Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thevagrant]

[Bruce W Sims]

I'd like to make a case for a different POV.

Though I wasn't born in the American Midwest, I did grow-up here, about spitting-distance from Chicago's Michigan Avenue. If I had to live in a city I can't think of any city in the World I would rather live in than Chicago. That said, though, I have a hard time hearing about how folks want to make sure that they are not too far from shopping, bars, movie theatres and recreation. I've got all of that right here in the States. Why would I want to travel 13,000 miles around the globe to look for the same thing I have right now?

Some of the things I don't hear mentioned when there are discussions about places to select are the numbers of opportunities to become invested in the Korean culture.

For instance, I happen to be a Buddhist and could easily imagine wanting to connect with the Korean Buddhist population. Its not that I need education in my Buddhist traditions as much as it would be the opportunity of a lifetime to experience how the Korean culture interfaces the Buddhist faith with its other aspects.

Or how about this. Noone has discussed those areas which have the most satisfying live-in arrangements. Noone has mentioned those areas which offer the most satisfying opportunities to participate in Korean Educational system. Noone has mentioned which areas have the most active chapters of KOTESOL. Noone has identified those areas where the community is the most welcoming of foreigners into their institutions.

I hope the point I am working to make is not coming across as either stodgy or elitist. I am simply wondering why it is that discussions of location choices need routinely come back to what areas of a foreign country most closely resemble what one left behind and why. Thoughts?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[thevagrant]

I think most people are uncomfortable with the notion of living in an area of a foreign country that's completely out of their element. People want access to something familiar.

Because public transportation is efficient here, it's possible to have the best of both worlds. You can travel around with ease and experience different aspects of the country in the same weekend. I've visited palaces and hiked up mountains alongside Korean families. I've also had conversations with Koreans at bars. I could go to Busan on Saturday to see a local band I like and wake up on Sunday to pick tea leaves in a tea field. Experiencing a culture is a multi-faceted endeavor.

[Modernist]

[Bruce W Sims]

I really appreciate the responses and completely agree with their spirit.

I'm going to guess that the OP probably is thinking more along the lines being able to refresh or reaffirm their homeland connections with familiar activities as their criteria.

Just for the sake of arguement, though, what locations in Korea might lend themselves more to an "immersion" experience? Thoughts?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[ontheway]

The best way to describe Seoul is to take any Korean city of 100,000 people or so, then make 240 copies, smash them together side by side, drop in the government offices and various foreign offices, slow the traffic way down so that it takes longer and costs more to get anywhere, and add a subway that still takes up to two hours to get from one part to another part of the city. You can often get to a particular point in Seoul faster from outside of Seoul than a Seoulite can get there by traveling inside Seoul.

If you like being packed in a crowded elevator, then you'll love Seoul where you can be packed the same way - in the streets, on the sidewalks, in the underground, on the subway, on the buses and in the shops, for hours on end - unrelenting masses of strangers.

Seoul is not better than other cities in Korea, it's just bigger, more crowded, more dense, more tense, less friendly, far more expensive and harder to get around.

If you want to see and experience all that Korea has to offer, it's best to live somewhere outside of Seoul - less than an hour away is too close. It's easier to travel and explore from a convenient, smaller city. The people in Seoul are far more isolated than the people outside of Seoul. It's like being wrapped in your mother's womb - it's got everything you need, but don't you want to get out?



So, obviously, some people love Seoul, others hate it, and some are just "meh."

Choose your place, it's a matter of taste.

[Bruce W Sims]

[litebear]

[Bruce W Sims]

Right on all counts, Bear. I remember seeing a gallery of candidate pictures on a recruiter's website and was rather taken aback to see the overwhelming numbers of 20-somethings. I therefore plead guilty to the charge of First-Degree Stodginess. Thanks for the heads-up.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[litebear]

[Bruce W Sims]

[litebear]

[Nick Adams]

Ilsan is my favorite satellite city.

Bundang is also good, but I personally didn't like it as much as Ilsan. Bundang is too far from downtown Seoul. Weekend trips would still be doable, but that's about it.

Seongnam is Bundang's poor cousin, as posted above. I lived in Seongnam for several years and liked it ok. Definitely more of a commuter area, with lots of young couples starting families, and college students living in one rooms. I would have preferred to live several other places other than Seongnam, but that was not possible due to my job. My part of Seongnam was about 30 minutes from Bundang, 40 minutes from Gangnam and 60-70 minutes to downtown Seoul.