Korean Job Discussion Forums

Leslie Cheswyck · Joined: 31 May 2003 Location: University of Western Chile

I have a 9:00 AM class this Summer and I come in at 8:30 and turn on the AC just to get the room temperature down to a tolerable level...because I know some student will walk in---dressed in T-shirt, shorts and sandals---and turn it off.
Then I come in at nine wearing slacks, sports jacket(Summer) and real shoes and I'm sweating just from the one flight of stairs. But that kid can't undo thirty minutes of AC. Ha ha. Besides, I just go and turn it right back on anyway. When requested to turn it off I answer "No no, it's OK." or "Not yet." I just wait til I'm cold. They can't win. One chick got up and turned it off. I just went over and turned it back on. Didn't make a big thing about it or make any nasty faces at her. Just undid what she did. By the end of the first week I was the acknowledged and unchallenged master of AC.
I am a firm believer in teacher's comfort first. And that doesn't change when I am the student. If the teacher is comfortable, he is not distracted, and does a better job. And that's what students are in the classroom for: to learn, to receive instruction. Not to piss and moan about room temperature.

mokpochica · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

It does get very hot and humid here, but I've found that it hasn't been very hot at all during this rainy season (humidity is another matter). I've been comfortable teaching with just the fans on.

I didn't grow up having AC though, in humid Michigan. Our house stayed pretty cool (Especially on the first floor) in the summer because of all the shade trees surrounding it. Opening the windows and having ceiling fans was enough. I have to agree with Trinny that it's better to try and acclimate yourself to the weather where you live. AC is a waste of electricity/gas and I feel like ultimately it just makes it harder for people to withstand the hot temperatures. When I visit places like Florida and walk in and out of grocery stores, etc. it almost kills me with the severe changes in temperature and humidity. I also think that when you leave AC running it almost always gets too cold--it never feels like the right temperature. And then when you go outside, it just feels 10 times hotter than it did before. Anyway, give me a swimming pool and a fan to beat the heat anyday.

And about Koreans and using lots of water....maybe it's their affinity to spray whole rooms down with a hose when cleaning them. That probably uses more water than just using a mop and a bucket. Also, bathouses (as much as I love them) can contribute to wasting water. At home I take a 3-5 minute shower, but at bathhouses I repeat the process several times and I'm sure I use a lot more water.

Leslie Cheswyck · Joined: 31 May 2003 Location: University of Western Chile

That's the wierd part. I don't have---and I get along fine without---an air conditioner in my apartment. I love warm weather; Summer is my favorite season. I'm a warm weather guy. And I'm accustomed to the humid summers in Korea. I actually prefer them to the dry summers back home. I can even wear long sleeves in the heat no problem. But I just can't stand that icky feeling while teaching. Especially around the collar.

makushi · Joined: 08 Jun 2003

Korea and Hong Kong are the exact opposites... try going to HK in the winter when it's cold and rainy and every taxi,bus,store has the AC on because it's "good for the air" and then fly to Korea where every room is a stuffy frikkin sauna....not a judgement...just an observation...

coolsage · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2003 10:32 am Post subject:

I am the Fan-master! At my uni, there's Aircon, but it's not available to the user; some remote-control wizard decides when to crank it (usually around Labor Day). I make sure that one of those fans is moving in my general direction. And in winter, the powers-that-be install a gas-belching heater in the middle of the room, so that it's about 40c in the middle, freezing on the perimeter, and the students are bundled up in winter coats with the windows wide open so they can breathe. Until Koreans grasp the concept of central heating, this cannot be considered to be an 'advanced' country. Oh, not to mention the bathrooms.

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

thorin · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

didnt you guys read the handbook? sweating is "good for health."

Hank Scorpio · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

chi-chi · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I really don't think it's because they're not used to cold...I mean, damn, look at their winters...not cold by Canadian standards, but damn cold by American standards. It snows here-they have tolerance to cold.
I have been going on and on and on about this lately, trying to find an answer while I sweat...(I HATE sweat). My fiance swears that it's because they are worried about fan death...and I hate to say it, but I think he's right.