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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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tatertot

Joined: 21 Oct 2008
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
| tatertot wrote: |
The word "apologism" wasn't invented by anyone on this board, but it is kind of used wrong on this board. It is a general term used to describe the defense of a position. C. S. Lewis is a famous Christian apologist, for instance.
| Wikipedia wrote: |
| Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information. Early Christian writers (c. 120�220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists. |
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sarcasm my friend, sarcasm. |
Unless my sarcasm detector is off, that wasn't sarcasm. Your response is along the lines of "that was a typo" to excuse a blatant error. I could be wrong, though, in which case you need to work on your communication skills. |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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- Keep a professional facade, don't befriend coworkers
- If a coworker wants to sleep with you use it to your advantage
- Some coworkers will only hear what they want to hear and twist and manipulate you.
Manipulative coworkers you say? Whatever do you mean?
Sorry but this list cracked me up. |
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jdog2050

Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
- Keep a professional facade, don't befriend coworkers
- If a coworker wants to sleep with you use it to your advantage
- Some coworkers will only hear what they want to hear and twist and manipulate you.
Manipulative coworkers you say? Whatever do you mean?
Sorry but this list cracked me up. |
I partially agree with not befriending Korean coworkers. Unless it's someone you hit it off with really easily, you should basically consider everyone else "acquaintances". Be friendly, but don't reveal too much about your lifestyle, especially if you do *anything* even remotely counter-cultural. |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:25 pm Post subject: |
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| jdog2050 wrote: |
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
- Keep a professional facade, don't befriend coworkers
- If a coworker wants to sleep with you use it to your advantage
- Some coworkers will only hear what they want to hear and twist and manipulate you.
Manipulative coworkers you say? Whatever do you mean?
Sorry but this list cracked me up. |
I partially agree with not befriending Korean coworkers. Unless it's someone you hit it off with really easily, you should basically consider everyone else "acquaintances". Be friendly, but don't reveal too much about your lifestyle, especially if you do *anything* even remotely counter-cultural. |
Yeah I am just pointing out the contradiction. How do you not befriend a coworker that you are trying to seduce to a certain point? And maybe her coworkers gossiped about her because she was flirting with coworkers or her boss all the time to get by at work. I'm not knocking her though, I just think the way the advice contradicts itself is funny. |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:46 pm Post subject: |
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| tatertot wrote: |
| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
| tatertot wrote: |
The word "apologism" wasn't invented by anyone on this board, but it is kind of used wrong on this board. It is a general term used to describe the defense of a position. C. S. Lewis is a famous Christian apologist, for instance.
| Wikipedia wrote: |
| Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information. Early Christian writers (c. 120�220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists. |
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sarcasm my friend, sarcasm. |
Unless my sarcasm detector is off, that wasn't sarcasm. Your response is along the lines of "that was a typo" to excuse a blatant error. I could be wrong, though, in which case you need to work on your communication skills. |
seeing how my entire post was laced profusely with sarcasm, your sarcasm detector is not only off, it appears broken. carry on mate. |
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tatertot

Joined: 21 Oct 2008
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 6:11 am Post subject: |
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| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
| tatertot wrote: |
| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
| tatertot wrote: |
The word "apologism" wasn't invented by anyone on this board, but it is kind of used wrong on this board. It is a general term used to describe the defense of a position. C. S. Lewis is a famous Christian apologist, for instance.
| Wikipedia wrote: |
| Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information. Early Christian writers (c. 120�220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists. |
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sarcasm my friend, sarcasm. |
Unless my sarcasm detector is off, that wasn't sarcasm. Your response is along the lines of "that was a typo" to excuse a blatant error. I could be wrong, though, in which case you need to work on your communication skills. |
seeing how my entire post was laced profusely with sarcasm, your sarcasm detector is not only off, it appears broken. carry on mate. |
My mistake. I guess I should get it a tune-up  |
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kimiki
Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Location: south korea
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:31 am Post subject: |
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| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
Interesting story OP...
