol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Thailand

@junior
Thanks.

[CentralCali]

[Stalin84]

[wiganer]

[BoholDiver]

Thanks for the link. 0.8% of the population.