Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ewlandon]

Anyone else at a hogwon with no other native English speakers. What do you do about a social life? Ive socialized by going out with my Korean coworkers a little bit but its sort of awkward considering i dont understand what they are saying. I work 2-10 pm. Starting to get to me. Anyone else in a similar situation? How did you meet people, what do you do?

[angiegoes]

Are you in a big city or a small town? Look on FB for groups with your cities name, join some clubs or groups in your neighbourhood, take korean classes to learn korean, and meet foreigners in class and koreans out of class. Look up meetup.com to see if there are any hiking or weekend clubs you can join. Go to the gym. Start a hobby that you can do by yourself. Meet the people in your building. There are lots of ways to find new friends, you just have to leave your apartment ^^

[ewlandon]

Ive done a lot of that and intend to get a gym membership too. Like i meet with some american people I met on most weekends. I live in seoul which seems to make everything kind of difficult because of my hours. Usually I wake up too late to do anything significant in the mornings and at night, well it takes an hour + to get anywhere so I end up going home. Seems I am limited to socializing once a week.

I am just jealous seeing friends/aquantances in Seoul (who live like 1-2 hours from me) having a great time with coteachers every day after work etc.

[northway]

You live in Seoul and you're saying it takes you up to two hours to get to other places in Seoul?

[The Floating World]

only wayg at work (oww) did this last year and at ps 3 years before. Only the past 2 yrs did I not have anyone to hang out with in the week at all (one year just didn't gel with the few waygs there werein my rural location and in the last yr there literally was only 1 other wayg within an hours bus ride and we didn't really get on.) Other few years I was oww there were other oww's or non oww's living nearby.

What did I do those last 2 years after work in the week?

Worked out and then ate dinner and then drank a pitcher of MAX and watched a movie or some eps of tv shows, then went to bed and saw my friends at weekends. I don't reccomend drinking a pitcher a night though if you can get by fine and dandy without it.

[ewlandon]

i said i live in seoul and it takes 1-2 hours to get to where the people I know live(using the metro). 1.5 to be exact for both the people I know in seoul. As for coworkers we do stuff maybe once every other week after work but they ALL live at least 1 hour away so its difficult for them to stick around the work area late.

Ive been watching movies etc and drinking makoli or beer after work. GOing to get a gym membership soon.

I dont really mind but somtimes it gets lonely doing that 5-6 nights a week.

[ewlandon]

also in the 6 weeks ive been here ive seen maybe 2 non korean people in my area. No english teachers seeem to live around me. I have some korean neighbors that like to chat me outside but i have no idea what they are saying and its awkward.

[angiegoes]

just get over the awkwardness and smile and give your neighbours a persimmon or something. A little kindness can go a long way. I did this at my last place and I got more kimchi delivered to my door then I could ever eat in a month haha.
I started walking the little mountain hill by my place when I lived in a secluded area, and I met people who were doing the same. I find when I'm speaking english to someone who is only speaking korean, communication is much easier when I'm doing something like hiking or grocery shopping, where we can point and try to talk about things. p.s. makoli is best at the top of a mountain!
I was the only foreign teacher at all my jobs before my current one, and now I'm having to make a conscious effort to open up and become friends with my foreign coworkers.
I personally saw my quality of life go up once I started learning a little Korean, made it easier to eat, travel and be friendly.
good luck!

[ewlandon]

thanks much angie great advice.

[furtakk]

take a korean class. there are a bunch of free one's in seoul, so there should be one in your area.

i'm assuming you're new to korea so you'll probably get put in the beginner class which typically is taken by other folks new to korea. so it might make breaking the ice a bit easier as they are in the same boat. i think it might be trickier with your schedule, but i have seen saturday afternoon and weekday morning classes. even though i worked with 5 other foreigners my first year, i met most of my good friends through the class i took.

[r122925]

Working until 10pm probably has as much to do with it as being the only foreigner. If you're even a little outgoing you'll be able to meet people outside of work, but working until 10 means you'll almost never have a chance to meet them during the week. I used to work a 4pm-10pm shift. I liked the job itself a lot, but working so late nearly drove me insane after 2 years. You have little chance of a weekday social life unless you can find others working a similar schedule. And even if you do, there isn't much to do at that hour of the night besides drink. Which can be fun but will certainly get old after a while. The previous suggestion of taking a Korean class is a good one. You should have no problem finding one that meets in the mornings, and you'll meet people there. The only problem is that your only chance to hang out with them outside of class will most likely be weekeends. At 10:30-11:00 pm on weeknights most people are thinking about going home, not going out.

You also might try looking for groups on sites like facebook or meetup. You may be able to find one for your specific area of Seoul and meet some foreigners living near you. Good luck.

[theevilgenius]

after work, get up and get out, eat at a different restaurant every night, eventually some Korean will come up to you and try and converse in English and BOOM! you've got a friend. You could also try and learn some Korean so you will understand what your coworkers are saying and you may even be able to join the conversation.

[DaHu]

[ewlandon]

not sure if im replying to a flame, but its obviously English.

[DaHu]

ah, sorry, didn't read your first post clearly..