Glad you "made" it out alive.
As for the "sexual tension" angle...how would it work for same sex work relationships (male teacher, male boss or female teacher - female boss)?
Perhaps it would be a tad more challenging to exploit carnal desire as a motivator for a straight teacher and employer who are of the same sex...but hey perhaps some people can try it out and let us know how that works out
As for your points, they are quite valid. Especially 1, 2, 3, 5, 7(within limits).
I would say 4 highly depends on each person and where they work. I became great friends with co-workers at some of my jobs, while at others it remained strictly professional. This included many Korea co-workers. Office chit chat is culturally blind. I worked in places where other FTs were far worse than fellow KTs and vice versa.
6 is also debatable. People are selfish by nature (how selfish varies). Acts of meaness are not all borne of suffering, some are responses to other people being idiots at work or offensive.
I did enjoy the parting good wishes for Korea, a place that could conceivably become "cool" one day...coo for whom, now that is another debate.
Good luck on your return home OP and here is hoping the man of your life who awaits you there does not mind your one or two transgressions in Korea.  |
I agree, Patrick, that #4 is situation dependent. I had the bad luck of choosing a school that had a particularly petty and difficult head teacher. She set the tone for how the rest of the Korean staff filtered everything that went on. Very toxic, but I know this goes on in all kinds of workplaces.... Everything else you said is true-- non-Korean FT's can be worse, some coworkers are very cool and delightful. Luck of the draw I guess, at the end of the day.
As for Korea being cool someday, I mean in terms of becoming an influential global force. It's already a nice place to visit. Every time I would go back to Korea after visiting another place in Asia I appreciated it more. It's very sophisticated and advanced, yet still culturally unique. However, in my experience people just aren't friendly overall. Their deep ambivalence/hostility when it comes to accepting & integrating outsiders, which is part & parcel to having a presence and a voice in world affairs, has major implications, both micro and macro. I and others I know experienced it personally in countless ways. But I'll save those for my novel, the anecdotes are just too good to share for free
Oh and don't worry, the transgressions were forgiven. We both strayed. We were "on a break"
Thanks for your good wishes! Love being back home sweet home.... |
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kimiki
Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Location: south korea
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:34 am Post subject: |
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| JustinC wrote: |
Wow! What a journey! You worked in one school in one country, we should all bow down to your superior knowledge of how to ****-tease a boss. Well done.
"that any act of meanness is an expression of suffering"
I can imagine what the source of their suffering was.. |
lol you think you know my entire lifetime of work experience based on reading a few paragraphs. Myopic much? |
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kimiki
Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Location: south korea
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:42 am Post subject: |
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| Dave Chance wrote: |
| Well at least the OP is candid about using sexual tension as a tool to get what she wanted. |
I swear I didn't intend to. Didn't even know it was a factor, i.e., didn't suspect he was viewing me through that filter at all. He was always professional and kind, and nothing more. I just saw him as your usual boss man. Til he made it clear in a sufficiently drunken state one night what his true feelings were. And honestly I didn't try to take advantage of it. Even after he admitted it I was just like, "Wha...?" But in retrospect I realize it was an element at play and that it probably helped me out a lot!! |
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kimiki
Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Location: south korea
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:46 am Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
- Keep a professional facade, don't befriend coworkers
- If a coworker wants to sleep with you use it to your advantage
- Some coworkers will only hear what they want to hear and twist and manipulate you.
Manipulative coworkers you say? Whatever do you mean?
Sorry but this list cracked me up. |
Don't be sorry. You are obviously unusually insightful and possessing of a fantastic sense of humor. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:56 am Post subject: |
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| kimiki wrote: |
| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
Interesting story OP...
Glad you "made" it out alive.
As for the "sexual tension" angle...how would it work for same sex work relationships (male teacher, male boss or female teacher - female boss)?
