Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Great Toad]

I am noticing some things about the USA as opposed to Corea:
I was at Taco bell and 3 15 year old boys were acting like jerks- however at no time did they stop and say 'hi' to me or dare the other to speak to me. I keep thinking I will get the approaching kids back with an even louder "HI" when they walk by me but kids in the city seem oblivious of my passing and my mouth stays closed...I rode about on my MTB jumping and seeing how my city had changed - no kids young or old seemed to notice or care about me - none spoke to me at all...

Cars act very strange here like waiting for me to ride by in a tight spot on my bike and sitting and waiting at stop signs and stop lights for me... Have yet to have an angry honk at me because I was merely riding on the road... tons of kids on scooters, bikes, and rollerblades here have on helmets- not like all those suicide bunny rabbits in Corea riding in cramped streets the wrong way with no protection... Also cops and ambulances here cease traffic who immediately stop and pull over so they can get to the wounded - imagine that?
I was at starbucks this afternoon and said "Hi are oh you study" to a very beautiful lady of around 23 years of age- she gave me a strange look and ignored me- she did not ask me my name or where I was from- she acted as if I was not at all handsome, cool, and incredible.oh vanilla latte at starbucks is around 3.43$ here isn't it around 5000 won in Korea?

I rode my MTB in the nearby forest on some sweeeeeet single track - i saw NO bikes and NO old lady or man going for a hike - unlike my old Korean city that was clogged with fit hike Corean hike monsters... Man it was nice never braked or stopped 1 time - only people I observed was the hippie drunk groups under the concrete pavilion drinking about 50 meters from their vehicles.
I seem to understand every word going on and the last free hug I got was from a charming Japanese university girl at the Incheon airport. That's ok though it actually is a bit odd doing that. My ego is really taking a beating- however I have abstained from saying hi to cute kids at the icecream place for fear their mother or father will give me a strange- "are you some wacko" look. Also no parent has made their small bunny talk to me- which is allright since sometimes they cried after I said 'hello' in korea. tomorrow I am going to ride with my old bike racing team and people are sure to stop and stare - gaining me tons of c00l points- as we blow by them at 35 mph... Hopefully my old bike lass buddies show up - I think only women over 45 ride road bikes in Corea... ANy strange epiphany moments you are having at home?

[eIn07912]

What's a 20 something university graduate doing with a bike as his main source of transportation?... sad.

Yes, the US is different than Korea. Wow. Imagine that. How is it possible that these two countries, on the other side of the world, with different cultures and influences for thousands of years, could possibly be even the slightest bit different? It boggles the mind.

Oh, and random girls you tried to hit on while in Korea didn't automatically think you were "handsome, cool, and incredible." They were just nervous about using their English in public and shy about being seen speaking to one, for fear those around her would consider her a "loose" girl, that shaves her pubes, and knocks around with any dirty foreigner she meets. Believe it or not, not every white guy here is the "stud" he thinks he is. A lot of Korean girls - most actually - find us fat, loud, crude, smelly, sweaty, unfashionable, and hornier than a middle schooler that just discovered his left hand.... which isn't a good thing.

[Epicurus]

[Guajiro]

[cwflaneur]

[Bondrock]

The toad is great.

[samd]

like

[eIn07912]

No. It really is lame. Unless he lived in a major city or was actually out exercising, riding a bike around as a means of transportation is lame.

Reminds me of a guy I graduated high school with. Every time I'd come home from university for a break, you could always see him floating up and down the road on that same bike he had back in school. Still running down middle schoolers to steal their cell phones and try to hook up with their girl friends. I'm not kidding. This guy was grade A loser. While the rest of us had degrees, cars, and homes, his main focus of each day was what food mom was going to cook for him and which 7th grader he could pick on next.

Just saying, reading toads post, totally reminded me of that guy.

And yes, I get it. He was being sarcastic. But it wasn't even good sarcasm.

[Kurtz]

[Bondrock]

Who says a bike is his only transportation?

And so what if it is? Might be a better world if 3/4 of the cars were off the road.

[eIn07912]

Wow, I didn't know toad had so many butt buddies here. I'll leave you crazy love birds alone then.

[Bondrock]

[Kurtz]

[Kikomom]

[Epicurus]

btw.. people that are casual bike riders, yet wear those dorky helmets are dorks.

so score a point for Korea

in 16 months here, I've been waved at and said hello to by little kids about 4 times.