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TJ
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
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 Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 9:23 pm Post subject: Are you rich ? |
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Each time I start teaching a new class I introduce myself. You know the stuff ........ "My name is xxxxxxx. I'm married. I have x children. I am x years old." etc etc. I also tell my new students a little about my home and my life in Australia.
When I talk about my life I mention that my car is 5 years old and my house is small by Australian standards. I dress well but don't spend a lot on my clothes (certainly not designer labels).
Sometimes a student will ask me "Teacher, are you rich?"
I'm not offended by this question. I know that age is very important in Korea but I do wonder why they are so interested in my finances. (Incidentally, this question has been asked of me in schools in wealthy districts and in middle class districts.) |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Maybe because you say you have a house and not an appartment. I know I showed a group of businessmen a pic of my grandmother's house as an example of standard home where I live, and a guy sighed and said he dreamed of living in a place like that. |
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TJ
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 11:21 pm Post subject: Crazy, when you think about it |
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| peppermint wrote: |
| Maybe because you say you have a house and not an appartment. I know I showed a group of businessmen a pic of my grandmother's house as an example of standard home where I live, and a guy sighed and said he dreamed of living in a place like that. |
When you think about it those businessmen probably paid more for their apartments than I paid for my house AND the land. I'm not game to tell that that my house is on 3 acres of land - they certainly wouldn't believe that I'm not rich. |
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sadsac
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Gwangwang
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| Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 2:47 am Post subject: |
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Koreans concept of wealth is space. The more you own the wealthier you are. This applies to most Asians.  |
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Kain067
Joined: 21 May 2004
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| Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2004 2:12 am Post subject: |
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supply and demand...
it will only get more valuable. |
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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2004 2:55 am Post subject: |
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Aren't all foreigners rich?
You make more than Korean employees, right?
Jugong has been paying these employees annual salaries of 76 million won on average; this amount closely approaches their salaries prior to retirement, which averaged 80 million won.
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2004091165028 |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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Houses and buying/selling practices are great discussion topics. Even with high school kids.
With my korean friends, I show them photos of homes from real-estate sites, and they think it's cool to see what they could afford in my area compared to what their family dropped on their home. |
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Wisco Kid
Joined: 07 Sep 2004
Location: Changwon
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| Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 6:45 am Post subject: |
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All I know is tomorrow I'll be a millionare
won-millionare that is. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Kain067 wrote: |
supply and demand...
it will only get more valuable. |
Generally, maybe. Specifically, no. Not here anyway.
Take a look at the bajillions of hectares of "new" land Korea has reclaimed from the sea (asan bay, yongjong-do [incheon airport], songdo off the coast of incheon, projects down in Pusan & Ulsan, you name it).
And look how incredibly cheap that land is selling for.
I forgot what the construction/landscaping jargon is, but they shear off mountains to fill in marshland... and Korea's got nothing but mountains waiting to be sheared off and marshland waiting to be filled in. With Korea's slowing economy, slowing birthrate, aging population, rising suicide rate (no, I'm not Real Reality), ongoing emigration .... Heck, I'd be surprised if the rising supply of land doesn't soon catch up to the soon-to-be dwindling demand.
If & when the northern half of the peninsula, with it's destitute & shrinking population is opened up, the supply of land will utterly and perhaps permanently dwarf demand.
The Guru |
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