Perhaps it would be a tad more challenging to exploit carnal desire as a motivator for a straight teacher and employer who are of the same sex...but hey perhaps some people can try it out and let us know how that works out
As for your points, they are quite valid. Especially 1, 2, 3, 5, 7(within limits).
I would say 4 highly depends on each person and where they work. I became great friends with co-workers at some of my jobs, while at others it remained strictly professional. This included many Korea co-workers. Office chit chat is culturally blind. I worked in places where other FTs were far worse than fellow KTs and vice versa.
6 is also debatable. People are selfish by nature (how selfish varies). Acts of meaness are not all borne of suffering, some are responses to other people being idiots at work or offensive.
I did enjoy the parting good wishes for Korea, a place that could conceivably become "cool" one day...coo for whom, now that is another debate.
Good luck on your return home OP and here is hoping the man of your life who awaits you there does not mind your one or two transgressions in Korea.  |
I agree, Patrick, that #4 is situation dependent. I had the bad luck of choosing a school that had a particularly petty and difficult head teacher. She set the tone for how the rest of the Korean staff filtered everything that went on. Very toxic, but I know this goes on in all kinds of workplaces.... Everything else you said is true-- non-Korean FT's can be worse, some coworkers are very cool and delightful. Luck of the draw I guess, at the end of the day.
As for Korea being cool someday, I mean in terms of becoming an influential global force. It's already a nice place to visit. Every time I would go back to Korea after visiting another place in Asia I appreciated it more. It's very sophisticated and advanced, yet still culturally unique. However, in my experience people just aren't friendly overall. Their deep ambivalence/hostility when it comes to accepting & integrating outsiders, which is part & parcel to having a presence and a voice in world affairs, has major implications, both micro and macro. I and others I know experienced it personally in countless ways. But I'll save those for my novel, the anecdotes are just too good to share for free
Oh and don't worry, the transgressions were forgiven. We both strayed. We were "on a break"
Thanks for your good wishes! Love being back home sweet home.... |
I find this response interesting. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
I will say this, the argument that acceptance & integration of outsiders is a key element for a country to become a voice in world affairs is somewhat flawed. I mean having lived in France where immigrants of many places are relegated to second-tier residents or having visited Russia where integration is not exactly a requisite quality, the case loses some validity. I mean both France and Russia are world powers in their own ways and have influence. Yet neither is particularly accepting of outsiders. Interesting point nevertheless.
As for Korea, it is a regional power that has limited world-wide influence. This may never change.
Again, best wishes for whatever you choose to do now that you are home. |
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g0t soymilk?
Joined: 19 Aug 2012
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
and finally, the people who don't seem to care either way and just talk about silly things like costco and the mysteries of why their local gs25 stopped carrying garlic bread flavored snyders pretzels. (the majority of posters on daves, often seen hiking up mountains and attempting to procure cold cut deli meats at grocery stores) |
haha so true |
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kimiki
Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Location: south korea
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
I will say this, the argument that acceptance & integration of outsiders is a key element for a country to become a voice in world affairs is somewhat flawed. |
It's definitely flawed, yes. As an observation at least. Not as an ideal, however...should be a bar to strive for, no?
My plan is to open up a Chipotle franchise...those places are a goldmine! Every one I've ever visited is overflowing with people at peak mealtime hours. Lifetime discounts for all EFL teachers, if it ever does happen. I mean it!!! |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Ideals are indeed something to strive for but are rarely attained as they tend not to survive contact with reality unscathed. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2012 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Or: find your own way. Everyone has their own reasons to go to Korea and teach. Some people want to save. Some people want to party. Some people want to travel. Some people want to sleep with Korean girls. Some people want to try their hand at teaching for the first time. Some people want to do all of these things. None of these things are wrong, nor are any ill-advised, so long as you know what you're doing. Korea doesn't have to be some time when life stops. |
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