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holeinthesky
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Sadang.
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 Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 11:10 am Post subject: How has Korea changed you? |
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I was thinking about how Korea has changed me.
My liberal perspectives on life, living, social norms, political values, attitudes to the family, relationships and cultural eccentricities have become even more liberal, perhaps as a reaction to the often stifling conservatism (could go on for hours about this)...
I dress differently~ started wearing eyeshadow and dangly earings, even own 3 pairs of high heels now.
I eat more kimchi than koreans and only eat Western food when Im hungover.....
I find Asians attractive...
I take my shoes off without thinking about it and use 2 hand when back home in NZ.
I can sit on the floor for hours on end.
I actually think soju tastes good now.
However, I still don't cover my mouth when I laugh and will NEVER be aeg-yo (whining like a baby when I don't get my way)
The list goes on but these are the first to come to mind...... |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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How does that make you more liberal? In what sense are you using that word?
I haven't changed much since being here. Really, the only major change is that I desire less. For roughly my first six months, I had a strong desire for things from home, especially food items. Not so much anymore. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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I dress differently~ started wearing eyeshadow and dangly earings, even own 3 pairs of high heels now.
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Some people gain weight from all their drinking; others lose weight from eating a more healthy diet. Lots of people grow up a lot and find an inner strength they didn't know they had--I think it's very brave of you to announce your new-found sexual expression. I don't think transvestism (sp?) is very common here. How is your boss taking your new appearance? I'm sure it took a lot of courage to accept that about yourself. (Maybe it's just me, but I don't think anyone over about 5'10 should dress in drag. It's just too difficult for tall men to pull it off.) Whatever my personal reservations about it, more power to you. I hope you are happy in your new life style. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
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I dress differently~ started wearing eyeshadow and dangly earings, even own 3 pairs of high heels now.
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Some people gain weight from all their drinking; others lose weight from eating a more healthy diet. Lots of people grow up a lot and find an inner strength they didn't know they had--I think it's very brave of you to announce your new-found sexual expression. I don't think transvestism (sp?) is very common here. |
Dude, she's a girl. Didn't you see the bi-thread?
As for me...
Politcally, a lot more conservative. I'm thankful for the freedoms in the west I don't have here. So I'm a lot less tolerant of the 'woe is me' brigade who seem to think the world owes them a living because they happen to be a member of whatever minority. Get off your ass and get a job I say.
Physically, I'm 25-30kgs lighter than when I came here. But that was always going to go down (although I never thought by that much). I wasn't healthy nor was I happy being obese. I'm also blonde and wear a lot more make-up (ie. actually wear make up). I'm also a total clothes horse now, but I think that might have more with being skinny enough to look good in clothes again.
Personally, I'm a lot more sure of myself and what I want. I've kicked a few nasty habits (junkfood, booze), learned to look after myself, helped some friends through some really nasty situations, and learned a lot about relationships since coming here. I think living in Korea has turned me into a grown-up rather than just playing at being a big person like I was in varsity. |
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xingyiman
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Ive noticed that women tend to get more liberal and guys more conservative. At least that is an accurate representation of the people I know. Western women competing against the Korean gals for the attention of guys generally fosters a severe pessimism in them and that goes well with liberalism because it is an innately pessimistic worldview. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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| xingyiman wrote: |
| Ive noticed that women tend to get more liberal and guys more conservative. At least that is an accurate representation of the people I know. Western women competing against the Korean gals for the attention of guys generally fosters a severe pessimism in them and that goes well with liberalism because it is an innately pessimistic worldview. |
1. Actually the reverse is true for me. The women I know tend to get more conservative because they actually experience real discrimination for the first time, and have a new-found apperication for their freedom back home and wonder what people are complaining about back home.
2.I don't compete against Korean girls for guys. The compete against me  Well actually it's just we are swimming in two different pools. I'm not Korean, and will not compromise myself in order to 'get a man.' So I don't see it as a loss that those men aren't interested in me because I'm western and they prefer asian women, because chances are I'm not interested in them.
