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Only here 4 months and fed up already
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DaHu

Joined: 09 Feb 2011

Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:29 pm Post subject:

Make a friend with yourself and you'll always have a friend.

isisaredead

Joined: 18 May 2010

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 1:45 am Post subject: Re: Only here 4 months and fed up already

kraggy wrote:

...but not giving in just yet. So need your help...

Here just over 4 months and feel like my girlfriend and I are in a rut already. Can't think of things to do, which seems strange in a city this size (Seoul).

So far we've,

Gone up N-tower
Went on a big hike
Went to Busan
Got drunk
Strolled around Insadong
Went along Cheongny...stream
Went to Myeong Dong
Lotteworld
Cinema
Shot guns

But now we're not sure what to do. Is there anything blatanlty obvious that we've forgot to do?

We desperately need inspiration as neither of us are very happy here. In my girlfriend's case, it's life in Korea that's not impressive, for me, it's my job that is affecting my abilitiy to be happy. The people I work with are very frustrating to deal with. They tell me nothing that I need to know. And the incompetency of my co-teacher could have got me in deep crap some weeks ago (she told me that I didn't have to come to school one Friday, it turned out that I was indeed supposed to be at school). Add to this that some of my classes contain the most lazy, non-interested kids I've ever met. Giving the finger sign openly in class, shouting, laughing, sleeping, refusing to participate in exercises etc. I know it's not my teaching as 75% of my classes are full of brilliant, lovely, interested kids. It's the other 25% that are killing me. And the staff that I work with.

So if anyone can provide some ideas for things to do that would be great. We need something to be engergised about.

you know what, now that i've read this again, it's actually really pathetic. you sound completely precious. it's 2011, you're in a foreign country, and complaining that you've run out of things to do?

and your complaints about work are hardly valid. your students are unmotivated? giving "the finger"? sleeping??? nine times out of ten, i blame the teacher for that one.

i suggest you get over yourself and start appreciating this opportunity a lot more. also realising that life is NOT a non-stop circus of bewildering joy is probably going to do you a world of good, too.

ChopChaeJoe

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: Seoul

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:33 pm Post subject:

Seoul is a heartless city. Get out on the weekends -- anywhere but Seoul.

sojusucks

Joined: 31 May 2008

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:44 pm Post subject:

Steelrails wrote:

Also, avoid the mentality of everything has to be exciting and happiness is everything. Moderation, contentment and mild pleasures are ultimately more rewarding.

Read some books and listen to music.

Plus, if you have some goals about saving money then use this time to accumulate some savings. You'll be thankful, later.

mmstyle

Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: wherever

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 4:47 pm Post subject:

You wrote:

taking random buses to see where they go and then taking pictures (usually of the alien countryside)

go bowling, fishing, hiking

hunt down the foreign goods stores and start baking; and then show off your skills to your korean friends~~who will never crack how to make a cheesecake as delicious as you made (ego booster)

decorate a cake with your spouse in one of those decorating cake shops (i loved thissssss)

where did you do this last one? also, where did you go bowling? (I don't like fishing or hiking)

Learning to bake awesome goodness sounds great, but cooking alone is the most boring thing IMO...I'm jealous of people who like to cook and bake.

wishfullthinkng

Joined: 05 Mar 2010

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:17 pm Post subject:

ChopChaeJoe wrote:

Seoul is a heartless city. Get out on the weekends -- anywhere but Seoul.

don't listen to people who say rubbish like this. those of us who have the social skills beyond that of a molerat have found seoul to be utterly rewarding and full of heart.

mmstyle

Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: wherever

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 10:57 pm Post subject:

I don't really understand why everyone is being so harsh on the OP. The best way for me not to be bored is to be spending time with people I like, and I find Seoul a really tough place to make good friends and meaningful relationships. wishfullthinking, I think your assessment of social skills is a bit harsh.

isisaredead

Joined: 18 May 2010

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:09 am Post subject:

mmstyle wrote:

