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little mixed girl
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
Location: shin hyesung's bed~
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 Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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what's with randomly calling out soompi?  |
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Cedar
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
Location: In front of my computer, again.
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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I spend a lot of time at GYOPO CENTRAL, sometimes known as Yonsei University. Before moving to Seoul I had only spent significant time with a couple Gyopos. Now I can meet them everyday.
This is what I got to say:
1. Despite my pre-conception, Gyopos cannot understand me culturally. Culturally I am a background of poor white America + artistic parents + many years of acceptance of Korean culture. The big stumbling point between me and most gyopos is that they don't understand being POOR. I think if you are from a well-to-do or at least sheltering-you-from-problems-of-life family you can get along with Gyopos better.
2. Gyopo women are often quite snooty. I wonder if the expression I see on their faces so often is implanted at birth?
a. Or are they just reacting to the "affront" of having a white American who speaks/reads/writes better Korean than they do and is aware of all the issues in Korea and has a solid knowledge of cultural this and that--- honestly, I didn't learn all I did about Korea to show up Gyopos! I did it cause I was interested in it, end of the f---ing story! Besides, we are the classroom... what someone says in class isn't showing off unless they are telling a personal story, it's called "participating in the learning process" (and thank the lord, the profs agree!)
3. Gyopo men are a mixed bag. Some seem to be really really relaxed and mellow, whereas others have this big chip on their shoulder. |
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DrewAgain
Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Cedar wrote: |
| The big stumbling point between me and most gyopos is that they don't understand being POOR. I think if you are from a well-to-do or at least sheltering-you-from-problems-of-life family you can get along with Gyopos better. |
But who's to say that gyopos have been sheltered from the problems of life? You've had to deal with being raised in a financially challenged environment, but you were never a minority, at least not visibly. So you could argue you've had different set of problems, that yours were more financial. But then, a lot of gyopos experience first hand financial difficulties as well. This is especially true if their parents are immigrants who struggle with the language barrier and different standards between American and Korean certifications, which hinders their chances of acquiring a real job. These parents place a ridiculous amount of stress on the kids to study their asses off in order not to follow their footsteps. Lots of gyopos spend hours helping their parents run convenience and grocery stores when they'd rather be doing something else with their time. However, they'd have no choice as the parents would be hard-pressed to afford another worker, and find it necessary to keep the profits within the family.
Now after all this, this still wouldn't help anyone understand gyopos better culturally, but I'm just pointing out that gyopos do face problems, and just because you find those at Yonsei appearing to be problem-free, just remember they're temporarily in a society which puts them in the majority physically, and more often than not the gyopos who can afford to spend a summer in Korea are usually the more affluent gyopos back home. |
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little mixed girl
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
Location: shin hyesung's bed~
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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i kinda agree with cedar.
i *personally* use 'kyopo' to describe the type of person that cedar describes and 'korean-american' to describe ppl that are not stuck on themselves.
there's a pretty big korean population at my university, and people run the gambit.
a lot of the ppl i met at yonsei were engaged in what i called 'korean-american bonding time', which excluded anyone that was not korean.
even a 200lbs, jakced up looking girl would be invited to 'hang' over a non-korean.
on the other hand i met some really cool ppl at yonsei who were korean-americans.
with all people you're gonna find bratty ones and cool ones. and if a crowd of bratty ones cluster together then it's harder to find the good ones.
some ppl i've talked to think that cuz korea is ignored in america (in comparison to china/japan) that ppl get the feeling that they own everything korean, are bewildered as to why non-koreans have interest in korea, etc etc and they get snooty about it.
anyways, this wasn't about bashing kyopos...korean-americans.
i think the OP will be able to find chill ppl, and ppl that are not so chill.
i've got korean-american friends that are great, and i know other ppl who are just annoying. so... |
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yomuthabyotch
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Hell, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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| little mixed girl wrote: |
i think the OP will be able to find chill ppl, and ppl that are not so chill.
i've got korean-american friends that are great, and i know other ppl who are just annoying. so... |
Yes, the OP agrees. 
I try not to be judgmental--only to those who deserve it, like gangsta-wannabe posers.  |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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| hey OP- can you scale down your avatar a little? It's cool, but messing up the page formatting. |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 3:11 am Post subject: |
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| little mixed girl wrote: |
i think the OP will be able to find chill ppl, and ppl that are not so chill. |
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yangtheman
Joined: 16 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:07 am Post subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Gyopo Kind |
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| yomuthabyotch wrote: |
I'm Korean and I would love to hear from other gyopo members on this forum. Most of the contributors here are weh-guk-in, and from what I've been reading, it seems their perspectives about life in Korea, though equally insightful and valid, are VERY different from that of the gyopo experience. But then again, I'll have a chance to see for myself real soon, so....
Thanks, everyone! |
I am always late to post, damn it! It's because I don't want to post from work, where I am sure someone is tracking my network usage.
Anyhow, Korean legal definition of gyopo is if you were once in Korean family (or is it Census) registry. I was born and registered by my dad in Korea. I've lived first half of my life in Korea and second half in America. Now, I am back in Korea. I denounced my Korean citizenship when I became a US citizen quite a while ago. I really had no intention of going back to Korea permanently. If you are a gyopo, you can apply for F-1 visa, I believe. Check with Korean consulate website.
