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jamal0000
Joined: 11 Dec 2010
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 Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:47 pm Post subject: Just arrived in Korea for the first time (to teach) |
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It's been an exhilarating and also overwhelming experience in the 48 hours I've been here. The excitement and stimulation of being in such a new place (first time to Asia) has me really encouraged, but at the same time the realization that I have sooo much to learn and understand about the place is a burden.
My boss has been great and there are two other ESL teachers at my large hagwon. Though, I could see myself feeling a bit lonely once the novelty wears off (to be expected in a new place, so no biggy). I would welcome any links to foreigner meetup groups, activity postings, or tips about the area. I'm in Gangnam (Seoul) by the way.
Overall, I'm glad I'm here. If you have any questions about the flight or arrival or my first impressions feel free to ask. |
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Chris.Quigley
Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Location: Belfast. N Ireland
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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| I give you about a month... |
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Chris.Quigley
Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Location: Belfast. N Ireland
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Chris.Quigley wrote: |
| I give you about a month... |
Sorry... I am a cynic!
Have fun dude. Gangnam is a pretty good place to start off. Lots to do around there. |
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jamal0000
Joined: 11 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Haha, I have thick skin and have lived many places. I realize my post may have sounded a bit touchy feely and that you're never going to be 100% happy all the time, but I feel much better about my Korea situation than other situations I've moved into. I'll have no problem lasting a year or how ever long I'm compelled to stay. |
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Chris.Quigley
Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Location: Belfast. N Ireland
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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| jamal0000 wrote: |
| Haha, I have thick skin and have lived many places. I realize my post may have sounded a bit touchy feely and that you're never going to be 100% happy all the time, but I feel much better about my Korea situation than other situations I've moved into. I'll have no problem lasting a year or how ever long I'm compelled to stay. |
There is as we call it a 'honeymoon' period in Korea. However, stay positive. Stay off this site too... Sometimes it gets pretty negative around here. If you are already having a bad day, Dave's is not the place to come. |
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rumdiary
Joined: 05 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome to Korea! When I came to Korea I had a similar attitude. Everyone kept saying the same thing. Give it a month. Give it six months. You're still in your first year. Your second year will suck etc. I never found this to be the case. I'm not saying that there won't be hard days. But if you keep an open mind and can laugh at your experiences you'll do fine. It's all about how you look at things. Some people choose to complain and whine whenever something out of the ordinary happens. My friend Daryl was like this. He would get pissed when his cab driver got lost, kids came up and said hello, or he got served something funky in a restaurant. He complained about getting bumped into, people at the gym, and the clothes. He was always in a bad mood, not unlike many of the people on the board. I just got a good laugh at people exercising barefoot, adjossis passing out on the sidewalk wearing shiny suits, and the random agressive behavior of adjummas. I took trips one weekend every month to get out of the city and see the country. I hiked mountains, played paintball, went to soccer games, fished, went skiing, visited museums, and was never bored. When I first arrived I planned on going to meetup groups but I just never found the time. I know there are some on Facebook. Enjoy  |
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rumdiary
Joined: 05 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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| rumdiary wrote: |
| Welcome to Korea! When I came to Korea I had a similar attitude. Everyone kept saying the same thing. Give it a month. Give it six months. You're still in your first year. Your second year will suck etc. I never found this to be the case. I'm not saying that there won't be hard days. But if you keep an open mind and can laugh at your experiences you'll do fine. It's all about how you look at things. Some people choose to complain and whine whenever something out of the ordinary happens. My friend Daryl was like this. He would get pissed when his cab driver got lost, kids came up and said hello, or he got served something funky in a restaurant. He complained about getting bumped into, people at the gym, and the clothes. He was always in a bad mood, not unlike many of the people on the board. I just got a good laugh at people exercising barefoot, adjossis passing out on the sidewalk wearing shiny suits, and the random agressive behavior of adjummas. I took trips one weekend every month to get out of the city and see the country. I hiked mountains, played paintball, went to soccer games, fished, went skiing, visited museums, and was never bored. When I first arrived I planned on going to meetup groups but I just never found the time. I know there are some on Facebook. Enjoy |
And make friends with a Korean who wants to learn English. I know this drives most people crazy because they think they're giving free English lessons. But so what? I had a little Korean buddy who was easily ten years younfger than me who really wanted to learn English. We brought him everywhere. He helped out with getting hotelsn train tickets, hair cuts and anywhere else a language barrier would be a problem. |
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Radius
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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| ahhh, so green, so much to learn and find out. I see me one year ago in you. Now....not so much. |
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tanklor1
Joined: 13 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 3:52 pm Post subject: Re: Just arrived in Korea for the first time (to teach) |
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[quote="jamal0000"]It's been an exhilarating and also overwhelming experience in the 48 hours I've been here. The excitement and stimulation of being in such a new place (first time to Asia) has me really encouraged, but at the same time the realization that I have sooo much to learn and understand about the place is a burden.
My boss has been great and there are two other ESL teachers at my large hagwon. Though, I could see myself feeling a bit lonely once the novelty wears off (to be expected in a new place, so no biggy). I would welcome any links to foreigner meetup groups, activity postings, or tips about the area. I'm in Gangnam (Seoul) by the way.
Overall, I'm glad I'm here. If you have any questions about the flight or arrival or my first impressions feel free to ask.[/quote]
What movies did you watch? |
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revival
Joined: 08 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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| What's the name of your hagwon? And what was the first thing you ate in Korea?! |
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Bondrock
Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Location: ^_^
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Do you know kimchi? |
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jrwhite82
Joined: 22 May 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome OP! I'd try to make friends with your foreigner coworkers if you can. That's a great place to start. English churches are great places to meet people. But if you're not into that, try adventurekorea .com. You can go on some cool trips and there are usually a lot of people going solo on them too, so it's not cliquey and easy to meet people. Sookjin (the owner or boss) is an awesome guy. There are a lot of hiking clubs in and around Seoul that are easy to find online. There is an ultimate frisbee club that plays/played in the park near the 63 Building that is a good way to meet people.
Good luck.
Oh and avoid always saying, "Back in my hometown....", "Where I'm from....", etc. No one really cares to hear about some town in America that is not famous for anything and about friends that you have that they have never and probably never will meet. I can't stand people that do this. (Although I've probably done it myself) |
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tanklor1
Joined: 13 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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| How old are you? |
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jamal0000
Joined: 11 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 8:43 pm Post subject: Re: Just arrived in Korea for the first time (to teach) |
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| tanklor1 wrote: |
Overall, I'm glad I'm here. If you have any questions about the flight or arrival or my first impressions feel free to ask.[/quote]
What movies did you watch? |
I'm glad you asked that, because the movie selection was badass. I watched this Korean film subtitled in english called He's on Duty. Talk about a total surprise... in a good way. I cracked up the whole time and can honestly rank it up with slum dog milliionare in quality. http://asianmediawiki.com/He's_On_Duty
I also checked out Social Network and Wallstreet 2, neither of which I'd seen. Social Network was good, I fell asleep half way through Wallstreet 2.
Last edited by jamal0000 on Sun Jan 02, 2011 8:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jamal0000
Joined: 11 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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| revival wrote: |
| What's the name of your hagwon? And what was the first thing you ate in Korea?! |
The first thing I had in Korea was a big ass burrito at The Taco in Itaewon. When going out for lunch I did not intend to get mexican but felt compelled to once strolling around. However, on the flight I had some legit korean food; a bi-bim-bab bowl with a side of kimchi, soup, and beans; a good fish breakfast (both were really good. |
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