However there are plenty of both Korean and foreign men (generally they tend to have been here and/or overseas for a while) who look for qualities I have, and I turn find interesting because they have had such interesting lives. They are reasonably easy to find.I think that if you are having trouble finding someone interesting/and or attractive to hook up with (or wants to hook up with you) then you need to look at yourself first and stop blaming other people for your own shortcomings. |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Infinitely more cynical- I've seen far too much of the ugly side of human nature there, but also more confident. |
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casey's moon
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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| peppermint wrote: |
| Infinitely more cynical- I've seen far too much of the ugly side of human nature there, but also more confident. |
Really? From Koreans or from fellow expats?
I have changed a lot, but a lot has happened to me in over 5 years here, including the loss of a parent, getting married and now a pregnancy.
I do think that Koreans have taught me that it's okay to perform random acts of kindness. I've also learned the importance of protecting my own time and how to respect a new culture without forgetting or giving up my own. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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| crazylemongirl wrote: |
| [e Well actually it's just we are swimming in two different pools. I'm not Korean, and will not compromise myself in order to 'get a man.' . |
So all Korean girls compromise themselves to "get a man"? Please. Newsflash. Many women of all races and nations compromise themselves "to get a man" Just as many men do. It has nothing to do with nationality whatsoever. |
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Natalia
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| xingyiman wrote: |
| Western women competing against the Korean gals for the attention of guys generally fosters a severe pessimism in them and that goes well with liberalism because it is an innately pessimistic worldview. |
For starters, I didn't come here to 'get a man'. If the attitudes on this forum are anything to go by, the Western men in Korea really need to take a good look at themselves. I'm sick of hearing how us Western women really need to wake up to ourselves and get makeovers and start being more like Korean women. I'm sick of reading on here how us Western women all look disgusting, and how nobody is interested in us because now we have 'real competition' form the 'gorgeous' Korean women. You may be surprised to know we don't think in those terms. We all know that most of the Western men in Korea are on the lookout for a Korean woman (or four), and, quite frankly, we couldn't care less.
I don't dress like a slob, I don't see every Korean woman as competition for a man, and I'm not on the lookout for a Western English teacher to sleep with while I here. I don't know why the guys here all seem to think they are above the women from their own countries - not all of you are so wonderful!  |
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Bronski
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Natalia wrote: |
| I don't know why the guys here all seem to think they are above the women from their own countries - not all of you are so wonderful! |
But some of us are pretty cool, right?  |
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casey's moon
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| I think it is safe to assume that not many western women are looking for a man like xingyiman, unless he's very different in person than online. Perhaps he takes our disinterest as pessimistic liberalism. |
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RachaelRoo
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Location: Anywhere but Ulsan!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| crazylemongirl wrote: |
| [e Well actually it's just we are swimming in two different pools. I'm not Korean, and will not compromise myself in order to 'get a man.' . |
So all Korean girls compromise themselves to "get a man"? Please. Newsflash. Many women of all races and nations compromise themselves "to get a man" Just as many men do. It has nothing to do with nationality whatsoever. |
UM, I don't think she's implying that she doesn't comprise herself to get a man BECAUSE she's not Korean - I believe she meant she isn't going to pretend to be Korean for a guy who's interested only in Korean girls. |
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RachaelRoo
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Location: Anywhere but Ulsan!
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Bronski wrote: |
| Natalia wrote: |
| I don't know why the guys here all seem to think they are above the women from their own countries - not all of you are so wonderful! |
But some of us are pretty cool, right? |
Yeah, maybe, but I haven't had the pleasure of meeting many cool ones yet myself. Thinking it may be time to move outta Ulsan....
anyways, a lot of guys here talk big about how wonderful Asian women are but in reality they would still *beep* any decent E2 girl they meet. Let them talk..... |
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Corporal
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| casey's moon wrote: |
| I think it is safe to assume that not many western women are looking for a man like xingyiman, unless he's very different in person than online. Perhaps he takes our disinterest as pessimistic liberalism. |
 Amen.
Though, I was always conservative--Korea didn't change that one way or the other. |
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