Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jurassic5]

1. the KBO and KBL!! Ya gotta love it!!
2. soju
3. no copyright laws...or at least aren't enforced
4. the combination of numbers 1 and 2

[narsty dog]

I m sorry but what has happened to this board ??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


i m sorry to break into the smuggy smug smug smug group ...but Korea is not paradise. It s a racially exclusive place where people from other Asians countries are treated like animals , not given proper training but continue to do jobs koreans will not do , whilst being paid 'trainee' wages and have lots of other human rights abuses to put up with to boot.

However, the 'white' elite ESL teachers can get paid 2 million won a month and live in a larger box with bad wiring, heavy metals present in the paint no doubt , and that best of all prestige of being 'from an ADVANCED NATION '................whooooooo, everyone your friend there .....you da man ..............nothing better than the lemming who cant see the words written right on his forehead.

bah humbug.

[Circus Monkey]

Come on, nasty dog, you can at least name one thing? Even I managed to do it.

Kumbaya...

CM

[gajackson1]

Narsty -

Ok, did you read the title of this post??? Did you read the other replies in the thread??? We ALL have bad things/experiences; the OP wanted us to try to balance it out; hence the call for the good things.

When I first read your posts, I thought: hey, this cat tells it straight up, good & bad - keepin it on the r.

Now (maybe it is just my bad luck???) every post I see of yours is a slam about Korea.

WTF?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This list is way too short:

*paid for apt, virtually no bills
*cool gadgetry, dead cheap
*ditto for the internet/comps
*gym membership includes big sauna
*great public transpo
*lots of outdoor activities
*no curfews/drinking cut-offs
*cheap clothes - store or tailored
*really quiet Sundays
*Buddha's b-day celebrations
*2 NYEve celebrations
*4 full seasons
*cheap snowboarding
*'ser-bi-suh' everywhere
*great yog-wans for the cost of a Motel 6
*a lot of the food
*ANDA!!!
*the Hottie/Flirtiness Factor (knee-high boots, long hair, small, bare midriffs, miniskirts)
*random acts of senseless gardening
*free/cheap 2nd-hand stuff
*'classes' of less than 6 students
*cheap drinking
*good nightlife options
*Engrish
*hoola (love that game)
*korean hamsters (cuter than USA counterparts - snack-sized, too!)

Regards,

G.

[Butterfly]

[denz]

1. the metro
2. knee high black leather boots
3. long black hair
4. the potential for a midrif baring summer
5. jeon jihyeon and hyori pushing the bared midriff taboo
6. delimanjoo (word up bex)
7. importing good coffee
8. having a girlfriend who is better at gaming than me
9. spring ;)
10. mul nengmyon

my only real gripe is with the korean version of room temperature, but that's why god invented windows...

denz

[Newbie]

OK, here are the good things:
1. pay
2. food
3. soju
4. gorgeous women
5. hmmmmm

Now for the bad:

1. racism beyond belief
2. yes the women are beautiful, but it's like banging your head against the wall trying to talk to them. Plus, still haven't found any that put out a significant amount.
3. just can't compare to Canada. Hey, in Toronto I can find places where no body speaks a word of English and don't like you for being white. I even think the Buddhist temples around Toronto are comparable to the ones here.
4. dirty looks
5. little Korean men who act tough until you stand up and they realize your about a foot taller.
6. a few too many soldiers. American teachers are generally ok, but wow, those soldiers
7. spoiled little brats (that should be number 1)

But hopefully things will pick up

[jaderedux]

Narsty sweetie, cupcake...

I don't live in a large box I live in a 2 bedroom apt with killer internet access and God speaks to me personally in Korean from my ceiling.... (those of you in apt. complexes know exactly what I am talking about)

I hate a zillion things about this country and love just as many. Some days are Shangri-la others ..well...lets just say it is a good thing they didn't let me bring my guns...(yup...gun toting "murikan")

[desultude]

What a fresh thread!

Okay:

KIMCHI- which I have doubled my consumption of now that I know that it prevents SARS!

MY LITTLE ROOM- I almost died late at night after 24 hours of travel when I saw the little box I was to live in for a year. Now I love it. It is always clean (can't go to another room to avoid the mess and clutter, and it takes 2 minutes to clean.) It cost me the price of four Starbucks lattes to heat (in a cold month.) Everything works so well- advanced tech lights, heated floor, great sliding doors in layers to let in light, obscure for privacy, let in fresh air, etc. I have even grown fond of taking a shower standing next to the toilet, and then hosing down the whole bathroom afterwards.

