Korean Job Discussion Forums

Tiberious aka Sparkles · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: I'm one cool cat!

A true story:

Last week I was going to visit a friend at his apartment and was waiting for the elevator when a pudgy little kid who must have been about 11 or 12 said, out of the blue, "annyeonghaseyo" and bowed to me. I often get annoyed with kids and their shouting (but, as mentioned by a few others, the best reaction in a non-reaction -- they're just kids, after all), and was a bit surprised, especially because he addressed me in Korean (my guess is that most kids believe the idiotic stereotype that foreigners can neither speak nor understand Korean). Anyway, I gave him a friendly "annyeong" and then he asked me something that made me laugh out loud.

"Why are Americans all so handsome?"

I thought he was putting me on, but his expression was one hundred per cent serious.

"I'm not quite sure." I told him. "I'm Canadian, by the way. Are we all handsome, too?"

That Linklater guy was right.

Sparkles*_*

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

[mocking sarcasm]Hey, some of us only came here for money and the easier lifestyle, because of our low job prospects back home. We didn't know we had to deal with all this foreign culture stuff!

I wish those damn Koreans can just respect the fact that when I walk my well-worn path from home to school to Burger King to the PC bang, and the odd time to the bank to wire funds, I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!!

Sometimes, I want to kill my recruiter for not telling me that this job is in a foreign country, where I'm a visible minority and will be the subject of a lot of attention, and people speaking to me in some wierd language and they eat wierd food.

I just should have told him like all the other incoming culture-phobic teachers do, and say 'put me as close to Itaewon, Hongdae, or central Seoul, and be advised that I'm coming with a friend, to help me cope with this decision better, and we want to live together and work in the same school.' [/mocking sarcasm]

Gwangjuboy · Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Location: England

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Crois · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 5:12 am Post subject:

I like it when the kids bow. I'll bow back to them.
But a hi i'm angry.

matthewwoodford · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Location: Location, location, location.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

True story.
Once I was followed by a 12 year old male youth on rollerskates who rolled along behind me shouting 'HI' in an increasingly loud voice. I just walked on, imperturbable as an elephant which walks alone nobly through my own jungle which I own. He became annoyed so shouted 'F___ You' before rolling off somewhere licking his lolly.

Tiberious aka Sparkles · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: I'm one cool cat!

Homer · Guest

A kid that says "hi" is presumptuous ?

Wow...thats harsh.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

Absurd. It's not cool to be annoyed by kids yelling 'Hi'. Tell me, is it cool to be annoyed by people telling me it's not cool to be annoyed by kids yelling 'Hi'? Seem to be caught in some kind of vortex here over what it's 'cool' to be, other than oneself. If a kid is following me yelling 'Hi' at the back of my head, I get annoyed and ignore him. If somebody is following my post telling me it's uncool to be annoyed by kids yelling 'Hi', I get annoyed and ignore them. Oops, too late Laughing

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

I just think that it's healthy for us to take a perspective break when these situations arise and look at it from their perspective. We see and interact with them ALL the time. They don't see that, nor know that. They see us, especially up close and within communicable distance very rarely. Many of my students, when asked, have never seen a foreigner up close in public, let alone have had a chance to greet them. Seeing and getting a chance to briefly interact with a foreigner in a country formerly associated as being the Hermit Kingdom and still remains the most homogenous country in the world, is certainly not as common as the XYZ amount of interactions that we have to endure on a daily basis.

I know that we have to deal with a lot of polar opposite culture differences and isolation at times, but we're talking about small Korean children who greet us in our own language on the street, and know having to break down and dissect those interactions with contempt and grievances? At that point, I don't think that the issue remains a Korea thing anymore. You have to ask yourself why you elicit this or that emotion when presented with this or that situation. Blaming it as a Korea thing is too convenient.

peppermint · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 12:49 pm Post subject:

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

JennyJJ · Joined: 01 Mar 2003

uberscheisse said,
"a bunch of blubbering va_ginas." of those who disagree with him/her.

JennyJJ says,

Nice way to talk. Now we know where the young students learn the inappropriate stuff they get.

Medic · Joined: 11 Mar 2003

A bit off the topic, but I've noticed on the buses that the little shithead elementry school kids stay on their seats when an old adjumah is standing in the isle. It's usually an older university age person who has to get up and offer a seat. I've often wondered why older Korean people tolerate this. Why the f--- don't they kick them out of their seats for their elders.

Seems as though confucianism doesn't apply to young kids. They can be as rude as they want to their elders. Couple of times I've felt like grabbing them by the scruffs and pulling them out of their chairs.