Korean Job Discussion Forums

[traxxe]

So I said hello to some foreigners in E-Mart today. A guy and his SO (I think) and it was a good experience. They were friendly and turned out to be helpful when I asked if they knew the Korean word for grind. (I wanted to get some chuck roast on sale ground into hamburger meat)

Man, I hope karma shines on that dude and his.

I've also found that foreigners in Suwon are generally friendlier and more open than in Seoul.

Where I come from in the South saying hello to people as you pass is the norm much of the time. So I understand how it is akward and have read some of the negativity about it.

I just think that friendliness can never hurt. It goes a long way to making someone elses day better.

So to that Ajou University teacher. Thanks. Peace.

[caniff]

This is a joke post, right?

[traxxe]

Nah, dude. I mean it.

I was having a crappy day. Some ajoshi rammed into me without looking then started cursing me as if I was at fault when I was trying to sidestep him.

Randomly meeting that foreigner turned my perspective around. He was kind and helpful and friendly. It's a hard enough experience in this country sometimes. My wife will find it harder being non-white. Sometimes just saying hello is meaningful.

There is some thread on here with people griping how about they shouldn't have to say hello to every foreign face they see. I disagree. You should say hello to as many people as possible. It doesn't hurt you and the worst it can do is lead to making someone's day a little better.

I'd of posted on that thread but I couldn't find it.

[caniff]

[JustJohn]

I agree with Errol Flynn.

[jajdude]

Saying hello is good. Sociophobic people struggle with it though.

[Imbroglio]

I once killed a man for saying hello to me.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[murr]

I'm all for greeting other foreigners. If you're not greeting them, it probably means you've made a conscious decision not to greet, full stop - and that is scary.
As for greeting passing Koreans, if you happen to catch their eye and share a smile, the world's a better place for that too.

[lorenchristopher]

I'm all about greeting other foreigners. I mean, how hard is it to give a slight nod or smile at least....you don't have to go out of your way to say hi, but if you both see each other why not?

It cracks me UP when I pass a foreigner who walks right by me and never makes eye contact, yet it's obvious that they see me (I'm quite tall anyway) in their peripheral. I mean, really? Do you honestly think you're so cool that you're fitting in and no one notices you are a waegookin anymore?

Ridiculous, lol.

[nobbyken]

I found western locals to be friendly in Suwon. Never actually spoke to many, just seen in the passing.
One nice gentleman called Jim stopped to speak to me as I was putting air in my car tyres one day. It was just outside my villa and I later wish I'd invited him up for a coffee and a yarn about school and teaching.

The other time, I caught the eye of a pale-faced couple in Tesco. I said a friendly "Hi." No reply but as I was in the next aisle, we passed again and I overheard them speaking Russian.
Mind you, most people are rushin' in Tesco.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I remember when I was like travelling in France, and there was like this girl with a Canadian flag on her backpack - just like mine! And I said 'Hey what part of Canada are you from?' and she said 'I'm from like Winnipeg' and I said 'like no way, I have friends in Winnipeg - imagine running into you in France'. And I had some questions about where to find some cheap food to take back to the youth hostel and I looked up some things in her Lonely Planet book and she looked up some things in my Let's Go book. It was like, so totally cool to meet another Canadian who could speak English in such a far away place. We, like, chatted about what we thought of France for a while before heading off to our respective youth hostels.

She was nothing like the Canadian foreign students I met who hung around with French people, were busy living there own lives, and hardly had the time of day for me.

[spliff]

Who's gonna say "hello" to every Koren they see?

[nate1983]

[hugekebab]