KOREAN YOUNG PEOPLE- They all adore each other, have huge respect and affection for their teachers, and are so cute you want to hug them all. They charm the hell out of me. Almost literally- I feel like I become a nicer and sweeter person being around them. My American hard heart needed a bit of softening.

THE CHORUS LINE AT HOME PLUS- when they open and at various other times the chicas in go-go boots and leg warmers stop and do some coordinated (well, almost) dancing at the ends of the aisles. And at opening time all of the employees who line up and bow and wish me good morning. Cheeez...............

And I agree with all of the things others have listed. I don't get why some people hate it here so much. It isn't perfect, and I could come up with a rant list, but it would probably pale next to my U.S. rant list. I am committed to appreciating it here, and have lots of reasons for appreciation.

[indiercj]

Got hungry? i love that i can just pick up the phone and have all the yumies delivered home. You can have it on your table nearly every korean dishes you like. The latest one i had was a 'GamJaTang' for 4 people which was carried in a large icebox with all the side dishes in it and a big pot filled with all the right ingredients. Just heat the pot and you can enjoy the authentic taste at home.
When you work late try some of the 'yashik' at home or at the office. they deliver untill 5 in the morning! Crazy.
You can even get delivery of chinese food outside. I live close to one of those river side park in seoul. When being there i saw a lot of people eat JJaJanmyun outside in group. Maybe we should have a picnic on a sunny saturday afternoon and have some pork in sour sauce with soju? Sounds good doesn't it?

[PootyTang]

Try finding a decent plate of JA-JAng MYONG, or Bi Bim Nameyoung in Phoenix, bah!!!

[rapier]

exactly right indiercj, those delivery guys kill themselves any time day or night to deliver your pizza.
Another korean invention I quite admire: their housemoving machines. Want to move to a new appartment? On the 20th floor! no problem, they just airlift all your furniture out the window with those huge crane- like trucks. Certainly saves four people carrying the cupboard down all those flights of stairs...

[narsty dog]

Wow, someone living in a 2 bedroom apartment with broadband internet access ??? Wake me up from my life in Albania ..NOW!!!!!!!!!!!
I didnt think that kind of thing was possible.


No korea's great - it s a shining example of racial and social harmony i agree. in fact now that there are so many iraqis killed, orphaned or maimed by little Bush and rumsfeld, lets see the protesting Korean youth ( they are so idealistic, and naive i agree ) start a movement to adopt those orphaned and give them a chance.

When I see this type of action - i ll join your backslapping club.


BTW , if any of you 'teachers' out there are interested in real education and critical thinking rather than playing hangman, why dont you produce some lesson plans on 3D workers in Korea ? Have you seen how they live ????????????

OR issues of adoption, racism and equlaity for women ??? yeah , suppose you ll just stick to your "I love Korean foood " line .
better not rock the boat with the ajjossis. They dont do 'criticism'.

[narsty dog]

gajackson



i did read the title . sorry if i ve fallen from guru status with u.....but the reason i m posting the kind of stuff i do , is simply that as panthermodern has pointed out , it really seems that eslcafe forums have become a backslapping club, 'how my life in the republic of korea i so wonderful' by people who know each other rather than a ( slightly ) diverse forum.

what irks me is how most of the ESL teacher gang, seem to believe that their experience is the only 'foreign' experience in korea. It s not - and they are just a perfect example of the anglo- american world view that speaking English and getting rich go together, without QUESTIONING IT.
Why are some people paid 2 million won in Korea with their 1/ 2 (wow) bedroom apartment , and others ( other asians ) live in phone booths - not paid a fair wage for a 40/50 hour working week ?? I ll tell you - because the 'teachers' who are not in fact 'teachers' but mostly graduates in any discipline carry cultural capital ( they have that scarce commodity - English ) . However, in England , people who teach French, or English live averagely , and those who work full time jobs get paid the 'minumum' they are due. Not a lot , but a least much fairer than the peanuts 3D workers in korea get. korea is no longer pakistan - as they keep telling us they are the 'hub' of Asia . So when will the public and political will change to make it a first class country in terms of basic human rights ????

Korea is a wealthy country - they are also a samll country , dominated by others . Why are they so insular and racist ? When I see people there really taking an interest in other 'people' like the afghans or iraqis , and organising concerts and charity events like LIVe AiD , rather than angry over NATIONALISM , I ll change my tune .

[narsty dog]

i c some posters like to mention 'their girlfriend' in posts so often - usually the ones who are leching in general . ...such a pleasant thought.

'Gaming ' , whats that ??? is it a kind a sport for the hard of thinking ????

seems to be.