I don't really understand why everyone is being so harsh on the OP. The best way for me not to be bored is to be spending time with people I like, and I find Seoul a really tough place to make good friends and meaningful relationships.

wishfullthinking, I think your assessment of social skills is a bit harsh.

i don't. the OP felt it was necessary to come to an internet forum to find out what to do in seoul of all places, because he's "in a rut" after four measly months. what do people honestly expect out of korea when they take this job? it blows my mind how people behave here sometimes.

the dude would probably be suicidal out in the sticks.

earthquakez

Joined: 10 Nov 2010

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 7:44 pm Post subject: Re: Only here 4 months and fed up already

isisaredead wrote:

kraggy wrote:

isisaredead puts it in a nutshell. Kraggy is from Ireland I believe - how many foreigners working and living in Ireland would find any kind of the things you can find and do in Korea? Not one. There is absolutely nothing to do in Ireland after you've been through the pubs and have taken some jaunts to look at castles or other old places. And the weather sucks mostly compared to Korean weather though the humidity sucks and the weather can suck in winter.

Giving the impression you're at a dead-end in Seoul says a lot about you if you have the comfort of a partner with you and are being paid mostly on time by your school. The lonely foreigners in Korea tend to be on their own, can't find other foreigners or can't break into the local small cliques or find the local foreigners married or a bit weird.

I've heard some real stories of lonely foreigners first and second hand and they did it tough in provinces down south or up north with blatantly unfriendly local Koreans and incidents such as Korean kids saying *beep* you, old people calling them bitches and bastards in Korean, no Costco to find a variety of food and beverages, train rides to interesting (comparitively interesting that is) places that took 3 to 5 hours, no English magazines, books or newspaper stores, towns and cities that looked depressingly small and devoid of networking opportunities on every level etc etc.

I myself lived in a small so called 'city' and it sucked, including sucking up my money to get out of there and feel human. If you're not a precious, discontented person who confuses working with tourism, you can live in Seoul for a long time and find something new on the weekend or be satisfied with the luxury of access to English reading material, different food, multiple subway lines that take you to different areas, opportunities to be around so many people that you can hear about what's going on etc etc.

I don't live in Seoul but if I did, my life would be far better and it's fine now.

gem

Joined: 06 Dec 2010

Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 6:36 am Post subject:

sojusucks wrote:

Steelrails wrote:

Also, avoid the mentality of everything has to be exciting and happiness is everything. Moderation, contentment and mild pleasures are ultimately more rewarding.

Read some books and listen to music.

Plus, if you have some goals about saving money then use this time to accumulate some savings. You'll be thankful, later.

All of the above is great advice. Find some good books to read and save your money. Are you athletic? If so, hike. I hiked almost every chance I could get in Korea.

Guajiro

Joined: 04 Dec 2008

Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:48 am Post subject:

kraggy wrote:

We both have a sports hobby but that only takes up some of our spare time.

I'm just looking for ideas. I don't need an analysis on my character (I'm far from boring, if I was boring I wouldn't be asking for ideas of things to do) or smart comments. Just some ideas.

Here's some of what my lady and I do to keep busy:
- dinner at a nice restaurant
- go see live music in Hongdae
- hiking at Gyeryongsan
- go swimming, dining at Daecheon beach
- take a ferry to Sapsido, rent a minbak and go clam digging
- take a train to Mokpo and eat at a live fish restaurant
- travel to Jinju and eat bibimbap
- ferry to Jeju, visit the lava tubes, climb hallasan, take pictures of Songsan ilchulbong
- make a fancy dinner and eat on the roof at sunset (with a bottle of wine)
- Go to a gay bar in Itaewon for karaoke
- Go to the book store and read English books
- Go to the ginseng market in Geumsan
- Browse the electronics at Yongsan
- Go to a driving range
- Go watch live sports at a bar (well that's more me than her)

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting, but there's definitely innumerable things one can do in one's spare time in Korea.

hari seldon

Joined: 05 Dec 2004
Location: Incheon

Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:55 am Post subject:

Korea isn't listed between the covers of A Thousand Places to See Before You Die.

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