Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chi-chi]

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[Pets wonderland]

Yeah, I do agree with some of your points there, narsty...

I'm ethnically Korean, and I've enjoyed my life here so far, but I must admit that when it comes to treating other asian labourers with respect, Korea has absolutely no morals. There was a Tv show on the other day where a worker from Bangladesh was talking about his life in Korea. On the first day, he was beaten up by his boss and was treated like shit for 3 months before getting booted out with no pay. He seemed very well educated, by the way, probably better educated than some Esl teachers here. He lived in one of thoe 'dogboxes' with 2 other fellow workers and their treat for the day was not getting drunk or having an extravagant meal, but a simple bowl of strawberries. What really saddened me was that because of his sick mother and poor family, he was willing to put up with any crap, just to earn money. It was also sad that he was used as an entertainment on Korean Tv, because under the name of 'goodwill' they were preparing a surprise plane ticket for him to see his family, but it somehow didn't feel right. Shouldn't they make sure of other things first, such as poper healthcare, better living environment, showing some dignity and respect for what he's trying to do?

Compare this to the average white esl teacher who has everything on a plate for them, no wonder they love Korea. They are treated better than any other workers in Korea, and probably has the least amount of stress. I find living in Korea a bit of struggle because I happen to teach English and I'm not white, and my mistakes are not as easily forgiven as a white teacher. However, the good things outweigh the bad things, so I guess that's why I'm staying-

I like my students and the little quirky things they do; my relatives are the most affectionate and warmest people I've met and I'm really glad I've had a chance to get to kow them; and the rest has already been mentioned such as cheap clothing, good food, etc...

I guess if you want to live in a country where everyone is treated according to their merit as a person, Korea isn't the right country. Often it's about appearances and connections and money, and this can disappoint a lot of poeple. I find it really strange that Korean churches seem to be loaded with money but they don't seem to help the poor that much. Back in Australia, every church I knew of always participated in some kind of big campaign to help the needy instead of collecting moneyto build a bigger church. This also disappoints me-

Anyway, I've sidetracked a bit but what I'm trying to say is that the good people I've met in Korea still makes my stay worthwhile. I wish I could do something to change their insular views and opinions, but I don't know where to start...

[TheUrbanMyth]

[narsty dog]

things i love about korea :


The way that foreign students and korean interact in the Universities- that kind of " you're one of us " kind of attitude , the way that the locals go out their way with people they think they can't gain anything from but they'll do anything to help them fit in.

The way people on the subway are so smiling and helpful to foreigners, I cant think of any city thats better.

The kind of non- materialist attitude of everyone , almost like the punk era in the UK . hatred of showy labels,
women who go out looking great even though they ve no makeup or flashy clothes
the friendly old people, the way they look so happy all the time
the constant affection you see between married couples - never fails to amaze me
the laid back attitude of korean males - the james bonds of asia - they seem so gentle and kind to women ....aww sweet.

the lovely apartments - spacious , quiet, so many gardens, variety of architecture , Seoul beats London/ Tokyo/ Amsterdam/ Buenos Aires/ Prague/ Rome anyday
in fact for a capital it s truly amazing .....so cosmopolitan and erudite. i d even go as far to suggest it the 'hub' of south west east asia. Everything revolves around it - Seoul is a world leader in so many respects - give credit where credit is due.

the driving

the relaxing bus journeys

the relaxing markets

the relaxing department stores

the relaxing places to walk where there is no people, noise , or staring

the diversity of fashion

the diversity of food

the fact that some many people speak English , thats great - AND they re the friendly ones too - amazing

the social development there- the constant campaigning by pressure groups for women , foreign workers, rights for childern and adoption laws.
So politically aware , fantastic. so many protests about THINGS THAT MATTER. great - other countries could learn so much.

TV- almost rivals the BBC in terms of quality drama and comedy . So many political programmes, informative documentaries about world issues, boy, those channels are so responsible for informing the public about current affairs, it s great to see.

The liberal attitudes of parents towards their childrens behaviour - so 60s and enlightened.

the desperate need to succeed at any cost - i think that shows the people up for what they are ; so much more advanced than those sh11t shovellers in nepal, burma and papaua new guinea .

Kimchi and soju - two of the worlds best inventions. So good no-one s heard of them outside of korea , which seems so strange . When will the world learn??

Korea- brimming with novelists, artists and musicians of international repute.

Go for it 'foreigners" !!!!!!!!

[indiercj]

Hmm... narsty, you are really putting yourself out to make everyone who appreciate little things in life guilty. Why don't you start your own thread?

[narsty dog]

i agree. actually i think this board should be renamed the korean magic trick board. just like dominant discourse in Korea - "korea is great ".

Dont worry , I ll stop posting so as not to spoil your illusions.

back to your PC bang - and ignore anyone who doesnt share your ideas on life like playing video games and eating spicy food. sorry , didnt realise that was what life was about. why did you mention guilt ??/ not something i noticed much in the korean psyche. I thought 'blame' was the big thing in the taehanmingook view of history. Not 'my' idea - just my perception after listening to koreans talk about their lives for years and years.

Am i mistaken ?? Re-read your thread accusing 'foreigners' of liking being around korean women/ students ?? if that wasnt judgmental and racist , then what is???

[eamo]

Narsty dog.

