Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bulsajo]

What the Book, what about the guys who regularly speed through the apart complex lanes and parking lots, where children often played around and darted out between parked cars? I saw this utterly reckless behaviour countless times and yet nobody seemed to give a damn that I could see- not the kids' mothers, not the drivers...
and I often wondered what it would take to make a driver slow down...
hitting one of his own kids?

Of course Koreans love their kids, but some of them have a funny way of showing it. In my mind 'skinship' doesn't count as much as safety in this equation.

[Cheonmunka]

You asked if I know how much people earn ... in this case is the taxi driver. I have heard that they earn whatever is above their cut off point to the company. You know those meters, on the bottom is a total sum earned figure. I've seen it a few times into the hundred thousands. So the company take is what, I don't know exactly but again heard 80.000 won day. And on that I have heard anywhere between 1.2-2 million per month earnings for a driver.
Combine that with the wife's earnings. Then you get a salary higher than mine. Admittedly they work long hours. They can't look after their kids. But, there are government subsidies that entitle them to cheaper day care for their kids.

So, if their earnings are 1.5 plus 1.2 then that is 2.7, and that is more than me. That is more than I earn and I have to pay for my family's needs, too, from just one salary.

Yet, when I drive I am not reckless. I don't endanger folks with my vehicle. I wait for perdestrians. Why? Because I have care about the rights of others. Many people here do not because they were brought up competing. And it seems like it's leftover from when times were much harder.

I enjoy beginning a stroll to the playground with my children but soon have to dodge cars and protect them so closely from cars that in the end I am a nervous wreck just from that Sunday afternoon stroll.

When someone says something silly, is ranting, that person's rantings are idiotic, not necessarily the person.

I don't care about votes, either. I'm not here to win any argument. I think you have a rough manner, Chiaa.
You won't have me as a customer, either. Allright?

....................................

[chiaa]

[chiaa]

[Bulsajo]

[Cheonmunka]

I'm an irrational parent with irrational fears. Making a somewhat irrational mind. I think you would understand my irrationality if you brought up children here.
I'm always dodging the cars and the taxis while keeping my two away from the wheels. If the taxi driver earns 500 dollars for a 70 hour week, I don't care. I didn't receive a free education, nor were my parents rich. I was on my own at 15. I worked full time at nights while studying for the BA. I cancelled lectures so I could work and earn to put food in my guts. I picked up butts off the ground and used the tobacco for my own cigarretes. But, I drove and still drive carefully and respect pedestrian rights. And here, where there are many streets without sidewalks, even more so.

I don't travel to Itaewon or travel much at all mainly because I'm too
busy and Itaewon was a soulless place in 97. Has it changed?. I was never in your shop.

You are right about Gutenburg. But I mostly downloaded a lot of Sci-Fi and all those Ken Follet, Dean Koontz and hundredsof other fiction novels via P2P. That's what I'd suggest people do. If they can get on Naver, Pluna, like that.

[kiwiliz]

Very interesting reading all this.
Just one comment to make on a matter raised earlier about children.
In my country, in Maori society it is common for the children to be raised by the grandparents. Depending on the grandparents this may not always be ideal but in some cases its better, the grandparents are often retured and have the time to spend with the children.

One other thing I noticed in my contract though. I get more bereavement leave if my parents die then I do if my children die. Having seen my mother bury my brother, and her father...death of a parent is natural, death of a child much harder to handle. I work in a public school. Just an observation.

[Satori]

I once saw a guy in an SUV drivingly slowly through a very crowded university. He drove onto a womans foot. And stopped. The crowd around the girl were yelling at him that he was on her foot and to back up. They were all Korean, and the window was down, so I cannot believe he didnt undertand what was being said. But no, he had to casually get out of his car and saunter round to the other side of the car and check for himself that he was on her foot, then nonchalantly wander back to his car, and finally move it off her foot. Just makes you wonder what this guy is all about!

And of course I have seen numerous example of the most appallingly careless and unsafe driving in my five years in Korea. The streets are dangerous. I think its due to lack of driver education on one hand and pure selfishness on the other.

[Cheonmunka]

[Cheonmunka]