Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rapier]

I've managed to come up with a list of great things about Korea! i hope some are new to y'all..Feel free to add to the list, and be cheered up. This is a big effort from me, the closest to a tribute to Korea so far.

1)Contract et al- includes money saving potential, free apartment, convenience( you can come here anytime, at short notice),paid airfares etc...
2) Almost complete lack of crime: your things don't go missing even when you leave them accidentally.11) You are unlikely to be hassled or intimidated by freaks, wierdo's or troublemakers (unlike many western cities).
3)Transport: buses are cheap and prompt; the subway is the same, and well signposted in English.
4) Imitation goods: you can pick up anything including all the fake brand names relatively cheaply.
5)Food; its tasty and inexpensive to eat out, and the diet is healthy!
6)People: Koreans are generally helpful and generous once you get to know them.
7)The women are good looking, too.
8)Things to see and do; theres plenty of national parks, beaches, waterfalls etc and good day trips if you can be bothered to get out of Seoul.
9)Mountains; its impressive that the mountains are left untouched by development- not built on. Anyway, koreans build upwards, not outwards, conserving space.
10)Internet access- everywhere!
11) gadgets: wonderful:- you can get a handphone with email,camcorder and large photo storage capacity for only 300.000 won..
12) private lessons: easy- go make yourself a fortune..
There- now that I've started, I could go on. Wer'e incredibly lucky to be living here!!!

[waterbaby]

Here's a few of mine off the top of my head...

1. Having lots of little people tell me they love me ... often
2. Preferential treatment
3. The stationery shops... so cheap and so much variety and so cute!
4. Hilarious shoe fashions
5. Having slabs of raw meat brought out to your table and then cooking it yourself and cutting it up into bite-sized pieces with a big pair of scissors.
6. Singing your head off in a noray bung until you have no voice left for the working week ahead.
7. Low hours and low stress for good pay.
8. Blossoms in spring
9. Ondol heating in winter (and early spring)
10. Dave's ESL Cafe Korea Job Discussion Forum and members get-togethers.

[indiercj]

Here's my short list. I am korean by the way.

1. The overall dynamism in people and the society to change. Everything change so fast. The city, the political environment, the system(maybe because there were not much established in the firts place). Yes sometimes it seems to be irrational(waste of a lot of things) or somewhat unstable but just watching it is exciting.
2. The tasty and healthy food. despite the relatively recent frenzy for meat and instant food we still eat more vegetable than any other people in the world(i read this from a UN food program report).
3. The accessibility to everything. Though i have my car, i barely use it these days. I live in Seoul where i just need to walk 5 min for the bus station, 10 min for the subway. I have more than 5 grocery stores, video rental shops, a barber shop, a public bath, dozens of restaurants, a school yard where i can play catch and what not all within 100 m radius. And it isn't even a commercial area! I use my bike a lot to move around. There's a public library 15 min away, World cup stadium and the its parks linked to the river side open spaces are 20 min away, a E-mart 25 min away, i can shop and see movies and have fun in Shinchon either by 15 mins bus ride or 20 min of bikking. I really enjoy the way i am living right now.
3. Saunas and JJim jil bang. good place to relax.
4. Security.
5. My girlfriend(Ok. this should move up the list)
6. 'SKA' and around HongDae. Gee i hang out in that area since highschool!

[Circus Monkey]

Well, a few times I was caught in the rain without an umbrella. Usually a nearby Korea saw my plight and we shared an umbrella for part of my journey.

CM

[Rand Al Thor]

Ubiquity: everything is everywhere (except maybe foreign products)
cheap public transit
clean public transit
efficient public transit
kimchee
hotuk
Gyeran bbang
DalkDoriTang
cheap clothing
my students

[rudyflyer]

1) public transit, cheap, frequent and comfortable
2) taxis (except after midnight) again affordable and plentiful
3) no need for a car and all those hassles
4) mo yok tangs, tried one over the weekend now since my hotel's hot water was non-existent, I know why y'all swear by them
5) low work hours, long vacations
6) free rent and internet
7) paid enough to save and take long vacations in incredible places like Thailand. This summer I'm trying Boracay
no crime, can't imagine taking the subway at midnight in the US

[mokpochica]

I love:
1. How people have such enduring friendships here and how it is easy to gather a large group of Korean friends and get together.
2. That travel and tourist things are pretty cheap (except if you're paying for gas) and there's always a festival to go to.
3. That friends and students link arms with me when we are walking.
4. That the vast majority of people are supportive--and forgiving-- of me when I speak Korean, even though I make mistakes. (I have not found this to be true in some other countries.)
5. That glasses are of such good quality and so cheap here! And digital eye testing is kind of cool too.
6. the food
7. going to sauna/mogyotang/jjim jil bang after climbing a mountain.
8. seeing enthusiasm rather than indifference from my students.

[Zyzyfer]

I love the insane level of convenience when it comes to shopping for something. I do find myself spoiled, however, when a neighborhood doesn't have a real super.

I also love those little hole-in-the-wall places you find here. I love that about anywhere, but there's a ton of them here.

[jaderedux]

1. my sweet BF of course.
2. SAUNA....SAUNA...SAUNA
3. BIG OL' SLABS OF MEAT cut and cooked at your table.
4. Public transportation
5. Getting goofy gifts from my students.
6. Parents bringing me Kim Chi
7. My students....yelling hello at me as they pass in their hogwan busses
8. My students bowing to me in the street
9. There are mountains every freaking where.
10. NO snow to speak of.
11. Busses
12. Amazing people sometimes. So damn generous it knocks your socks off.
13. Soup capitol of the world........
14. Nice places to picnic
15. Nice places to ride a bike.


So many more but I have to go to class

Jade