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drkalbi
Joined: 06 Aug 2006
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 Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:12 pm Post subject: Generosity of Koreans |
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About 2 weeks ago I was teaching an adult class, I mentioned that I had just moved and was looking to buy a bike to ride to work. A few days later one my students tells me she won a bike in a contest and was not going to use it and that I could have it. I was very surprised and told her I would give some money for it. She refused the cash. Today she calls me and says she will drop of the bike at my place. After dropping it off, I looked up the make and model on the internet. It sells for about 200,000 won  |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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Nice! Among many other things given to me(or done for me) were a used desktop computer and a bicycle that my first co-teacher gave to me 2.5 years ago and both of which I still use today.
In fact I feel somewhat guilty because my deposits in the "friendship bank" have been way below that of the Koreans I know. They are a generous people. |
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ChilgokBlackHole
Joined: 21 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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Things I've been given:
1. An oven.
2. A digital television.
3. A massive box full of movies.
4. Desktop computer
5. Printer/scanner/copier
Things I've given or am giving to the next guy:
1. Clothes
2. Copious amounts of movies
3. Same desktop was left by the previous teacher, I bought a replacement.
4. Yet another DVD player because Samsung makes good stuff.
5. Pots & Pans and huge amounts of storage containers
Since my apartment is owned by my hakwon, I just leave everything here for the next guy, he pays it forward to the next, and on and on it goes this thing of ours.
Last edited by ChilgokBlackHole on Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:24 am; edited 2 times in total |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 8:38 am Post subject: |
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we are guests in their country
to that degree we are welcome to their hospitality
they want the world to think well of them: nationalism writ small |
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Enrico Palazzo
Mod Team
Joined: 11 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 8:41 am Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
we are guests in their country
to that degree we are welcome to their hospitality
they want the world to think well of them: nationalism writ small |
I suppose that's true to some extent that people, when we're in their countries, will often go out of their way to be nice, so you can have a better impression of their ethnic group. Some do the opposite and want to tell you to get out of dodge. You know which one we all prefer:) |
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GoldMember
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 2:44 pm Post subject: |
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On the opposite side of those that do the giving are those who do the begging. One thing I like about Koreans is that they are not beggars.
How often do we have a posting on this board about some moron whitey with no insurance, no savings, having a motorcycle accident (no lice
nce- hence the person is 100% at fault) and then these people (or their buddies) have the gall to beg for money for medical/legal expenses.
Koreans have the decency not to do this. |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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| GoldMember wrote: |
On the opposite side of those that do the giving are those who do the begging. One thing I like about Koreans is that they are not beggars.
How often do we have a posting on this board about some moron whitey with no insurance, no savings, having a motorcycle accident (no lice
nce- hence the person is 100% at fault) and then these people (or their buddies) have the gall to beg for money for medical/legal expenses.
Koreans have the decency not to do this. |
How can you possible know that? They wouldn't do it on Dave's. Actually, there are so many assumptions in the above assessment, there isn't enough time to deal with them all. |
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PigeonFart
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:49 pm Post subject: |
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Koreans have never given me diddly squat.
Maybe i'm just a sour puss. |
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Koharski
Mod Team
Joined: 20 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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If you have nothing to add to the thread; just move along. There is no reason to leave insulting comments.
Thsi thread is being watched and violators will be sanctioned swiftly.
Koharski |
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Joe Boxer
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Location: Bundang, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 2:22 am Post subject: |
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| Koharski wrote: |
If you have nothing to add to the thread; just move along. There is no reason to leave insulting comments.
Thsi thread is being watched and violators will be sanctioned swiftly.
Koharski |
Oooooh. Sounds scary 
Anyway, in my experience, Koreans are really generous, but if you're going to accept gifts, you should reciprocate. For instance, if you accept a bike from an adult student, you should get her or him something nice, too. Or treat the class to ddeuk (spelling?) or some other snack.
Or give them an "A+" |
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mcviking
Joined: 24 Mar 2009
Location: 'Fantastic' America
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| Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:33 am Post subject: |
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| Today on the subway an old lady motioned for me to sit in the old people and crippled section I refused to sit down politely. She eventually made eye contact with me again and waved me over. She reached in her bag with a fistful of candy! I also refused again, but it was a good laugh had by her, a few adjosshis, and myself. I miss grandmas. |
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reactionary
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Location: korreia
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| Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 4:22 am Post subject: |
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Individual Koreans are quite generous, but god, the institutions here...
My public school was stingy as hell about giving me anything for my apartment. I asked for a desk - "oh, your apartment is too 'narrow'"...so they just put my tv on the floor. Then six months later, after I purchased furniture, "Oh, we have 300,000 won budgeted that we forgot to spend on your apartment" |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:22 am Post subject: |
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| ChilgokBlackHole wrote: |
Things I've been given:
1. An oven.
2. A digital television.
3. A massive box full of movies.
4. Desktop computer
5. Printer/scanner/copier
Things I've given or am giving to the next guy:
1. Clothes
2. Copious amounts of movies
3. Same desktop was left by the previous teacher, I bought a replacement.
4. Yet another DVD player because Samsung makes good stuff.
5. Pots & Pans and huge amounts of storage containers
Sine my apartment is owned by my hakwon, I just leve everything here for the next guy, he pays it forward to the next, and on and on it goes this thing of ours. |
Outstanding.
This is the type of attitude that should be more common..... |
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ChilgokBlackHole
Joined: 21 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:29 am Post subject: |
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| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
Outstanding.
This is the type of attitude that should be more common..... |
Well, to be honest, what am I going to do with the stuff? I don't consider is generosity, I just don't see any reason not to give back what people gave me. I may be a fat jerk, but I know that what goes around comes around.
I don't see why people here don't just give things to each other, or to the newbies. My replacement is coming a week before I'm leaving, I'll leave him anything he wants left and send the rest on to someone else. That's not being generous, that's just.. human. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:41 am Post subject: |
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Well, to be honest, what am I going to do with the stuff? I don't consider is generosity, I just don't see any reason not to give back what people gave me. I may be a fat jerk, but I know that what goes around comes around.
I don't see why people here don't just give things to each other, or to the newbies. My replacement is coming a week before I'm leaving, I'll leave him anything he wants left and send the rest on to someone else. That's not being generous, that's just.. human |
Thats fine...but doing what you are doing is something of such basic common sense and basic generosity that it should be more commonly done.
For example, when I moved into my first school provided appartment in 1997 it was spotless and fully stocked with dishes and supplies. The teacher who weas leaving handed me the keys and while we chatted he said he did this because he figured he would like to move into a clean place.
I did the same thing when I left a year later for another job. Cleaned the place top to bottom, left a few water bottles in the fridge, and left the stuff I bought that I felt could help the next teacher (cooking pans, dishrags, movies, some books on Busan and so on).
Met that teacher 2 years later and she did the same when she left that place.
Its just basic really. |
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