Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thorin]

I love it when they say hi and "translate" their bow into a wave. I don't have the heart to tell them westerners don't wave every time they greet each other.

[casey's moon]

Wait a minute -- we don't?

I'm actually not joking. I don't really remember what westerners do anymore.

[thorin]

I'm pretty sure I used to say "hey" "hi" "what's up?" and "good morning" without waving. Now I bow when I greet foreigners.

[casey's moon]

[Swiss James]

I like it when they go "Teacher, time!" instead of "wait"- and when you meet a group of people and each one of them says "Hi, long time no see!"- I guess it's an easy phrase to remember

[Merlyn]

It was the funniest thing today. This was my freshmen class that has really put no effort at all into the first semester up to our mid-term tests. My other class averages were 92%, 86%, 85% and this one was at 75% with a 70% needed for a passing grade. Obviously, a number of students were in the fail area and one student who absolutely bombed the oral test, who was unable to do or say anything, approached my desk at the end of class after having received his grade and he stood there as I talked to another student. As I was finishing talking to the other student, he just said "Me fail.....me fail..... I thought it was kind of cute. Then he just walked a way as I said, "Just the mid-term"..

[mercury]

I like it when the girls bite their tongue after a 'th' sound, and just hold it.

[kermo]

A young girl at the Baskin Robbins gave me some thousand-won bills as changed, and paused to select the least crumpled among the notes in her till. Cute!

[Swiss James]

that really is cute and the kind of things that make you realise that you get treated special over here (excuse the poor drunk english)

[eamo]

[Derrek]

My girls often wave with two hands instead of one. It's sort of cute.

[pollyplummer]

OH MY GOSH, I wave back every time. Am I a sillerton or what? They're too irresistably cute when they do it. EVEROYONE wants to say hi. There are over 700 students at my school and they all say hi when I see them. Yesterday I got a reprimand from one of my Korean co-workers, "Some of the students are afraid of you, because you don't always say hello back to them." I told her that I try, but when walking through the halls to the lunchroom, there are literally hundreds of students in the hallway saying hi. What the heck am I supposed to do? So I say hello to the ones who meet my gaze. She says, "But they really want your attention, so you should try to say hi."

[kermo]

Yesterday I was strolling around Everland, making good use of the annual pass purchased by my beloved school, and I was greeted by a crowd of children from Busan.

Many of the kids wanted to chat, and quiz me, so I obliged, using as much Korean as I could. They fed me candies, and mobbed me with questions.

A few boys struggled to remember their last English lesson, which was on "go straight, turn left," etc. I summoned up a song, and led them in a rousing chorus of "Which Way is York Street?" I hope they don't think all foreigners know that song.
Finally, when the teacher was directing them to the exit using Korean (of course) one of the kids insisted that he use English instead, since after all, they had the vocabulary.

One little girl asked me if I had a "dongsaeng" and if I would be her "oni." Awww.

[agraham]

I love it when little kids call out "I love you!" I suppose that's a commonly taught expression. Sometimes going past an elementary school you'll get a whole chorus of I love yous.

[Swiss James]