Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Qinella]

I find it amusing that no less than three people were so interested in the young lesbian hang-out that they made posts asking for more info. Haha!

A couple months ago, I learned about some archaic Korean letters that are now obsolete. (Info here.) I've spoken to several Koreans who didn't know about them, and the ones who did were highly impressed at my knowledge.

"Wow, how did you learn about that?"
"I was just reading a web site about Korean language and stumbled upon it..."
"You are so smart! What a great student!"
"You just now noticed? tee hee."

[tomato]

Some Koreans seem to think foreigners are not only ignorant of matters Korean, but ignorant period!

On a kindergarten field trip in Gumi, we saw another group which was on a field trip. The other teacher explained to me that they were an elementary school.

In an ocarina class in Cheongju, the teacher thought it was necessary to explain the Italian musical terms to me, such as dal capo al fine.

In a sign language class here in Suweon, we were learning computer terms. The teacher thought it was necessary to write down the words �̸��� and ���������� for me.

[steroidmaximus]

[excitinghead]

I really do think there is a standardised, nationwide class in Korean high schools for interacting with foreigners like Hater Depot said, reading over the last few pages in this thread its amazing how standardised the phrases and questions are no matter where we all live in Korea.

My own personal pet hate is the question "How about Korea?", which I realise doesn't sound so strange in Korean, but do the questioners have to look so disappointed and confused when I don't say "Oooh, Kimchee spicy! And everyone Bbali-Bbali!"...seriously, when I don't say that they look like I just told them their favorite cow had unexpectadly died.

What I really hate though is not so much the set phrases as the attitude that all foreigners are complete idiots and need to be treated like we're children or even mentally-retarded. Granted, there's a lot of foreigners like that out there, but it seems an automatic attitude...my favorite example of this happened just last weekend. In a bakery, I asked in Korean how much some sandwhiches were. The women who worked there told me they were sandwhiches. I've been here 6 years, so I didn't blink an eyelid and calmly told her that I knew what the hell they were and I wanted to know the price, but my Korean wife, who sometimes doesn't realise what life is like for me here, found it hilarous and is still laughing about it.

[Bulsajo]

[tomato]

Thank you, Exciting Head, I really liked that!

I notice that some Koreans are too contemptuous to listen to what we say in either language.
When I was in Kimcheon, I was looking through a bilingual songbook.
In one song, I noticed that the apostrophe was misused for the plural form, resulting in "ear's" and "eye's."
I casually tried to point this out to a Korean teacher, but she kept insisting that �� meant "eye" and �� meant "ear."

My current director thinks I'm a moron, too.
She once told me to be careful not use the word �ڽ�, because the word has connotations of SOB.
I jokingly answered that the word appeared as number 666 on the �������б� word frequency list, and there might be something mystical about that.
I had to repeat my comment about three times before she would stop repeating that I should not use the word �ڽ�.

[tomato]

[tomato]

These seem to be Korean people's favorite assumptions about foreigners:

�� If you catch a taxi, you're going to the bus terminal.

�� If you buy a train ticket or bus ticket, you're going to Seoul.

�� If you ask directions in a public building, you're looking for the restroom.

[cdninkorea]

Many Koreans are shocked I know about the "reconstructive hymen surgery" that (apparently) a lot of Korean women get before marriage.

[Len8]

They are surprised that we know(1) that a daughter born in the year of the horse is bad luck. Most daughters are aborted if they will be born in the horse year

(2) That most women hate Chusok

(3) That Koreans dream differently from westerners

[eamo]

[Cedar]

[eamo]

[nautilus]

[Cedar]