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| First timers, Are you coming back? |
| Yes, definately. |
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53% |
[ 17 ] |
| Only if I can get the right job.. |
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6% |
[ 2 ] |
| Maybe, thinking about it. |
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15% |
[ 5 ] |
| Why would I want to? |
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3% |
[ 1 ] |
| Are you kidding? |
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3% |
[ 1 ] |
| Going somewhere else to teach. |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| No way. I can't wait to get out of here! |
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18% |
[ 6 ] |
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| Total Votes : 32 |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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 Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 5:19 am Post subject: |
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This was supposed to be a 1 year thing. Then it turned into 2 (my boss asked me to re-sign, and offered a pay raise of 300,000 won)....
Now it's six and no plans to return anytime soon. |
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C.M.
Joined: 02 Dec 2005
Location: Gangwondo
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| Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I can safely say I will never work in a Hagwon again. I feel so comfortable writing that, that I will write it again: I will never again work in a Hagwon. Having said that, though I am soon to leave Korea (further education) I can not say 'I will never return to Korea/Asia.' I have lived/worked in Korea and China I have found Asia gets in the blood. |
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OiGirl
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: Hoke-y-gun
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| Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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| pegpig wrote: |
I was going to finish my 1 year and be gone. Not that I hated Korea so much that I didn't want to return, but I too had plans that did not involve me living in Korea for 5 years. But......alas........1 blind date 2 months from departure and everything changed.
Never say never. |
Yeah, that's why my rule is "no dating in the months before a major move." Although it seems to have worked out very well for you... |
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pegpig
Joined: 10 May 2005
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| Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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| OiGirl wrote: |
| pegpig wrote: |
I was going to finish my 1 year and be gone. Not that I hated Korea so much that I didn't want to return, but I too had plans that did not involve me living in Korea for 5 years. But......alas........1 blind date 2 months from departure and everything changed.
Never say never. |
Yeah, that's why my rule is "no dating in the months before a major move." Although it seems to have worked out very well for you... |
That's highly debatable. Remember guys: Those pretty sweet Korean gals become ajummas the second you say, "nye". |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, I'm definately re-signing, although I wouldn't spell it that way. 
I'll re-sign with my middle school. I was observed by inspectors yesterday as part of the renewal 'application' and I got 30 out 30 in their evaluation, so I assume I'm good to re-sign. |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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| SPINOZA wrote: |
Yes, I'm definately re-signing, although I wouldn't spell it that way.
I'll re-sign with my middle school. I was observed by inspectors yesterday as part of the renewal 'application' and I got 30 out 30 in their evaluation, so I assume I'm good to re-sign. |
30 out of 30 I meant. |
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SuperHero
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 1:55 am Post subject: |
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| pegpig wrote: |
| That's highly debatable. Remember guys: Those pretty sweet Korean gals become ajummas the second you say, "nye". |
whatever - you haven't met my wife or the wives of some my friends. None of them are ajummas. |
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pegpig
Joined: 10 May 2005
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 2:07 am Post subject: |
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| SuperHero wrote: |
| pegpig wrote: |
| That's highly debatable. Remember guys: Those pretty sweet Korean gals become ajummas the second you say, "nye". |
whatever - you haven't met my wife or the wives of some my friends. None of them are ajummas. |
How is that possible? What is your defintion of ajumma, I wonder?
I've heard that the divorce rate for foreigners marrying Korean gals is fairly high. Sorry, I don't have a statistic to back it up and don't care to find one. I'm sure RR has one at the ready somewhere in his archives.
I'm not saying I'm miserable or contemplating divorce. But, those guys who are married or are planning to marry Korean gals will have to be prepared to work harder than they might if they married someone from their own cultures. That should be fairly obvious (maybe not), but those with little hearts in their eyes and cupid arrows in their ass may not be able to see that or understand it. I've never been married to a western woman, so I don't really have anything to go by. I am guessing it'll be more work.
Anyone out there that's been married to a western mate and a Korean mate? (Not at the same time, but if so feel free to reply. I'd be reeeaaaly interested to hear that one.) |
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Homer
Guest
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 3:46 am Post subject: |
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Been married over 7 years here (to a Korean gal) and she has not become an ajuma in the negative way the term is used here (wrongly used I might ad).
As for being married to a Korean women being "harder" than being married to a Western woman I don't see why that would be the case.
Mariage is about love and being compatible. This transcends culture. You marry your wife (or husband) because you are compatible, culture has very little to do with it.
Do cultural differences complicate a marriage? They do if one or both people refuse to learn about the others culture and accept it. Otherwise it is a non-issue. The same with language. Just learn each others language or at least one of them. |
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C.M.
Joined: 02 Dec 2005
Location: Gangwondo
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 5:17 am Post subject: |
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| pegpig wrote: |
| SuperHero wrote: |
| pegpig wrote: |
| That's highly debatable. Remember guys: Those pretty sweet Korean gals become ajummas the second you say, "nye". |
whatever - you haven't met my wife or the wives of some my friends. None of them are ajummas. |
How is that possible? What is your defintion of ajumma, I wonder?
I've heard that the divorce rate for foreigners marrying Korean gals is fairly high. Sorry, I don't have a statistic to back it up and don't care to find one. I'm sure RR has one at the ready somewhere in his archives.
I'm not saying I'm miserable or contemplating divorce. But, those guys who are married or are planning to marry Korean gals will have to be prepared to work harder than they might if they married someone from their own cultures. That should be fairly obvious (maybe not), but those with little hearts in their eyes and cupid arrows in their ass may not be able to see that or understand it. I've never been married to a western woman, so I don't really have anything to go by. I am guessing it'll be more work.
Anyone out there that's been married to a western mate and a Korean mate? (Not at the same time, but if so feel free to reply. I'd be reeeaaaly interested to hear that one.) |
For the record, Ajumma as defined by Choe Sang-hun in his (quite illuminating) book HOW KOREANS TALK: "a loud bustling woman in mismatched clothing...[who] wear[s] baggy pants, little make-up and towels wrapped around their heads. They often carry goods on their heads. They are raucus and cuss men....Some push their way through a crowd to find a seat in the bus or subway. Such behaviour led some social commentators to dub ajumma a 'third sex,' neither man nor woman." Ajumma, as defined by a Korean. Hope this helps. |
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Homer
Guest
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 5:25 am Post subject: |
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| Then again...to many Koreans Ajuma simply means mam or older married woman..... |
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pegpig
Joined: 10 May 2005
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| Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 6:35 am Post subject: |
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| Homer wrote: |
| Then again...to many Koreans Ajuma simply means mam or older married woman..... |
Yes. Well, homeboy finally we agree on something......er....I think.
I'm not sure how many people would peg ajummas as narrowly as Choe Sang-hun in CM's description. I think SH was trying to be amusing - I hope. I haven't read the book.
Pretty much every woman in Korea that is probably married (at times difficult to figure because they don't wear rings, but I guess they consider the older ones married) I hear referred to as 'ajumma'. Ajuma you dropped your hankie, ajuma water, ajuma this, ajuma that.
The moral of the story: Superhero, in Korea you and your friends' wives are ajumas. |
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