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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Andromeda
Joined: 09 Feb 2012
Location: Woodstock, GA
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 Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:31 pm Post subject: Re: <I MISS KOREA> |
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| bcjinseoul wrote: |
I feel like I�m taking the piss by just writing this bloody thing, but I guess all these British films on Netlfix I�ve been watching are affecting the way I talk and write lately. Funny how every other K-girl I met in K-land between 2006 and 2010 had a crush Jason Statham. Bugger. Meanwhile, I�ve been nearly two years back in States, and I feel as if this entire operation is about go *beep* up. Bloody hell, I think all bets are off, mate. A good job is like a good bird, and you don�t what you�ve got until you�ve moved on.
There is something agonizing about living and working America. This is a nation of hard work, no doubt about. Not a lot of people work Monday through Friday, nine to five, and not a lot of people have any money to show for their work, let alone generous benefits, vacation time, or even a pension�or a job they actually like. This certainly is not a rant about class warfare. It�s about sticking to your guns, thick and thin. I guess I wouldn�t mind working a lot if I was making a lot of money (billions, millions, or even hundreds of thousands), but working a lot just to sustain, sustain, sustain month after month has certainly taken its toll.
I certainly know the feeling of being a made man. Of not having to get up at 4 or 5 in the morning like high school teacher, construction worker, or soldier. Of not having to work late nights and weekends at a call center or restaurant. Of not being underpaid like an administrative assistant, bank teller, retail clerk, security guard, or janitor. Of not doing something boring like accounting. Of not having my hands covered in blood, vomit, or mucus like a nurse, doctor, or whatever. Of not working six days a week or worrying about sales quotas.
At my job today a coworker admitted she liked Korean movies. Another former coworker who I saw earlier in the day at the mall said he wants to teach English in Korea when he finishes his bachelor�s degree. Meanwhile, Korean cars are giving Japanese cars a run for their money in the States, and Best Buy�s TVs, cell phones, and other electronics are dominated by Samsung and LG � two of Korea�s largest conglomerates. Hulu TV and Netflix have plenty of Korean TV shows and films. I have an open mind, but somehow, I take these things as a SIGN of what�s to come, somehow. Korea wasn�t so big on the map six years ago when I first flew over, and neither was the foreign ESL teacher population. Things have changed.
What can I say. I know what it�s like to have an easy job. I know what it�s like to have five figures in my checking account and be debt free. I know what it�s like to have a job I love. I know what it�s like to work Monday to Friday, nine to five, and be loaded, too, and to be totally free at 5pm-ish back at my own flat. I know what it�s like to have several weeks paid vacation a year, full benefits, and a pension (good luck getting that stateside!). I know what its like to have no car payments, no car insurance payments, no rent, no mortgage, and no property taxes. I know what it�s like to hop in a taxi and cross a city bigger than New York for around ten dollars.
Some nights, when I�m lying in bed, I find myself eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, remembering all the fun I had at random bars, clubs, parties, poker games, and pool halls all over Gwangju, Busan, Bundang, and Seoul. Especially Seoul. That�s where I gotta be, when or if I go back.
I�m a gangster, mate, and I can be any bloody thing I want, just as long as it�s in Korea.
It�s the littlest things I miss the most, despite all. Certain friends and faces, playing pool or darts at certain bars and places, seeing beautiful girlish Korean figures and their beautiful Korean faces, taking a taxi or train to buy an accessory or game, giving some new foreign hobby or meal a turn or a feel�other stuff, too, like having Turkish food in Itaewon before a round of drinks, or frequenting the hottest clubs in Hongdae.
I might sound like a newbie, but being early in my thirties, I guess I just haven�t mentally shifted gears and moved on yet. Why should I? It�s not like I�m happy or well off in my own country. Oh, and I sure miss visiting foreign countries and traveling the world. Once you get the travel bug in you, you just can�t shake it. There�s no such thing as outgrowing the travel bug, that�s for sure!
So a word to the wise for all you future twenty-somethings about to dubbed F.O.B. (fresh off the boat) in Korea: ignore all the negativity on eslcafe.com�s threads. The fact of the matter is if you�re in a big city like Seoul or Busan, and you�re young, and you make some great friends right off the bat, you�re going to have a BLAST, and ten times more fun than you did in college. Do yourself a favor, stay more than a year, and save some money, too.
Cheers! |
Sweet! I hope to put that statement to the test. |
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Cartman
Joined: 30 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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After analyzing my time in Korea, I realized that the extra 'fun' factor came from being primarily surrounded by other foreigners who were all in temporary 'vacation' mode. Going out on Mon, Tues, Wed nights is definitely not common back home, so every night out felt like a bonus. I made some good friends, but it was always sad to see them depart to go back home. A few years ago, I was 31-32 years old in Korea, and had missed 7 of my friends babies being born during that time at home! So, as excited as I was to get back home, I was hit with shock of having good friends who were basically no longer available to hang out (short of me visiting them for dinner with their kids). It was much easier being single in my early - mid 20s - friends wanted to hang all the time; so many options available... at mid 30s, complete 180.
Now, being here in Toronto, I have met other Koreans doing the same thing as I was in Seoul.. I notice them posting all their weeknight out pics on their facebook, exploring the city everyday, and enjoying every moment.. some miss home, but are scared to go back and face the job situation.
As someone else mentioned here, you can always go back - Korea is my escape plan. Sure, they discriminate by age for jobs, but my picture says otherwise; sadly, it's what they look at...
Great thread; enjoyed OP's intro... |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 10:03 am Post subject: |
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| joelove wrote: |
| The little things, taken one by one, sound trivial right, but there are many of them, every damn day. |
Incredibly true and I am inclined to agree with you. |
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