Korean Job Discussion Forums

Jasmine · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Hongkers!

So, how happy is everyone out there?

PootyTang · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Valley of the sun

Wish I could come back just for the weekend. Get some good food in, take a train ride to the coast....yell at someone...Kidding Confused

william beckerson · Guest

Except for the hagwon part, Korea is just fine.

Zyzyfer · Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2003 7:25 pm Post subject:

It's ok. But it's not Australia. -_-

kimcheeking · Guest

been here coming on 6 years of course I'm happy or I would've left.

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

Korea is really a great place as long as you don't think too hard about Korea.

Sloth · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Here

I guess I'm closer to "I love it" than "It's okay."

I'm having a good time in Korea. I've been here for over four years. As was said earlier on in the thread, if I didn't like it I'd leave.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

i agree with william, 'except for the hagwon part, it's fine'. but even that's a gas if you are in the mood for it, rested, learning a bit of korean from your students and keeping open enough to be curious and so learning of 'korean ways'. putting one's own, often confrontational culture-ways on hold even though, under occasional 'what's going on' duress (people are talking and i don't know what's going on, are they talking about me?) is a stragetic counting to ten which pays off (keeping affable). the kids talk a hilarious 'bunch of shit' which is a charming reparte if 'teacher' is 'up for it'. koreans say what they think, and lead with their feelings. people are 'just folks' . however there's the stratified hierarchy which must be observed with gestures of respect proportionate to the 'ranking' between speaks. for getting along with the boss see the website [email protected] under social protocol for a crystal clear deptiction of 'getting along with the boss'. i like koreans because they parallel my temperament, which is 'abrupt. when i was in taiwan, working in the public schools, a fellow teacher commented on the experience like this; 'you don't know when strings are being pulled, who's pulling them, or why they are being pulled'. the taiwanese didn't say what they thought, so there was the feeling of 'suspension' without information.
there's something 'immediate' about living in korea. koreans lead with their feelings, can 'read' each other very well (nunchi), and aren't unsympathetic to 'foreign teachers'. they have the friendly roughness of sailors, it seems to me. following such an analogy one could smile along and get on board with the moment in korea. their politeness and effusive showing of mutual respect between people is completely charming.
i like the food, the wintery climate, and the practical way things 'work' and hustle along in a capable, practical fashion. without ado and without too much fuss. like the way i could chuck six bags under the express bus for no extra charge and just barrel it all to the destination.
in general, under duress, can't let it get to you. better to try to 'go to it' thereby becoming involved. and koreans are ready and willing to meet yuh.

sillywilly · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Canada.

I love Korea but I'm LONELY! sometimes, anyway. The food's great, the people are nice (yeah, yeah, maybe its all phony because they want to use me for this or that but anyway...), the kids are cute, I get a lot of attention and you can learn something new everyday. But I see all these Korean hotties walking by and I want one! It's making me bonkers!

william beckerson · Guest

I got three words to cure your lonelienss:

*get*him*drunk*

sillywilly · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Canada.

Please lets not even go there. I tried... and the result was utterly humiliating...

Boogie · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Pusan

There's a part of my life that I'm really happy with and that has a lot to do with the wonderful people that I have met here (both Korean and Foreign) but that daily attack of the outside world is waaaaaaaay too much. Overall, I can appreciate the good here but I look forward to leaving.

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Month 8 and I'm sort of numb. If it weren't for the NK threat, I wouldn't be as worried.

Other than that -- never date a co-worker. Enuff said.

Homer · Guest

I have to say I like living here.
I have had some bad experiences but thats just part of the game and you have to roll with things in life.
I like working here too, and contrary to popular belief, you CAN find a good hagwon to work at.. Smile

Of course the fact that I am married to a Korean woman, learned (or rather am still learning) korean, have been accepted by my wife's family as one of their own makes my life here more pleasant. It makes it home in fact.

indiercj · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

It is ok for me. I love the country but I hate some of my own people. I have just quited my job to go back to school(in US hopefully). If I ever leave Korea(for the second time) I'll probably miss the whole chaos and energy, it's fast pace and the feeling of hope. After having witnessed for more and 30 years, It is hard to imagine there could be another place where it's economy and politic scene have been changing faster giving someone so much good surprises. I been enjoying every detail. Maybe I'm afraid to get bored anywhere else since I've always been in such a stimulative environment called Korea.