You're flogging a dead horse. Everybody knows your love/hate thing with Korea. Hold the front page!!! Guess what?? we all feel the same.

Sometimes we gripe about this country. Sometimes we praise Korea. We know the pluses and the minuses. You're pointing out the obivous.

Like you I'm from the UK. I could point out a hundred things wrong with UK. I don't feel the need. We know what you're talking about!!! Why badger on about it?

[narsty dog]

Thanks Alan. I ll go back to Radio Norwich. If people know what I m saying then why do they say the opposite ? Sorry I didnt realise the board was a kind of support group for those on a Korean high. Anyway, nice try to get me to shut up . Well, like those foreigners in korea say , if you dont lie what i say / "just leave". Or dont read it.

[narsty dog]

BTW , Alan preferred your character on TV - he was funny, but.....can i just ask you, how long have you been in Korea ? Where do you see yourself in 5 years ?? What s wrong with the UK exactly ??

personal attack deleted - Lemon, 9:22am

[Homer]

N-dog,

Eamo made an excellent point there.
I am from canada. My home country is, like Korea, far from perfect. I love living in Korea. I don't love everything about Korea. See the difference Dog?
Its pretty simple really, anywhere you live there will be good and bad. These are accentuated when you live n a culture thats so different from yours, like in Korea for example...

[Canuck]

I love living in Korea too. Not everything here is perfect, but I like most of it. Narsty, go to Rome if you love it so much. I have no respect for people who choose to remain in a situation they hate and continue bitching about it. Thats what Narsty is doing, and its really pathetic.

[chi-chi]

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[narsty dog]

I have worked in 3 other countries as well as Korea - all different culturally . I found the other countries to have their problems , but if you actually read my posts , I am not just 'whinging' ...." oohhhh i dont like kimchi, oohhh it s so hard to live in another culture, oooh i cant get big towels here, ooohhh wheres the good cheese," I usually point out things that are a rsponse to other posters 'claims' .

if you check you ll see i dont start threads often( maybe 3 in x years ) . My comments are responses to others comments . EG 'X ' says , Oh 'this is the case/ my experience ', and my post says 'my opinion' .
If you really want a board where no one disagrees with you - then why dont you move to China ; thats a place where freedom of speech is limited .
and BTW , I dont live in Korea all the time . I m not there now - so what.

but if you re going to keep crying about it - why dont you disgaree with my POINTS with COUNTER ARGUMENTS. It s boring to read ...' Oh narsty , we all agree with you to a point but DONT SAY IT .ie Eamo .....LOL
If you dont agree with me then why dont you just say so ?? But apparently i m not allowed to say anything against you/ your exprerience, but you re allowed to cross-examine me ? Interesting concept of a 'forum'. Hmmmm.

To answer your question Chi chi , I ve visited Japan and China often but not Taiwan - but I knew a lot of Taiwanese people in London. Compared to Koreans I found them a lot less nationalistic , and they also didn't need to meet in a big group and drink 12 bottles of wine or spirits to have a good time.
I found Japan developed to the hilt, pleasant on the surface , and easy to chill out in. Like London, Tokyo is worse than Seoul in the sense that it s hard to enjoy yourself without spending a lot of money - but it s real city in the sense that people leave you alone to do your own thing - unlike Seoul where everyone 'wants to be your friend ( a lie ) or gives you the 'welcome to korea' thing ( regardless of how long you ve been there ) - in a word , seoul is provincial - small town people in a big city .
China is like you imagine - huge , communist and capitalist at the same time. Most of the foreigners I met in Japan seemed relaxed and friendly - unlike the spooks you meet in Seoul, ' the I m on my asia trip , please dont talk to me ' crowd. Many of the foreigners teaching ESL in Japan seemed slighty more intelligent than korea - people with good degrees who wanted to travel - and then move on - as there s more brits i found it better too, thats biased i admit - but at least japan doesnt feel EXACTLY the 52nd state of the US , that Korea is. ( Yeah I know Roppongi is cr%%p. But it s still better than Itaewon ).
Korea s more full of drifters and half baked arts graduates who go there and get stuck. China seems to have a real ex pat community in Shanghai - rich people who wouldnt be seen dead hanging around with ESL teachers, plus assortment of german engineers, etc, hanging around the bar scene. beijing is lame - the western area is sanlitur , which is a kind of nether world imaging itslef as a kind of soho of the east - but it s more like patpong .
those are my thoughts. so what . you ve got your opinions - i ve got mine . it seems that if someone like me challenges any of 'you guys' opinions on here , you fell the need to attack me personally . But , if I do that , my post gets edited .
Interesting - or rather , predictable.

[sickboy]

Another good thing about Korea... narsty doesn't live here. Unfortunately the place has left such an indelible impression upon him that he must subject everyone to such long winded diatribes about everything he finds wrong instead of doing something productive with his time.

North Korean agent provocateur me thinks!

[narsty dog]

Yeah keep throwing out the labels, korea basher , provocateur, racist whatever , the point is i m just me , and i say what i want - if you dont like it then why dont you move to zimbabwe or china - they torture people there and kill anyone who SAYS things others dont like . If i threaten your little korean bubble with a few comments then you cant be too sure about the place yourself methinks.

you westerners are so enligthened and democratic arent you ...i think you should get your governements to attack other countries and steal their oil ( Uhhhhh...sorry, i mean teach them about 'democracy').