Korean Job Discussion Forums

[xingyiman]

Mine's this:
There used to be this dude who would sit at the Mindy's bar in Pohang on the side where your back is to the wall. He had long white hair and a matching beard. When you came in his eyes would get as round as silver dollars and he'd keep his eyes on you wherever you went. He would breathe really heavy also. Creepy guy. Someone told me he taught elementary.

[monkinwonderland]

This guy:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=92724

The story ended like this:

They fired him when he got caught feeling up some 12 year old student. He had her on his lap and he was rubbing his hands all over her chest.

[aka Dave]

This ex-pat wasn't creepy, he was a nice guy. But looking back, I have suspicions about him.

There was (I've heard) a scandal involving Canadians who forged their dimplomas. This happened *after* I worked with that guy, and that was the first reason for their tightening the visa requirements.

Anyway, it was 2002, I'd come to Korea mainly to see the world cup, and teach. It was a crappy hagwan, etc.

However, he was 22, and *said* he had graduated from the Universtity of Winnepeg.

However, over the course of a few months, he told us lots of stories how, the last two years he'd been in the army. He showed us pictures of Army barrcacks in Bosnia, etc. Also, he was a grunt, not an officer, that was clear.

If he was 22, and had just had two years in the army, how did have time to finish his University? And why would you graduate Uni. and go straight into the army as a grunt? He wasn't the sort to go to Uni early.

He was no intellectual, he was a jock. After I heard about that Canadian scam, I really wondered about him.

[WoBW]

A guy I worked with last year at a hagwon was quite creepy.

It was the kind of place where there was no dress code, in the summer I wore jeans and T-shirts. He wore a suit and tie every day, even at the weekends he told me. He said it was good for his self-esteem.

He also once showed me a US military ID card and told me that he was a colonel in the US special forces before teaching in Korea. While I don't doubt that he was previously in the US military, he was 28 years old and had been out of the army for two years. So he was a colonel in special forces by the age of 26? WOW! As if...

A few weeks later he told me how he got busted by his sergeant for going off route on a training run. Apparently he had the shits and was desperate, so he found an apartment building and shat in a washing machine in the basement. Apart from the fact that he could have just crapped behind a bush in the woods, when does a colonel get busted by a sergeant?

[caniff]

^that guy belongs in the freakiest waygooks thread

[A2Steve]

the psycho 44 year old from London, who threatened my life on at least two occasions, but didnt have the guts to follow through.

and did I mention he was my roomate and coteacher in Masan? and he drank like a fish and smoked like one of those carnival monkeys?

He would qualify for about 20-30 psychiatric diagnoses in the States. It was my misfortune to have him as a fellow teacher at a fellow hagwon. The easiest way to describe him is as if Veruca salt and Hannibal Lechter had a child together.

Oh, and he was dyslexic I am pretty sure. so his English skills were horrible, but he thought he was God's gift. Literally. He claims to go to church seven days a week. I'm pretty sure that is one day for each of the deadly sins he breaks.

the kicker happend a week before Christmas- he decides to throw a X-Mas party, and tells me, "by the way, you're invited." I guess he was having some Euro-trash friends over.

But the bosses at the hagwon had enough of him I suppose, so they decided to fire his worthless ass. And the beauty of it is that it was five days BEFORE Christmas. somehow he got another job here though. As he packed up in the apartment, I told him:

"Now if you'll excuse me, we Americans have a proud tradition of kicking the British off our turf, so I will bid you adieu......"

Just one of the many reasons I love being here sometimes. If anyone sees Caleb though, please tell him he still owes me 50,000 won for the cable router, and if he wants to kill me, he has to pay the money first.

[bangbayed]

A few years ago at my first job in Korea, there was an older man who was our head teacher. We were never really sure if he was Canadian or American as he told different people different things. We knew things were a little off when, during our MT, we had a meeting with him and our supervisor and he said in front of everyone "If anyone ever goes over my head, you will be sacked". Later we found out our supervisor, while hearing this, didn't really understand ("sacked").

Over the course of the next few months, he related different stories about: how he used to not only fly in some supposed "Black Angels" covert ops missions over Laos in the 60's; he was also at one point a bodyguard of JFK. He hung up a huge hideous wedding picture in his office, would often bring in a flat of muffins that were obviously from Costco and claim that his wife had made them for us, and tell us about his many adopted children. Oh and of course he would often brag about how he was an advisor for CEOs at LG, SK, Samsung, et al.

He eventually slacked off on teaching and would just show videos and movies in the class while he sat at his desk (this was a teacher training program!). When he was eventually sacked, he refused to leave the office and would keep showing up to work, supposedly working on his Masters that was printed up on Comic font.

We found out later that he was a bit infamous around certain expat circles. Don't know if he is still here, but his name rhymes with "toy beatle". Anyone know who I'm talking about?

[Cheonmunka]

The freakiest waegook was the short stocky guy with glasses I said, 'Gidday Mate,' to as I passed in Bucheon Sang-ga and muttered he some expletive. Well, I don't wish you the best. Hope you leave soon.

[MollyBloom]

I always get creeped out by the older white men hanging out in Itaewon. They just scream "child molester." You know they just came from Thailand. And it's not like they are rich Europeans, they look like creepy, dirty old men.

[Roch]

[jessie-b]

You have the best avatar ever, MollyBloom. However, I must agree with Roch. We have far too many stereotypes about older people, men and women (see all the adjumma bashing threads here) and it becomes impossible to make guesses about what they're up to. The creepiest waygookin I've ever seen? Can't remember. I have a creepy student right now in her mid twenties who might have some sort of mental imbalance. She's manipulative and insecure and loud. Everything is "boring" and she doesn't want to speak any English. Why pay money for a conversation class? Psychologically, she's 13 and I don't know how to deal with her. She creeps me out.

[moosehead]

by far the creepiest foreigners to me are the Mormon guys - they walk around with their zombie like "happy faces" on all the time, white shirts, ties, dress pants in stifling heat and humidity.

someone told me they come over here fresh out of college, study Korean for 3 hours a day so they can try and convert them. then they teach in the hakwons and accept whatever is offered to them pay-wise, duty-wise, whatever. suckers for abuse, totally.

I was sitting at the back of the bus one day and a couple of them got on (never seen them on the bus before, that was a first itself) and the bus was crowded, they were standing up front but looked me right in the eye, waved and said "hey how you doing?" - I couldn't believe they were talking to me - but yes, they were - it was E and it was clear no one else was paying attention. I blinked and he repeated it. I looked away, unwilling to respond which is the safest course in dealing with religous extremists IMO. they got off soon after that.

they post "Free English Lessons" all around the nabe where I teach elem school, along with their pictures on the flyers, which are written in both K and E.

creepy? totally.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

[laserprinter]

everyone in Itaewon

[Cheonmunka]