Korean Job Discussion Forums

qcat79 · Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Location: ROK

busan guys,

when did the first version of "the basement" bar open in PNU?

what do you reckon was the best "foreigner" bar in busan back in the 90's?

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:14 am Post subject:

qcat79 · Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Location: ROK

the basement bar, actually named "the basement". it's owned now by a cat name liam, but i think it had a korean owner before. don't quote me on that tho. just wondering when it got popular with the foreingers.

Handsome Boy · Joined: 03 Jun 2003

Almost forgot. Does anybody remember the "Rodeo Bar"? opposite
Pukyong University, Busan. I used to drink in there. I think it closed in 2001

brier · Joined: 14 Dec 2009

Came in 96. It's odd to think that the university students I teach were only about 3 or 4 years old when I landed.

Enjoyed the burgers, chili and beer at Nashville's basement back then.

sirius black · Joined: 04 Jun 2010

Really amazing to read the big differences. As I noted before, its a testament to Korea that they have progressed so much in such a short time. To think they were a military dictatorship of sorts in the '80s and the social backwardness of the '90s we've read and from what I have seen today its remarkable. Yes, they have a ways to go and I've been critical of them but I'm seeing them in a new light because of what I've read. The important thing I now realize is that they are open to change. I didn't think so when I arrived but they'd have to be to make this kind of progress.

Yaya · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul

In the 1990s, you were more likely to meet Koreans who had NOT traveled abroad and were dying to go. Nowadays most Koreans have had overseas experience, though I'm not sure that the experience changed them for the better given how horribly Korean men act while in the Philippines.

rainism · Joined: 13 Apr 2011

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:25 am Post subject:

Point is more Koreans have the means to travel abroad now as opposed to a short decade ago.

That can have an impact.

They do have their own style of traveling but not all Koreans travel via tours. Many travel in smaller groups, backpack, try a working holiday program, study abroad....

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

toby99 · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 2:26 pm Post subject:

What was the Hill like in the 90's? Anyone have any stories?

Yaya · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 4:19 am Post subject:

ghostrider · Joined: 27 Jun 2011

I saved a few things from that time period. A post that appeared on Dave's:

"I'm currently a certified teacher living and working in Louisiana. However, I did spend three years in Korea going through hagwon hell.

Some of the people on this board are just too uptight. A common complaint is that some of you are not treated like real teachers. Big deal. First of all, you aren't real teachers. (Neither was I when I lived in Korea. I was just a performing circus geek.) Secondly who wants to be a real teacher anyway? You still have to teach a bunch of troublesome kids. The parents complain when you discipline them. And, on top of that, your weekends are completely taken up with correcting papers and preparing lesson plans. With that in mind, being a circus geek isn't half bad.

Another thing I often read on this board concerns Korea's xenophobia. Trust me. Korea is xenophobic. I'm married to a Korean woman, and I've gotten this vibe from family and strangers. But who cares? I don't want to be a Korean. I'm just happy being an American. In a strange way, this attitude has endeared me to my wife's family. The less I tried to fit in, the more they struggled to help me. Now they often call, begging us to come back. They miss their daughter and sister, but they also miss me. Life with a Yankee-nom was more exciting.

Another complaint I often hear is the hours worked. If you were real teachers, this would be a serious problem. But you're not. This is a good thing. Do what I did when I was over there. I came to my classes with an interesting novel. When a class acted unruly or were uninterested in learning, I took a seat in the corner of the room and spent the hour reading. My director caught me many times and scolded me. But I calmly explained that I wasn't there to be disrespected, worked to death, or ignored by children. What could he do? Fire me? There are a million jobs over there. Movies are also great. Sometimes I spent a whole day watching them with students in the hagwon. The director was pissed, but I didn't care. After all, I was a circus geek and not a teacher.

The only real problem I can see is not getting paid. And even this really isn't a problem. Listen, going on strike and writing angry letters to Dave aren't going to change Korea a lick. You're just a bunch of native speaking circus geeks. Nobody in Korea or your native countries cares about you. They aren't going to put you on 60 Minutes, MBC, or KBS. The only solution is to pack up and go to Japan for a year. Then, when that contract is finished, come back to Korea a year older and wiser.

In my opinion, Korea is one of the most charming countries I've ever been to. I loved it, and I miss it very much. Hagwons suck, but everything else is pretty nice. Now I'm back in the states with a real job, a real family, and real responsibilities. You silly circus geeks might be having the best times of your lives. Unfortunately, many of you are just too stupid to realize it.

Just a thought."