Whether you are born in Korea or not, if you are in the registry, you are legally a Korean and Korean government can draft you to army. So be careful, there.
My experience has been......more negative than positive. I've been here for about four months. I am NOT a teacher. I came for a job working for a Korean conglamorate. I speak fluent Korean and carry on conversations, but my Korean vocabulary level is pretty low, especially in business terms. I thought I knew Korean culture, so I wouldn't have hard time in Korea. Boy, was I wrong! Living in Korea is totally different.
So, I do share many sentiments with many guys posting here. I really can't see myself staying here longer than my contract term. Only positive things about Korea are not having to pay tips and free deliveries.
If I can put Korea in one phrase (or maybe just Seoul), it's a huge LA in Wild West with Boston roads. In other words, Koreans care only about superficiality, have no regards for any kind of law (especially traffic law) and roads are all messed up like ones in Boston.
And, I can't say too much about other gyopo's....either here or in US, since none of my friends is a Korean-American.
Oh, BTW, if you also care to read, I have a blog site as well. It's http://workinginkorea.blogspot.com/
Sorry for the long post. |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:28 am Post subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Gyopo Kind |
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| yangtheman wrote: |
| Koreans care only about superficiality |
This is probably the single biggest hate I have about the korean attitude. Something only has worth if it appears or looks good. The lack of reals substance or value, grit and character in just about every facet of Korea is simply astounding. This goes from the people through to the quality of work, art, music, everything. Its so empty.
reading your blog as well yangtheman- I agree i also have a hate on for the practise of donning smelly old slippers in the workplace. It destroys all fashion sense, which is a shame. I can pitch up in a nicely turned pair of pants set off by some sharp polished boots and a smart shirt. The whole effect is then ruined by having to dhuffle around in a pair of worn out bunny slippers. |
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little mixed girl
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
Location: shin hyesung's bed~
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 10:26 am Post subject: |
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| Demophobe wrote: |
| little mixed girl wrote: |
i think the OP will be able to find chill ppl, and ppl that are not so chill. |
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u don't like chill? =( |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 11:23 am Post subject: |
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| Demophobe wrote: |
| little mixed girl wrote: |
i think the OP will be able to find chill ppl, and ppl that are not so chill. |
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she has an excuse: she's young. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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| dnamkung wrote: |
Yaya:
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Well, I respect your opinion but gyopos to me were best avoided like HIV. Many of them had a serious chip on their shoulder and such, and of course, wyldebeast looking mutant excuses for Korean-American women come to Korea and STILL think they are all that, when they're lucky they aren't herded into an animal farm.
I reiterate that regular Koreans are the best way to go. Sure, I did have some gyopo friends but to have too many of them would've spoiled the experience. Plus, gyopos can't give you the connections that natives can sometimes. |
hmm.. avoid gyopos like the plague.. that sounds.. almost prejudiced...
maybe i misunderstood your quote.
gyopos can't give you connections that natives can sometimes....
that kind of sounds like we, gyopos, and koreans, are to be used at means to ends, rather than ends in themselves.
Do you avoid teachers as well? if so, then i guess i can understand your mentality. If not, i'm confused. |
It's not a thing about avoiding, it's just many gyopos have certain thought patterns and stuff. The ones from LA put on such a front (my dad's rich back in LA, I got into Harvard law school, bla bla bla), the ones from NY always say something bad about other gyopos that they don't even know and stuff. I remember back in 1994, this one black guy studying at Yonsei was puzzled over how a bunch of gyopo punks acted soooooooo black.
I avoided certain teachers, mainly of the Canadian burger-flipper variety, and instead befriended foreigners in other fields. |
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little mixed girl
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
Location: shin hyesung's bed~
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| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| bucheon bum wrote: |
| Demophobe wrote: |
| little mixed girl wrote: |
i think the OP will be able to find chill ppl, and ppl that are not so chill. |
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she has an excuse: she's young. |
haha, is it cuz i said 'chill'?
do u think i say chill in real life? 
didn't u meet me over the summer? yes??
it was 'chill'...  |
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casey's moon
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Gyopo Kind |
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| rapier wrote: |
| yangtheman wrote: |
| Koreans care only about superficiality |
This is probably the single biggest hate I have about the korean attitude. Something only has worth if it appears or looks good. The lack of reals substance or value, grit and character in just about every facet of Korea is simply astounding. This goes from the people through to the quality of work, art, music, everything. |
Agreed, but it isn't as bad outside of Seoul. |
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Ody
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: over here
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| Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 6:39 pm Post subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Gyopo Kind |
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| casey's moon wrote: |
| rapier wrote: |
| yangtheman wrote: |
| Koreans care only about superficiality |
This is probably the single biggest hate I have about the korean attitude. Something only has worth if it appears or looks good. The lack of reals substance or value, grit and character in just about every facet of Korea is simply astounding. This goes from the people through to the quality of work, art, music, everything. |
Agreed, but it isn't as bad outside of Seoul. |
yet another gross generalization from rapier; no surprise.
i don't agree with this statement because i could say the same for Americans; and would venture a guess that the majority of other developed countries' populations share this trait (of superficiality) as well.
in my 2.5 years, living in Seoul, i have met (proportionately) about as many creative sorts as i would in my last hometown, Passaic, NJ. |
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