Korean Job Discussion Forums

[HardyandTiny]

What about the construction equipment at 800am on a Saturday?
I was always amazed that Koreans never complained! That in general is the most amazing thing. Where are the complaints from the local people?

Later on, if you were to describe a jackhammer outside your window at 800am to a Korean they would assure you that it was not the norm in Korea and it was just your neighborhood and you needed to move.

I remember a girlfriend of mine who crashed with me a few minutes passed 8am just prior to the construction started up, and she just rolled over and mumbled a few words and then blacked out into a deep sleep. It was as if Koreans had some magical mantra that they could mumble to isolate themselves from the sound.
I am convinced that after years of abuse people can somehow block out the sound.
How else can you explain a squid restaurant that blares out the Pet Shop Boys from two speakers in a residential neighborhood for 7 hours and no one complains? They don't even know what the singer is saying!

I think my girlfriend said "magarooshaba", or something like that, (it's a freakin secret thing), and then she rolled to the right before she went out for good.

[HamuHamu]

[Mellow Mushroom]

I guess I'm in the decided minority here, but I love these "environmental" sounds, especially the vegetable guys. One of the things I miss most about Korea. Once I actually followed a guy selling maemeelmu and chopsaldo ("maaaaaaaaaymeeeeeeeelmuuuuuuuuuu . . . . chopsaldoooooooo") and got some audio/video footage.
Funny story, when I first arrived in Korea the laundry guy would come by our apartment every morning in Kaepo-dong. He represented Lee's Laundry service and had this mantra-like chant "Saetak, Lee Saetak" ("Saaaaaeeeetak, Leeeeeeee Saaaaaeeeetak"). It sounded exactly like somebody saying, "Waaaaaaaake up, Pleeeeeeeease waaaaaaaake up" and I actually thought this was what he was saying for several weeks until somebody clued me in.

[Manner of Speaking]

[The evil penguin]

Had to add my bit. This was written whilst in a somewhat drunken stupor(?) at PC Bang last night. I think i forgot to post it last night so i sent it here today.

It is now 1:20 am. I start work at 9:00. But I know that at 6:30 in the morning my snoozing will be interrupted by some %@# in a blue truck parked somewhere in the street below my apartment advertising his fruit and veges with his $#!@ loudspeaker. At 6:30. Or thereabouts. I have read another message about somebody throwing eggs at a car that was had its engine left running. I tried that yesterday morning. I have fly screen on my windows. Ever tried to clean egg yolk out of flyscreen mesh? Its not easy. I would like to jam a pineapple right up his ...... well anyway. Unfortunately he doesn't sell pineapples. Just apples and watermelons and so on. A watermelon wouldn't fit. Even greased in butter. And butter is very expensisve here anyway.

I drove a taxi during my uni days in Aust. Its actually illegal just beeping our horns outside peoples houses. This was in tassie.

Admittabbly I'm in a bit of a backwater. But even so. This fruit seller has to die. Any suggestions?????

Hey! where did that last bit of soju go? Oh.... its dribbling down my chin....

I have a dried squid stuck in my left ear.....
_________________
I like to shower naked

[steroidmaximus]

the fruit trucks are one thing. The speaker in your apt that tells you about the fruit truck coming through, or the bus schedule, or the sale on jajamyung at the corner Chinese restaurant is another. One Saturday morning after an intense drinking expedition, I grabbed the kitchen scissors, popped that sucker off the wall, and cut all the wires. Such bliss! Highly recommended. and don't worry, it's easy to fix before you move out.

[Wombat]

During my first week in Korea, I had no idea what the fruit truck noise was! I hadn't seen the trucks at that point -only heard their noise. To me, it sounded like mobile propaganda! I imagined them saying, "We are all happy and productive. We love the Leader! The Leader is great!" I was somewhat relieved to realise that it was simple fruit-sellery.

Wombat

[bucheon bum]

I can usually just sleep through the fruit trucks now but it was construction work that drove me nuts. Directly across from my apartment, they tore down a house and put up a new apt. building. They were trying to do it as quickly as possible I guess because they even worked on Sundays. It drove me NUTS. Nothing like waking up to clanging pipes, buzz-saws, and hammering. Naturally right when I got up for work, they'd take their lunch break. There is still a little noise from time to time- I don't think they've finished the interior yet.

[Holyjoe]

The apartment building where I live (small 'villa' style...) had 2 empty plots on either side of it, and 3 empty plots behind it that faced onto a parallel street, and only just 1 month after I came here they started working on the buildings. Of course, they couldn't do them all at once... no, they staggered them, so that there was a constant wall of noise for around 5 months, every day (including Sundays and holidays) until they finished.
It's nice and peaceful now.... but back then............

[Velvet Sea]

When I first moved to Korea, I thought that the fruit trucks were some religous cult looking for followers. But even before I came to Korea I knew what a light sleeper I was and I have a grocery bag full of ear plugs. I really don't even notice the fruit trucks (even without the earplugs) ...more so the construction definitely. With earplugs, construction noise is still quite noticable.

[JongnoGuru]

[canuckistan]

The fruit trucks were parking on the street 5 floors down, right under my window. Saturday morning I wanted to sleep. There's no tuning them out either.
After a while I seriously wanted to take out those loudspeakers with a rifle + scope. Too easy.

[the eye]

believe it or not, there are noise pollution laws here in effect from 11pm until 8am (AFAICR).

and i've actually had it enforced against a car repair guy who liked to PSSSST his air gun at 6am.