Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Chaucer]

I'm beating a dead horse perhaps, but I'll agree with couchsurfer that people have visited me in Korea have all loved it. Granted, they stayed with me, in my clean-ish apartment; I had a day off to take them to Bukhansan when we were in Seoul, to Seorak when I had more time; I got them USO tours of the DMZ, sent them to Bulguksa, etc.
BUT, when they got back from places I sent them, even though they met no one who really spoke English, they always said that Koreans were incredibly hospitable.

Conversely, or maybe it's the same thing, I loved Japan when I went there as a tourist. Yet I met foreigners complaining. So maybe the culture shock sets in after the euphoria of tourism wears off.

[Stalin84]

[naturegirl321]

EVERYTHING looks great for a bit. Even if you go to a third wolrd country, you'll be in awe of something. It's only after you stay a bit that culture shock starts to hit.

I mean, you are culture shocked when you arrived, in the honeymoon phase, so you're looking through life with rose coloured lenses, everything's perfect at the beignning.

[itaewonguy]

can easily look at our countries and hate it, the people and all the BS with goes with it.. guess thats why we all chose to leave and make our home else where.. doesn't matter where you go in the world.. there is no such place as paradise.. just learn to live with it and make the most of it..
Korea is awesome compared to other places if you ask me..

[Radius]

My honeymoon phase here in Korea....1 day. I dont kow, I guess if I met some cool people id be more apt to like this place. But it seems damn near impossible to talk to chicks here they wont even look at you for more than 1 second to get their attention.

[Hyeon Een]

On the whole people go to Japan because they have a Japan fetish.

On the whole people who go to Korea do so in order to pay off student loans.

It is not surprising that the people who go to Japan because they love it are happier than the people who go to Korea because they want to pay their student loans.

The few times I've met people who have a 'Korea fetish' they've been very happy here. Unsurprisingly.

[Tundra_Creature]

I really enjoyed my semester here in Korea and really wanted to stay longer, but I know quite a few students who couldn't wait to leave and were just having a bad time for the last month or so.

Whilst of course I have a few gripes about the country (smoking and spitting habits), overall it was great. I was actually preparing myself to have an 'average' time there due to all the horror stories I heard, but it was really much better than I thought. Most people and friends that I met were very hospitable and helped me out even when I wasn't asking them for it.

My mom also came to visit in December and found people to be very helpful and kind with her. Hell, we went to visit the War Memorial and two Adjummas hugged her when I told them that her father fought in the Korean War. I don't mean any small hug either. It was a full out 'OH MAH GAWD' hug if that makes any sense. I had never seen that before.

[naturegirl321]

How do China and Korea compare?

Having been to both, I think Korea is more organised and cleaner, higher slaries as well, but you still will see the spitting, etc on the street.

CHina also seems to be prone to weird teachers as well.

Anyone else been to both?

[djsmnc]

Do couchsurfers just come and stay at someone's place? Man, this might be a chance for me to get my serial killing spree underway!

[Mr. Pink]

[Stalin84]

I find the Chinese, on average, a lot easier to talk and get along with than Koreans. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Chinese don't have all of these expectations (good and bad), fears, anxieties or whatever like many Koreans do when meeting a foreigner.