Korean Job Discussion Forums

Janny · Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Location: all over the place

I have been teaching in Korea for almost six years now. I have gone through the entire spectrum of happiness - hatred for Korea. It comes in waves. I go home to Canada now, I feel like a foreigner there.

Anyway, Im happy with my life in Korea now. But sometimes.........

Last night I was walking home, dog-tired after another hellish Intensive Schedule day. I feel frumpy, and of course, fat. I always feel fat in Korea, even though by Canadian standards I am quite normal.

I am walking to my building. There is a family enjoying fried chicken outside on tables, from the chicken place beside my apartment. Drinking beer, laughing. Nice scene. I kind of miss my own family in that moment.

I see the two ladies of the house on a bench, chatting privately together. They look happy, relaxed, cheerful. I am about to pass them on my way into the building. I notice how pretty they are.

One of them notices me coming. She whips her head to whisper something to her friend. Half a millisecond later they both whip their heads to look at me. To watch me. I can't describe their little smiles. Im sure you've seen that little smile.

I guess I was more interesting than their conversation.

Today....buying stuff at my local hole-in-the-wall mart. I totally know the guy, his wife. We laugh about how much I love "Cass Lemon" and how he's the one who got me drinking it. haha lovely lovey

I walk in today. He's sitting at the desk, his wife, a friend. He says "annyong haseyo", but then there's this ....grunt. An "obo!" type of sound that follows his greeting. Like "huh!" with a loud expelling of air. Like...Oh! It's that girl! ....Watch out?!? Look at that....??!

WHO the *beep* knows what that sound was?
Who knows why the nice ladies had to stop talking?

I think I know the answers, and Im glad I know the answers. But that does NOT make my world, our world, a better place.

Im glad I have Dave's ESL Cafe to vent. Must vent sometimes. I don't lie to myself.

Sapa · Joined: 05 Nov 2007

it happens all the time. you just have to laugh about it and think how ignorant and backwards those people must be!

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

Don't worry. We all go through periods where this xenophobia really hurts us as people - or as humans, for that matter.

The staring from the unemployed men, lining my Pohang back street, was sometimes so intense (and hateful), that I often walked over the mountains to work - just so I didn't have to face those ignorant ........

And, the same in Seoul. Somedays I wouldn't take the subway - because I didn't want to see the kids' pointing and laughing - or those horrible ajosshi stares.

My defense: I think the same way as when people in other 3rd world countries blatantly rip me off (or rob me). That is, they're the ones who get left behind in their own misery and an unpleasant society. Whereas, ultimately, we move on to sunnier, more pleasant climes and lives. These hurtful comments and stares come from very unhappy people who know this - and so should we.

Chin up.

crescent · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: yes.

DCJames · Joined: 27 Jul 2006

SHANE02 · Joined: 04 Jun 2003

OP, you need a vacation. Don't be so paranoid.

Janny · Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Location: all over the place

If you go back and read it more carefully, I said that Im happy with my life in Seoul, now. It took a while, but I am content.

That does NOT leave me unscathed when Im treated like a freak.

On a good day, these types of incidences (which happen every day, as we all know) don't bother me at all. But on a bad day....yes they make me feel angry and sad.

I decided to vent here, in a foreigner's forum.

Telling me to 'go home' is so f-ing simple. Try again, and think about it.

And as for the "ambiguous" comment...you had to be there, I guess. There was no ambiguity in their stares. And if you seriously don't believe me, then you're either an insensitive moron or someone who is / looks Korean. Or NOT a foreigner in Korea.

Guri Guy · Joined: 07 Sep 2003 Location: Bamboo Island

Ignore the Crap (Culturally relative apologizing people) Janny.

South Korea is a mixed bag at best. In our heart of hearts, everyone knows that. Whether they delude themselves or not.

aka Dave · Joined: 02 May 2008 Location: Down by the river

Sometimes you have a bad day or week, and something innocuous like this pierces you.

Last Sunday I played 3 hours of basketball, come back completely dehydrated, and suffering in my apartment because it was the hottest day of the summer and my air cond sucks and my fan broke.

Then, Tuesday, I jog to the gym, and halfway there it starts pouring, I mean a deluge on my ass and I'm soaking wet in the gym, where they have the air cond on, freezing. I do two steinborn squats and go home, dejected.

Then, Wednesday, I'm so frantically busy correcting essays I don't have time to back to the gym, so I decide to get 30 minutes of basketball in at a nearby high school.

I shoot a jumper, miss. Second jumper, hits. The ball (regulation) gets STUCK in the net! It's stuck up there in the net. I had to chuck rocks at it to get it down.

Sometimes you just have a few days were sh** happens. And when it's hot and stiffling, it's that much worse.

R-Seoul · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Location: your place

Lose weight, it'll help with the paranoia.

crescent · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: yes.

JamesFord · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Location: my personal playground

You are a moron. Let the person vent. What's the big deal? They're not looking for advice. They're not looking for suggestions. They just felt compelled to write about what they feel. But for some reason this bothers the jackasses on Dave's.

crescent · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: yes.

Cheonmunka · Joined: 04 Jun 2004

Some days are diamonds, some days are stone.
Yesterday was off to a wierd start. Went to Grand Park to hire a bike for my daughter. Get there after getting stuck in road works and there are no hires that particular day. Why not? The hires in the park quit renting kids' bikes so the outside renter on the streetside which is always there is not there the day I take my kids...
So, F it, I went to town again and bought a bike for daughter. Then, locked my keys in the car. Oh well, one minute later had that open. Finally we made it to the park. Only thing there that sucked was a tour bus going up and down one of the roads, so had to be careful. Apart from that was wonderful.
In Korea the things that affect me are like above when there is a sudden unexpected change. Like, go to the swimming pool but the free swim times have been changed. So like, 'F you, you can't swim, that's the dumb rule.'

Have to prior plan for shit like that that happens.

About the emotion stuff, I just don't expect too much. I don't really expect the worst, but not overdone on the good stuff.
PS: I find when you are not attentive to it or other people not much stuff goes down as it normally should, when you are spiked up you will see any unattractiveness around you.

PS: Unlike the above poster:

Milwaukiedave · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Location: Goseong

Janny, sorry to hear you had a bad day. The best thing you can do is pick yourself up, brush it off and move on. People (yes, even those on here) can be insensitive and rude.

The best thing is to plan something special for yourself at the end of the week like going shopping for a book or to a movie.

Yes, sometimes the forum turns into a rantfest. I don't see what you said as that much of a rant.