Korean Job Discussion Forums

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

I feel poor because i have no water at the moment.
I'm washing from the tap from the spring Very Happy

desultude · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2004 5:43 am Post subject:

I never really feel poor in Korea, because I always have money if I need it, even just before payday.

In the U.S. I felt poor relative to people around me, because my home is South Beach, and it is crawling with not just the Donald Trump types, but The Donald Trump (Barf!) Twisted Evil

If you can't afford $50 to $100 U.S. to blow, don't bother going out.

Poverty is a relative condition. I just left Cambodia, and Viet Nam feels pretty well off by comparison. And I feel absolutely rich.

Kwangjuchicken · Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2004 3:02 am Post subject:

I feel poor when I run out of diamond polish, and have to use window cleaner.

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chiaa · Joined: 23 Aug 2003

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

A single guy or gal working a haggie in Korea feeling poor? Nah.
I have a 500cc Vulcan motorbike and I'm in a furniture street area and stop at this super stationery store. When I return to the bike this guy darts across the street. He is apparently an owner of one of the furniture stores. I passed him by on the bike. He was standing in the doorway looking at the street like storeowners do. What does he want? 'A Vulcan? Your bike is very, very slow!'. I say, 'What makes you think I want to hear my bike is slow?'. He like motorbikes very much and presumably has a Harley or something newer or bigger and had to dash across the street to tell me my bike is old and slow! Shocked

It may not be lightning but it has power to haul whatever and my humungous butt. So I don't feel poor but I do wonder and shake my head when I get the gut feeling people are around who count coup based on what they have that's expensive. What does one have that one can take with them to the grave, or the next life, or whatever. Or that will still be around in ten years, or five? Here and now.
But I'd feel poorly if I had a kid and couldn't take care of them properly. Single, no problem.

Hollywoodaction · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

I felt the poorest after my first year here. I only earned 1.2 million per month (salaries hovered between 1.1 and 1.5 back then, which was okay because the won was worth twice as much as it is now). After December '97, my hagwon boss started paying me in slices of 200 000 won because lots of people had quit (the Korean economy was in the crapper, so people stopped spending money, which made matters worse). At that time, being the empathic sucker that I am, I didn't complain because I felt bad that his business wasn't doing so well. Then the sick puppy 'forgot' to pay me before leaving town for the Chusok holiday. But, my roommates had already left, so I couldn't borrow money from them. So, I spent the '98 Chusok holiday with about 1500 won in my pocket. Luckily for me, ramen was only 350 won per package back then and the teacher that I replaced had left a bag of rice behind, so I managed a meal a day for the duration of my vacation (5 days of the 10 that I got per year).

I'm a bit more fortunate now. Turns out my wife, who is Korean, has got an uncanny ability to make and save money. The money we've saved has been invested (we bought a large apartment and and we'll soon open our second business). I still have the same job I had when we got married because it's secure. We try to limit our expenses to the salary I earn from that.