Korean Job Discussion Forums

[the eye]

1. Daylight Savings Time:

one of my students asked me what it was. a rudimentary explanation failed, so i armed myself with two clocks and a 'sun' to illustrate the effect.
no capish.


2. Rounding up change in shops:

I bought some junk in a convenience store. The total was 6,200. I had a 10,000w and 1,000 w note, plus the coins.
So, i gave the cashier 11,200 in order to recieve an even 5,000. Thus, she can reserve her small notes and i can have less bulk in my wallet.
She held the 1,000 and looked at me briefly, then she handed it back.
I refused it and said "Oh-chun won chuseyo".
Another strange look from her.

I have noticed this with even smaller amounts, too. For a 600won total, i handed out 1,000 because that was all i had. The 100won coin was handed back to me with yet another confused look.

3. Escalators don't stop when you reach the end.

I've been here long enough to know this ain't new. But don't these people realize there is an avalanche building up behind them when they stop at the end of a moving escalator?
i'm seriously waiting for some news story where 10 peoplle are trampled to death or pinched btween the steps.

[peppermint]

I've never had trouble with the "rounding up" thing, but I definitely understand on the elevators.

Another one is that we shop at the same stores they do. How many times have you guys been shopping and had a Korean investigate the contents of your cart, as though you're not in line at the same store.

[Ya-ta Boy]

The reason the kid didn't understand the 2-clock explanation of daylight savings time is because you took the entirely wrong approach. Sorry to be blunt.

I remember being confused about it too when I was a kid and the big discussion about converting the whole country was taking place. Then I read a letter to the editor that explained it all and have had a firm grasp of the concept ever since. Here is how it goes:

There is one time and one time only: God's time. DST is a communist plot devised in Moscow to steal the sunlight from the corn in the summer when it needs sunshine to grow, and gives us back the sunlight in the winter when nothing is growing. It's a nefarious attempt to weaken the West by destroying our food sources.

Explain this to the kid. Unless the kid has already been programed by the commies in the schools, he/she will understand about commie plots to destroy nations.

(PS: I am not making any of this up.) [/list]

[SuperHero]

daylight savings time is stupid and I'm glad I no longer have to deal with it. The escalator on the ohter hand is really annoying.

[nautilus]

The rounding up thing!! They never get it!!!
Incredible. I have the same problem every store i do that too.

is it cultural misunderstanding or something? You would think its pretty straightforward?

[HapKi]

eatting alone

the 5 o'clock shadow

[Col.Brandon]

[jaganath69]

[ChimpumCallao]

Things Koreans do not understand.

1) Humans are solid

[koldijk]

1) koreans don't understand time zones (and this guy was a travel agent)

2) productivity is a function of:

(complaining about how hard you wok * blaming way gooks) / organization

3) girls staying out after 10pm (their 4 year old brothers punch in at midnight after drinking with the boys)

[Harpeau]

Ability to plan ahead~ left out of their brains.

Not to enter a subway car when I'm exiting it~ or they'll get bonked on the head with my guitar.

My dog will not bite you~ so don't look so terrified by a little yorkie.

Please, refrain from playing with yourself while you're driving cab. If you can't hack it~ do it on your own time.

Don't believe everything your alchoholic middle school teacher told you about the world & Korea.

[ontheway]

The eye's post about Koreans' inability to make change and conceptualize whole monetary denominational units once again shows that Koreans are really bad at math. I teach math here and I know first hand. The intenational tests people like to point to are completely wrong. Koreans are at least one year behind American students in the same grade in math. This begins early in elementary school. Most never catch up and many just give up.

[caniff]

I noticed this for a couple years before I met my wife. She understands the issue, but says that it's a result of not asking for the exact denomination.

I am giving you 1,200 won for an item that costs 700 won.

I am confused. Here is your 200 won back, and here is 3 baek won.

Anyong hi gye syeo!!





edit for spelling

[The Chewbacca Defense]

Things Koreans can't understand:

1) Sick Days - they just can't seem to grasp they fact that if you continue to make someone work while they are deathly ill, then it will take them a lot longer to get over it.

2) Gaps - just because I am not not pressing body up against a counter, doesn't mean you can just cut in front of me. Chirst it is amazing how many people just "don't see" me when I am standing inline and justy cut in front of me.

3) Westerners have the ability to learn Korean - I had been at a hogwan for a couple of years and ever year they would hold a big open day and all the teachers would be paraded in front of the parents and introduced (all in Korean). A couple of teachers who were on the portly sized were introduced as "Fat teacher and Pig teacher". A couple of us were shocked when we heard this.
Thankfully the 2 teachers in question couldn't understand. At then end of the ceremony I was furious that I tore the boss a new one and said that if couldn't show his teachers a degree of courteousy, especially in front of the parents then he would have problems. I have seen this happen a couple of times now.

[caniff]

Are you serious? "Fat teacher and Pig teacher"? They's got some balls, and zero class as well. They need to be brought to a waygookin convention and heckled for hours. I'm skinny, but that kind of shit don't fly with me.