Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kiwiduncan]

I'm curious. My basic goal here is earn a load of cash and buy a chunk of land on a mountainside somewhere back home. I think some other people here have similar plans, as Korea offers good savings opportunities without having join the rat race of mainstream western society. How many people here are planning to go back to conventional, urban, office life in the future? And how many people have plans that may seem a little more 'fringe'?

[canuckistan]

A noble pursuit to be sure.
We just bought 40 acres of this view from 1/2 way up a mountain: http://www.amazingcolorado.com/mount-elbert.jpg

I love the idea of spending time in a place where I'm not surrounded by anything humans made.

[sojourner1]

I like the idea of retiring in simplicity, but I know I need more career as to build some assets. It would take 10 years at this pay rate of 2 million won a month to get enough to buy some land and the fixens with cash. A more practical way to do it is to have a career going on in the place you really want to be and get a loan to finance what it is you so want in life.

Saving 14 million won a year, that's only 140 million won in 10 years which can buy a modest place in the country, but you have to consider your income and resources needs after relocating home. I can't see myself living in Korea or a foreign country for 10 years, though if I had money already, I might fall in love with tropical country living such as Thailand. Settling down requires a residual income, an inheritance, a pension, social security, a business, or a job. When I am getting older in my 40's and 50's, I may not be so hot at working and will need health care and more downtime which presents difficulties. This is one uncertain time period in history we live in today. I sure hope it works out for us.

I too just want a simple and comfortable life after I am finished traveling and doing challenging things. I want to have a well paying professional career and be financially secure, while not having to be in an office all my life, but enjoying nature more and more.

[crsandus]

[gmat]

$1200 a month for 10 years at 6.5% = $202,000

[IncognitoHFX]

I don't know about anyone else here... but before I came I was pretty confused with what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Though I had some idea.

After spending some time in Korea, for no real reason related to Korea, I am completely lost and have no idea about what I want to do with the rest of my life. I don't think it's culture shock--I'm just really, really confused about many things I wasn't confused about before.

This happen to anyone else when they came?

[blurgalurgalurga]

I'm reading a cool book of Chekhov short stories now, and there's a relevant quote here regarding the whole 'back-to-the-lander' trip...not my own opinion exactly, but an unusual and intriguing take on the whole thing.

"I could never feel any sympathy...for this longing to lock himself away in a country house for the rest of his life. These days they seem to think it's very good if our educated classes want to go back to the land...but, to leave the town and all its noise and hubbub, to go and shut yourself away on your little estate--that's no life!
It's selfishness, laziness, a peculiar brand of monasticism that achieves nothing. A man needs more...than a little place in the country, he needs the whole wide world, the whole of nature, where there's room for him to display his potential, all the manifold attributes of his free spirit."

An unusual take on it, eh?
I always figured on getting a little hut for myself somewhere, someday, maybe even with a family. A lot of my friends have done so already and continue to do so. I figure it an admirable goal, and one that I continue to have myself. But, I also know from personal experience, cabin fever is pretty strong. Anybody crazy enough to be happy all by themselves for years on end out in the woods, maybe for them its different--but for most people, we need other people around. Dealing with the same five or ten or even a hundred people, no matter how like minded you all are, is a weasel in a chicken basket...it ain't gonna work for most people.
Except for maybe that odd bunch of chickens who like living with weasels...but I digress.
Cheers all you with that dream attained, and cheers all you who covet it. But do get satellite internet, eh?
You've all seen 'the Shining' I assume? Isolation brings out some pretty ugly stuff.

[oh_daesu]

[mrsquirrel]

[lowpo]

[kiwiduncan]

[anyway]

Very interesting thread. To understand Chekhov's comments, it's important to realize that most Russians were de facto slave/serfs who were tied to the land until 1860. Anyone who could move to a city probably did shortly thereafter...

I totally agree with the points made about the environment coming second to all our selfish desires. The problem with living in the boonies is that it almost certainly requires an auto. How about a horse?

If anyone has read the reports from the last few Earth Summits, you will undoubtedly grasp the effect that urban dwelling has on the planet. It is frickin ugly. Quite ironic since we have always equated urban development with civilization. I find creations like the Las Vegas, Dubai, etc., disgusting and reprehensible.

To be honest, I am ready to head for the hills but also feel some commitment to society as well as my children's education/socialization. I'm looking at the New Mexico Transition to Teaching program real carefully and trying to imagine myself in a middle/high school classroom. I can picture it, but only in a small town setting, not some urban zoo. I'll probably continue to live in town and build my own handmade shack in the woods with maybe a horse or two.

In this way, I hope to balance the needs of work and lifestyle, comfort and security, etc, not to mention the needs of the environment which we are so blessed with.

Then again, I might look like one of the bourgeoisie to someone like Chekhov. Land owners are definitely not commoners. However, there are many people who buy land to protect it instead of exploiting it, even for their own purposes.

I would love to be involved with something like the 'nature corridor' (forgot the official name) which is taking place in Guatemala, Belize, Mexico. I've often thought about becoming a foster parent on a country spread as a balance between societal and personal needs...

[quercus]

i agree with kiwiduncan. a plot of land is a great things to have. i also agree with kiwiduncan about checkov. he is making some boring and uncreative comments if he is speaking about the situation today. and if he was speaking about old russia, i would still find kropotkin more interesting.

cabin fever? you don't have to go way way out there. there is plenty of land available at really affordable prices in america (don't know about anywhere else) now that is rural, near outdoor rec opportunities and still not far from medium cities.

my idea was self sufficiency, lowering my impact on the global environment and most importantly having the freedom to do things i enjoy: raise a family (and spend time with them) woodfired pottery, a lot of organic gardening/farming, fishing, hunting, community activism. basically relaxing and enjoying life, not spending it stressed out at a "typical" career job working to have more stuff

i came to korea to allow for saving the cash to do it right: to have enough to build a nice small house for a family, savings to provide for retirement off the interest, investments, etc.

whether it's a plot of land in the woods though or an apartment in NYC i think the important thing is thinking a little different: starting saving early and making it work for you, thinking smaller and not "supersize", working hard now so you can enjoy later and respecting quality more than quantity. did you want to travel when you were young for a few years or a month each winter with you family the rest of your life? or a combo or both? i find that people doing their own thing thought ahead and planned out their life some while they were younger and they don't have the pressure to save, provide, etc that others do. instead they have more freedom to do what they enjoy AND provide for their family. they just thought outside of the box a bit and worked hard instead of standing in line and waddling on towards the group like a human penguin or sheep.

as for being out there in the woods and having nothing to do and being a recluse, i guess there is that image from history, not to mention chekhov (but couldn't he have picked some better places, plenty of others did?). but in my experience more often than not you find really interesting, progressive people doing very innovative things. the difference between them and the ones you hear about doing all kinds of "wonderful" things in the city and on TV, etc, is these people do them for others, the planet, to be nice, etc and do not expect of try to get any recognition for it. and they are not too glorified, just basic, practical, common sense solutions to daily life. i love hearing about the interesting things american midwesterners are doing. did you know there is a hindu maharashi vedic CITY in northeastern iowa? wtf? (i will admit there is plenty of less creative people in the midwest who prefer drinking beer and shooting anything though)

anyway

[JustJohn]

Hoping to have a shack in the Rockies and be a research scientist, preferably within the next year.

[CabbageTownRoyals]