Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rapier]

This great unbreakable courage is exemplified in many ways, for example:

1)Contracts: a teaching contract is rigged entirely in the owners favor, to ensure everything goes his way. All foreseeable adversities and potential obstacles are annihilated. There must be no risk undertaken in any way!
2) This philosophy carries over into such a thing as dating: the girl must ensure absolute security by outnumbering her suitor, bringing her friends. he sweats it out keeping everyone entertained, while she is too afraid to take the risk of getting to know a guy alone.
3)Backpackers: Korean parents send their 22yr old on a trip to a foreign country, (how adventurous!)- but they send him cash constantly to ensure he doesn't have to do something as dangerous as having to work at a dirty job to pay his own way. When abroad, he mingles with other koreans- why risk being caught out unable to speak perfect english while surrounded by a diversity of other nationalities?
4)Korean lives with oma and opa until they get married- up to the age of 32 or so- entirely supported and dominated by o-mah. Being out later than 10 o'clock sounds exciting, but a bit too adventurous and risky for most.
5) Time feels right? But no, you cannot kiss in the street or in fact anywhere where there are other people hard to find such a place in overcrowded Korea). Anyhow..romance must be planned logically, and run smoothly along predictable and safe steps. risks would be scary.
6)Korea sets new land speed record! First to sail the pacific on a raft! A korean paraglides from the summit of everest ummm...no, too risky.
7) korean finds (ahem, buys) a wife: going through the emotional risks and rigours of sating would be too risky and possibly painful. No: just ensure success by paying an agency to buy a wife for you from an impoverished 3rd world country, like say Vietnam. or, if you want a Korean, get your parents to hurry up and arrange it with some other parents! Presto! everything can be bought after all, which is why its better to work for samsung.
8)Talking to strangers? far too risky and adventurous. One must be formally introduced by a mutual friend.
9) Holidays!: To avoid meeting any uncomfortable meetings with foreign people, simply travel aeverywhere in a large group! Safety in numbers, and no risky deviations from the well- trod path.

[mithridates]

Check this out:





A 19-year old Korean guy kept on saying that he wanted to take a trip across Europe on his bicycle and his family didn't like the idea. Eventually his dad sent him a letter saying that the idea of a trip was an okay one but that it'll never happen and that he should grow up and think about reality. So what does he do? He does the trip anyway, publishes a book and makes sure to put his dad's letter right at the front.
���� ���� = bad trip.

[IlIlNine]

Good for him. It's not all lost here. Things are changing, albeit slowly.

However, to call this guy who took the trip 'normal' would be a gross exaggeration. Sure, there are some freaks here and there that defy their parents - but they are the minority.

We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. Your culture will adapted to service our own. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own.

(and hey... that's not derrogatory! The (mythical) Borg were (mythically) wildly successful. Just... not so much fun to hang around.

[captain kirk]

I know what you mean but you gotta agree Koreans are a pretty rugged lot. Guys get their taekwondo belt young, then they go into the army for three years. Lots of Koreans go hiking. Koreans tend to be wiry, lean and strong that way, and they have endurance, especially in the heat which just kills me.

There's a parasailing club just out of town. I've seen quite a lot of clubs in Korea, people drifting through the sky, while motorbiking around. Korea has so many mountains to parasail off of. I read the accident rate/statistics on this sport and it's about equal with motorcycling. I motorcycle, but parasailing looks more high risk probably because I've never done it; it just looks insanely dangerous.

The sail inflates into a wing shape which creates lift. Little holes at the leading edge so as the wing moves forward air goes in, keeping it inflated and generating lift. But there can be a partial collapse. This happens anyway tipping a bit of the wing in order to turn. Less lift on one side and the wing turns, taking you with it. But sometimes, if you weren't watching/guessing what's ahead in the windcurrents (invisible) there can be a serious collapse. Then a spin with loss of lift and down you go spinning so much you pass out from g forces. And break legs, fracture ribs, whatever. Could be fifty meters up, whatever. I read about this from a California doctor who also summarises accident reports in the sport. To keep it safe, better warned than sorry, to be more aware in the air.

Maybe alot of the Korean guys who were in the army develop a taste for adventure there and go to parasailing. There's also lots of diving in Korea.

But I know what you mean, it sometimes seems like no-one has adventures. Like you look at Uni students all dressed up on a drama date promenading around and it looks dead boring. It could be people are caught up in obligations. Like the Korean teachers at work. Helping with so and so's wedding. Or helping their father/mother. Or staying home and studying. Stuff like that. But off at the edges there are people having adventures.

Reminds me of this hilarious student. She's in middle school and acts like a guy, sort of. