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rabidcake
Joined: 10 Aug 2009
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 Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| rabidcake wrote: |
I'm sorry OP, but I believe your difficulties are coming from yourself more so than the Korean culture you are in.
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I would say it's both. I wouldn't say her life will continue being miserable wherever she goes. Korea has a pretty distinct culture and some people just don't mix well in it. It's not a bad culture, but it's a pretty black and white culture on the surface and if you don't see things the same way as the majority life will probably be hard for you here. I don't really like seeing perfectly normal and functional people come here only to become convinced there is something wrong with them because they just never really found their place within Korea.
Sounds like OP invested a lot of time and effort here and realized it's just not the place for her when it was already too late. That being said the obvious answer is to finish your degree. School doesn't really have to be fun or exciting. It's miserable for a lot of people but you get on with it because you want to make that money. One year is a long time but it would be stupid to waste those three years of misery and just withdraw now. Unless you are on the verge of a literal mental breakdown or severe depression that would lead to suicide, I recommend sticking it out.
Find a nice hobby, try to join a club with similar interests, keep to yourself, and just wait for the year to pass. Then get on with your life. |
Yes, in a sense it definitely is both. But to get accepted into cultures that are not your own definitely needs to have some effort from your own part much more than they do.
OP, I wish you the best of luck and hope that you can either assimilate or eventually leave after your last year. |
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peterpan1110
Joined: 06 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry if I'm too blunt OP, but you are way to close-minded to survive in a foreign country. If you don't assimilate to the local culture, you are just setting yourself up for failure. You can't expect to move to a new country and expect everything to be the same as home without adapting to your environment, that's just ignorant.
My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. I don't know if it is your sense of pride that is holding you back, but whatever it is, make the sacrifice to make it work. There is nothing tangible that is holding you back, everything is mental. I've found that the people who really enjoy Korea are the ones who accept it for what it is. The ones that moan and critique everything are the ones that can't wait to leave. It's an individual choice.
I wish you the best! |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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| Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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| peterpan1110 wrote: |
Sorry if I'm too blunt OP, but you are way to close-minded to survive in a foreign country. If you don't assimilate to the local culture, you are just setting yourself up for failure. You can't expect to move to a new country and expect everything to be the same as home without adapting to your environment, that's just ignorant.
My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. I don't know if it is your sense of pride that is holding you back, but whatever it is, make the sacrifice to make it work. There is nothing tangible that is holding you back, everything is mental. I've found that the people who really enjoy Korea are the ones who accept it for what it is. The ones that moan and critique everything are the ones that can't wait to leave. It's an individual choice.
I wish you the best! |
Yeah she could start by learning Korean. Then she could try to totally immerse herself in the culture. How about attending a Korean university with classes only in Korea? She could also live here for 3 years.
Oh yah she did all those things already. Sounds like a very close minded person. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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| OP, what exactly is the "half your life" you cannot live and what exactly is preventing you from doing so? |
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peterpan1110
Joined: 06 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:27 pm Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
Sorry if I'm too blunt OP, but you are way to close-minded to survive in a foreign country. If you don't assimilate to the local culture, you are just setting yourself up for failure. You can't expect to move to a new country and expect everything to be the same as home without adapting to your environment, that's just ignorant.
My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. I don't know if it is your sense of pride that is holding you back, but whatever it is, make the sacrifice to make it work. There is nothing tangible that is holding you back, everything is mental. I've found that the people who really enjoy Korea are the ones who accept it for what it is. The ones that moan and critique everything are the ones that can't wait to leave. It's an individual choice.
I wish you the best! |
Yeah she could start by learning Korean. Then she could try to totally immerse herself in the culture. How about attending a Korean university with classes only in Korea? She could also live here for 3 years.
Oh yah she did all those things already. Sounds like a very close minded person. |
err... that's it? just because she has learned some Korean, she has immersed herself into Korean culture? There are tons of Koreans who speak English, does that mean they understand American culture? And I quote "I really can't give up half of who I am, I don't think I am able to. I am afraid of even trying because I don't want to lose my individuality." Does that sound like someone who has completely "immersed" herself in the culture? This sounds pretty close-minded to me, there is more to culture than mastering the language...
and i also quote: "It's a really rigid society. There is a strict hierarchy. You are expected to adapt to the situation you're in and behave accordingly. If you are a university teacher you keep your distance from students and try to look as formal and professional as possible, if you are an elementary school teacher you have to be 'mommy', if you're with your superiors you're humble and its okay to act childish. You're expected to bow to your sonbe's and respect the authority of those who are older. I don't do this, I believe a person should be who he is, not what a social situation molds him to be."
This is stubbornness I am talking about. Stop critiquing and start doing. You are a powerless individual and a society will not mold to fit your criteria of an ideal society no matter how much you whine about. This is the dead giveaway that the OP is not trying hard enough. She thinks she has immersed herself into the culture, but clearly she has not. It really takes minimal effort to humble yourself and respect authority even though you don't think they deserve it. You just need accept this fact and play with it no how unfair you think it is. I've seen foreigners accept rash Korean customs, it just takes some effort. |
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Jodami
Joined: 08 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 12:05 am Post subject: |
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| peterpan1110 wrote: |
| My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. |
Absolute poppycock.
OP: Don't sell yourself to the devil - never ever become a Koreaphile.
Pride/peace of mind/the ability to look at yourself in the mirror each morning, are much much more important, than selling your soul for the price of a bowl of noodles.
My word, the apologists are out in full force lately.  |
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IPayInCash
Joined: 27 Jul 2013
Location: Away from all my board stalkers :)
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| Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 12:16 am Post subject: |
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| Jodami wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
| My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. |
Absolute poppycock.
OP: Don't sell yourself to the devil - never ever become a Koreaphile.
Pride/peace of mind/the ability to look at yourself in the mirror each morning, are much much more important, than selling your soul for the price of a bowl of noodles.
My word, the apologists are out in full force lately. |
Your posts are much more enjoyable when youre not trolling the forums. |
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Died By Bear
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: On the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
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Konglishman
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
Location: Nanjing
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| Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:47 am Post subject: |
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I read over her posts several times, and nowhere does she say is American. All we really know is that she is a foreign student who is very fluent in English. She could just as easily be from Europe or even Uzbekistan.
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| KimchiNinja wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
| I think a lot of it happens because A) Young people are stupid, lazy, and spoiled B) Double that for Americans and others who basically have never been a minority and raised to assume that their country is the greatest and that the whole world aspires to global democratic ideals, and C) Are often woefully ignorant of foreign cultures and base them on TV/Movie stereotypes. |
Haha, don't hold back, feel free to be blunt.
Yeah basically that. |
No not at all. Actually this just makes my point that people depict Korea in an unrealistic light to foreigners.
And I like how you post that on a thread that is about someone in Korea that...
1. speaks Korean
2. taking classes at a Korean university for 3 years
3. only has Korean classmates
Yeah that is obviously someone that came from the USA without doing their homework. It must be entirely her fault that she is isolated. Nothing to do with the fact that she is just in one of the most homogenous and xenophobic cultures on the planet.
It sounds more like you just wanted to take the opportunity to change the topic of this thread from people trying to give advice to a college student to a rant about spoiled american ESL teachers in Korea.
It basically comes down the way people judge anyone that is unhappy in Korea in a negative way. People do their research but then they have posters like you on forums claiming it's always the victims fault. That's not the case. But that is why you have so many people come here that are oblivious to some of the situations they may end up finding themselves in. |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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| Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:20 am Post subject: |
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| Konglishman wrote: |
I read over her posts several times, and nowhere does she say is American. All we really know is that she is a foreign student who is very fluent in English. She could just as easily be from Europe or even Uzbekistan.
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| KimchiNinja wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
| I think a lot of it happens because A) Young people are stupid, lazy, and spoiled B) Double that for Americans and others who basically have never been a minority and raised to assume that their country is the greatest and that the whole world aspires to global democratic ideals, and C) Are often woefully ignorant of foreign cultures and base them on TV/Movie stereotypes. |
Haha, don't hold back, feel free to be blunt.
Yeah basically that. |
No not at all. Actually this just makes my point that people depict Korea in an unrealistic light to foreigners.
And I like how you post that on a thread that is about someone in Korea that...
1. speaks Korean
2. taking classes at a Korean university for 3 years
3. only has Korean classmates
Yeah that is obviously someone that came from the USA without doing their homework. It must be entirely her fault that she is isolated. Nothing to do with the fact that she is just in one of the most homogenous and xenophobic cultures on the planet.
It sounds more like you just wanted to take the opportunity to change the topic of this thread from people trying to give advice to a college student to a rant about spoiled american ESL teachers in Korea.
It basically comes down the way people judge anyone that is unhappy in Korea in a negative way. People do their research but then they have posters like you on forums claiming it's always the victims fault. That's not the case. But that is why you have so many people come here that are oblivious to some of the situations they may end up finding themselves in. |
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Actually yeah, that was the point I was trying to make. SR just wanted to take an opportunity to take a quick swipe at American ESL teachers even though the OPs post didn't indicate that she was in any way related to that group of foreigners. I was being sarcastic. |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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| Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:25 am Post subject: |
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| peterpan1110 wrote: |
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
Sorry if I'm too blunt OP, but you are way to close-minded to survive in a foreign country. If you don't assimilate to the local culture, you are just setting yourself up for failure. You can't expect to move to a new country and expect everything to be the same as home without adapting to your environment, that's just ignorant.
My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. I don't know if it is your sense of pride that is holding you back, but whatever it is, make the sacrifice to make it work. There is nothing tangible that is holding you back, everything is mental. I've found that the people who really enjoy Korea are the ones who accept it for what it is. The ones that moan and critique everything are the ones that can't wait to leave. It's an individual choice.
I wish you the best! |
Yeah she could start by learning Korean. Then she could try to totally immerse herself in the culture. How about attending a Korean university with classes only in Korea? She could also live here for 3 years.
Oh yah she did all those things already. Sounds like a very close minded person. |
err... that's it? just because she has learned some Korean, she has immersed herself into Korean culture? There are tons of Koreans who speak English, does that mean they understand American culture? And I quote "I really can't give up half of who I am, I don't think I am able to. I am afraid of even trying because I don't want to lose my individuality." Does that sound like someone who has completely "immersed" herself in the culture? This sounds pretty close-minded to me, there is more to culture than mastering the language...
and i also quote: "It's a really rigid society. There is a strict hierarchy. You are expected to adapt to the situation you're in and behave accordingly. If you are a university teacher you keep your distance from students and try to look as formal and professional as possible, if you are an elementary school teacher you have to be 'mommy', if you're with your superiors you're humble and its okay to act childish. You're expected to bow to your sonbe's and respect the authority of those who are older. I don't do this, I believe a person should be who he is, not what a social situation molds him to be."
This is stubbornness I am talking about. Stop critiquing and start doing. You are a powerless individual and a society will not mold to fit your criteria of an ideal society no matter how much you whine about. This is the dead giveaway that the OP is not trying hard enough. She thinks she has immersed herself into the culture, but clearly she has not. It really takes minimal effort to humble yourself and respect authority even though you don't think they deserve it. You just need accept this fact and play with it no how unfair you think it is. I've seen foreigners accept rash Korean customs, it just takes some effort. |
Actually yeah, that's it. Actually she has gone way too far in my opinion, she probably should have left after her first year. Unfortunately, it's too late for that now. She has done enough to understand Korea in my opinion and I would take what she has to say about it into consideration.
Do you just totally block out any bad thing a foreigner says about Korean culture regardless of how much experience and knowledge they have regarding it? That doesn't sound very open minded to me. She figured it out about as much as she is going to and she doesn't fit in. That's ok, some people fit in here and some don't. I think the people saying she just needs to lie to herself everyday and pretend she is happy are being ridiculous. Like I said before, just finish up the year and then take off. If she doesn't like living in Korea that doesn't mean she doesn't understand the culture. She may understand it perfectly for what it is and just dislike it. It doesn't sound like it's the place here. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with her. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:17 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| selling your soul for the price of a bowl of noodles. |
Oh my, how dramatic.  |
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peterpan1110
Joined: 06 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:45 am Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
Sorry if I'm too blunt OP, but you are way to close-minded to survive in a foreign country. If you don't assimilate to the local culture, you are just setting yourself up for failure. You can't expect to move to a new country and expect everything to be the same as home without adapting to your environment, that's just ignorant.
My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. I don't know if it is your sense of pride that is holding you back, but whatever it is, make the sacrifice to make it work. There is nothing tangible that is holding you back, everything is mental. I've found that the people who really enjoy Korea are the ones who accept it for what it is. The ones that moan and critique everything are the ones that can't wait to leave. It's an individual choice.
I wish you the best! |
Yeah she could start by learning Korean. Then she could try to totally immerse herself in the culture. How about attending a Korean university with classes only in Korea? She could also live here for 3 years.
Oh yah she did all those things already. Sounds like a very close minded person. |
err... that's it? just because she has learned some Korean, she has immersed herself into Korean culture? There are tons of Koreans who speak English, does that mean they understand American culture? And I quote "I really can't give up half of who I am, I don't think I am able to. I am afraid of even trying because I don't want to lose my individuality." Does that sound like someone who has completely "immersed" herself in the culture? This sounds pretty close-minded to me, there is more to culture than mastering the language...
and i also quote: "It's a really rigid society. There is a strict hierarchy. You are expected to adapt to the situation you're in and behave accordingly. If you are a university teacher you keep your distance from students and try to look as formal and professional as possible, if you are an elementary school teacher you have to be 'mommy', if you're with your superiors you're humble and its okay to act childish. You're expected to bow to your sonbe's and respect the authority of those who are older. I don't do this, I believe a person should be who he is, not what a social situation molds him to be."
This is stubbornness I am talking about. Stop critiquing and start doing. You are a powerless individual and a society will not mold to fit your criteria of an ideal society no matter how much you whine about. This is the dead giveaway that the OP is not trying hard enough. She thinks she has immersed herself into the culture, but clearly she has not. It really takes minimal effort to humble yourself and respect authority even though you don't think they deserve it. You just need accept this fact and play with it no how unfair you think it is. I've seen foreigners accept rash Korean customs, it just takes some effort. |
Actually yeah, that's it. Actually she has gone way too far in my opinion, she probably should have left after her first year. Unfortunately, it's too late for that now. She has done enough to understand Korea in my opinion and I would take what she has to say about it into consideration.
Do you just totally block out any bad thing a foreigner says about Korean culture regardless of how much experience and knowledge they have regarding it? That doesn't sound very open minded to me. She figured it out about as much as she is going to and she doesn't fit in. That's ok, some people fit in here and some don't. I think the people saying she just needs to lie to herself everyday and pretend she is happy are being ridiculous. Like I said before, just finish up the year and then take off. If she doesn't like living in Korea that doesn't mean she doesn't understand the culture. She may understand it perfectly for what it is and just dislike it. It doesn't sound like it's the place here. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with her. |
No, she has not done enough. Language is only a small part of culture and she appears to have only accepted the language and nothing else. The point is she is MISERABLE, which means she has FAILED to accept the culture. End of story. Either TRY HARDER to accept the culture or just continue to be miserable. In my opinion, it seems as if the OP's experience could not get any worse, so what is there to lose? The root of the problem is NOT the rigid society she is complaining about, but it is her rigid personality. There are tons of foreigners who are happy in Korea, why can't she be one of them? |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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| Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 3:07 am Post subject: |
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| peterpan1110 wrote: |
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
Sorry if I'm too blunt OP, but you are way to close-minded to survive in a foreign country. If you don't assimilate to the local culture, you are just setting yourself up for failure. You can't expect to move to a new country and expect everything to be the same as home without adapting to your environment, that's just ignorant.
My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. I don't know if it is your sense of pride that is holding you back, but whatever it is, make the sacrifice to make it work. There is nothing tangible that is holding you back, everything is mental. I've found that the people who really enjoy Korea are the ones who accept it for what it is. The ones that moan and critique everything are the ones that can't wait to leave. It's an individual choice.
I wish you the best! |
Yeah she could start by learning Korean. Then she could try to totally immerse herself in the culture. How about attending a Korean university with classes only in Korea? She could also live here for 3 years.
Oh yah she did all those things already. Sounds like a very close minded person. |
err... that's it? just because she has learned some Korean, she has immersed herself into Korean culture? There are tons of Koreans who speak English, does that mean they understand American culture? And I quote "I really can't give up half of who I am, I don't think I am able to. I am afraid of even trying because I don't want to lose my individuality." Does that sound like someone who has completely "immersed" herself in the culture? This sounds pretty close-minded to me, there is more to culture than mastering the language...
and i also quote: "It's a really rigid society. There is a strict hierarchy. You are expected to adapt to the situation you're in and behave accordingly. If you are a university teacher you keep your distance from students and try to look as formal and professional as possible, if you are an elementary school teacher you have to be 'mommy', if you're with your superiors you're humble and its okay to act childish. You're expected to bow to your sonbe's and respect the authority of those who are older. I don't do this, I believe a person should be who he is, not what a social situation molds him to be."
This is stubbornness I am talking about. Stop critiquing and start doing. You are a powerless individual and a society will not mold to fit your criteria of an ideal society no matter how much you whine about. This is the dead giveaway that the OP is not trying hard enough. She thinks she has immersed herself into the culture, but clearly she has not. It really takes minimal effort to humble yourself and respect authority even though you don't think they deserve it. You just need accept this fact and play with it no how unfair you think it is. I've seen foreigners accept rash Korean customs, it just takes some effort. |
Actually yeah, that's it. Actually she has gone way too far in my opinion, she probably should have left after her first year. Unfortunately, it's too late for that now. She has done enough to understand Korea in my opinion and I would take what she has to say about it into consideration.
Do you just totally block out any bad thing a foreigner says about Korean culture regardless of how much experience and knowledge they have regarding it? That doesn't sound very open minded to me. She figured it out about as much as she is going to and she doesn't fit in. That's ok, some people fit in here and some don't. I think the people saying she just needs to lie to herself everyday and pretend she is happy are being ridiculous. Like I said before, just finish up the year and then take off. If she doesn't like living in Korea that doesn't mean she doesn't understand the culture. She may understand it perfectly for what it is and just dislike it. It doesn't sound like it's the place here. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with her. |
No, she has not done enough. Language is only a small part of culture and she appears to have only accepted the language and nothing else. The point is she is MISERABLE, which means she has FAILED to accept the culture. End of story. Either TRY HARDER to accept the culture or just continue to be miserable. In my opinion, it seems as if the OP's experience could not get any worse, so what is there to lose? The root of the problem is NOT the rigid society she is complaining about, but it is her rigid personality. There are tons of foreigners who are happy in Korea, why can't she be one of them? |
We are just arguing about the definition of open minded here.
Anyway, Korea is going to hit people in different ways. Not every class in college is going to be the same anywhere. Kimchi Ninja said it right when he said this country is all about networking. If you can't network here you are going to be dead in the water and it would be wise to look for a place where that isn't emphasized so much. I have been put in positions to network in the past and I just didn't take advantage of them. I can't play the game here, I can play the game in the USA. I don't hate Korea (surprisingly, my posts indicate otherwise) I just know the way things are done here isn't going to favor the way I work. I do better in the States. I like it here but it isn't the place for me. However, I can easily see how some people who would be happy in other places will not be happy in Korea. In fact, the more familiar they become with Korean culture, the more they will probably hate it. I know people that do fine in the USA and should never, ever, come to Korea. It's different for everybody. I think given the way OP has described her experience in Korea calling her close minded is ridiculous. |
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rabidcake
Joined: 10 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:00 am Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| peterpan1110 wrote: |
Sorry if I'm too blunt OP, but you are way to close-minded to survive in a foreign country. If you don't assimilate to the local culture, you are just setting yourself up for failure. You can't expect to move to a new country and expect everything to be the same as home without adapting to your environment, that's just ignorant.
My advice is to give it try. Just try to accept Korean culture for what it is. I don't know if it is your sense of pride that is holding you back, but whatever it is, make the sacrifice to make it work. There is nothing tangible that is holding you back, everything is mental. I've found that the people who really enjoy Korea are the ones who accept it for what it is. The ones that moan and critique everything are the ones that can't wait to leave. It's an individual choice.
I wish you the best! |
Yeah she could start by learning Korean. Then she could try to totally immerse herself in the culture. How about attending a Korean university with classes only in Korea? She could also live here for 3 years.
Oh yah she did all those things already. Sounds like a very close minded person. |
err... that's it? just because she has learned some Korean, she has immersed herself into Korean culture? There are tons of Koreans who speak English, does that mean they understand American culture? And I quote "I really can't give up half of who I am, I don't think I am able to. I am afraid of even trying because I don't want to lose my individuality." Does that sound like someone who has completely "immersed" herself in the culture? This sounds pretty close-minded to me, there is more to culture than mastering the language...
and i also quote: "It's a really rigid society. There is a strict hierarchy. You are expected to adapt to the situation you're in and behave accordingly. If you are a university teacher you keep your distance from students and try to look as formal and professional as possible, if you are an elementary school teacher you have to be 'mommy', if you're with your superiors you're humble and its okay to act childish. You're expected to bow to your sonbe's and respect the authority of those who are older. I don't do this, I believe a person should be who he is, not what a social situation molds him to be."
This is stubbornness I am talking about. Stop critiquing and start doing. You are a powerless individual and a society will not mold to fit your criteria of an ideal society no matter how much you whine about. This is the dead giveaway that the OP is not trying hard enough. She thinks she has immersed herself into the culture, but clearly she has not. It really takes minimal effort to humble yourself and respect authority even though you don't think they deserve it. You just need accept this fact and play with it no how unfair you think it is. I've seen foreigners accept rash Korean customs, it just takes some effort. |
Actually yeah, that's it. Actually she has gone way too far in my opinion, she probably should have left after her first year. Unfortunately, it's too late for that now. She has done enough to understand Korea in my opinion and I would take what she has to say about it into consideration.
Do you just totally block out any bad thing a foreigner says about Korean culture regardless of how much experience and knowledge they have regarding it? That doesn't sound very open minded to me. She figured it out about as much as she is going to and she doesn't fit in. That's ok, some people fit in here and some don't. I think the people saying she just needs to lie to herself everyday and pretend she is happy are being ridiculous. Like I said before, just finish up the year and then take off. If she doesn't like living in Korea that doesn't mean she doesn't understand the culture. She may understand it perfectly for what it is and just dislike it. It doesn't sound like it's the place here. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with her. |
No, she has not done enough. Language is only a small part of culture and she appears to have only accepted the language and nothing else. The point is she is MISERABLE, which means she has FAILED to accept the culture. End of story. Either TRY HARDER to accept the culture or just continue to be miserable. In my opinion, it seems as if the OP's experience could not get any worse, so what is there to lose? The root of the problem is NOT the rigid society she is complaining about, but it is her rigid personality. There are tons of foreigners who are happy in Korea, why can't she be one of them? |
We are just arguing about the definition of open minded here.
Anyway, Korea is going to hit people in different ways. Not every class in college is going to be the same anywhere. Kimchi Ninja said it right when he said this country is all about networking. If you can't network here you are going to be dead in the water and it would be wise to look for a place where that isn't emphasized so much. I have been put in positions to network in the past and I just didn't take advantage of them. I can't play the game here, I can play the game in the USA. I don't hate Korea (surprisingly, my posts indicate otherwise) I just know the way things are done here isn't going to favor the way I work. I do better in the States. I like it here but it isn't the place for me. However, I can easily see how some people who would be happy in other places will not be happy in Korea. In fact, the more familiar they become with Korean culture, the more they will probably hate it. I know people that do fine in the USA and should never, ever, come to Korea. It's different for everybody. I think given the way OP has described her experience in Korea calling her close minded is ridiculous. |
The OP is grouping up a bunch of people and saying their method is something she won't take part in.
Understandable.
She then continues to say that she doesn't have any friends because she's critical of Korean culture.
Understandable.
The OP then wonder why she might be miserable because she doesn't have any friends and blames it on a "rigid" culture that doesn't accept others.
Not understandable. She might know some Korean and be in Korean classes the same way Chinese students might know some English and attend graduate Economics classes, but if she's going to be open-minded she has to accept that the Korean way is the right way in Korea. She doesn't have to necessarily even like the culture, but she shouldn't be confused when things are done in a Korean style. |
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