Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DBXD]

Do you see them as a foreigner "brother" or "sister" and have to say hello to them, or do you avoid them all together. I don't stare at them until they notice me, but if we so happen to notice each other, I'll smile and nod.
Sometimes I don't like seeing them because I feel like they're taking my next potential job and I wish they'd all go home lol.
Maybe that's what most feel, because I feel like a lot go out of their way to not look at you. Why is that? I know it's not me, because I'm as normal as they come.
And for some reason it's awkward when I'm out with my K gf and we see another foreigner/k gf couple. Don't know why that is either.

[highstreet]

[jackson7]

Foreigners I've spoken too, and I as well, often have gone through some stages of culture shock which relates to this behavior. When I first arrived five years ago (also reported by others), I wanted to think of my time in Korea as my special little adventure away from those things foreign. I avoided Itaewon and McD's, didn't hang out with other foreigners, and instead spent my time dating K gals, drinking beer with K guys, and learning K language.

This lasts only so long for most, however, as there are some comforts that are just nice to have. This topic itself comes up quite often, as do threads regarding Itaewon. In the early years, we expats quite frequently swing from a all-or-nothing standpoints with regards to our host and home cultures. After several months (or years, in my case), one usually finds a comfort in oneself and at where one is in their professional and social life, which translates to very different attitudes and behaviors in another country.

I grew up on the west coast of the US, which means I smile and say hello to people on the street more often than my east coast counterparts (I've heard). When I first came to Korea I abandoned this practice for the reasons outlined above, but have come back to it now that I'm comfortable with who I am and what I've accomplished here in Korea.

Lastly, I'll just mention that the above is likely not generalizable, and is offered as a fuel for intro/retrospect. Foreigners are not all the same, nor are Koreans, thus trying to make sense of behaviors in such large terms can be dangerously misleading as well as frustratingly mind-boggling. Meet some nice folks, spend time with them, and don't worry about the underlying motivations for that chap on the street not returning your "hello." Save those thoughts for your PhD studies, and then please return and enlighten the lot of us.

J7

[northway]

I'm one of those rude East Coasters. If I see someone in my neighborhood or in my building, I'll make eye contact and likely say hello. If I see someone in Seoul, not a chance in hell.

[ChrisLamp]

this is going to sound rude (because it is) and illogical (because it is) but it's how I feel and I feel like being honest. so here goes, flame away.

My girlfriend and I hate it here so much that we are of the opinion that anybody who would willfully come to live and work must be either
A) miserable
B) an idiot

in either case we probably don't want to know you. it's harsh, and its pretty lonely, but hey ten months down only two to go! after that bye!

[definitely maybe]

[Bada_Bing]

I understand it when in areas more highly populated with foreigners but it's comic when around my own area, where there seem to be relatively few foreigners, they make more of an effort to ignore rather than to just give a little nod.

[ssuprnova]

there are a lot of foreigners in my area, so it all depends on my mood...
sometimes I'll just walk without doing anything
other times I'll smile and nod
and sometimes, especially after work, I'll give them a wide grin and a salute

then again, whenever I'm in an area where there are very few foreigners I tend to grin, wave, and say 'annyeong (haseyo/hassimnika to older people)' to the Korean people staring at me. the way I see it - being friendly breaks down a lot of barriers and opens a lot of doors. I don't understand people like ChrisLamp -- if you assume everyone else is an idiot and act like that's true, then everyone will just treat you like an douchebag...

[travel zen]

I find that foreigners in Korea are way too snobby. They dont feel alone in a new world, or at civilizations end enough to appreciate other foreigners.

Live in a sea of chinese, with signs and people that only speak and know chinese, of endless, sprawling roads and no help, no McDonalds or pizza for miles in the wilderness.....then you would cry tears of love when you see a foreigner!

[blm]

[MoneyMike]

Same as most others, when I'm in an area with a high foreigner concentration I don't bother. My neighborhood doesn't have many, however, so I always give a smile n nod when I see one around home.

[murmanjake]

[Perceptioncheck]

[Zyzyfer]

Never understood the obsession with having people make eye contact with you. Maybe people are just from small towns back home or something? I'm not from a big city by any stretch, but eye contact was never expected (and undoubtedly a bad idea in certain parts of town), with the exception of your immediate neighbors.

[Died By Bear]

Eye contact with other guys? Nah, there's way too many hot Kgals to look at.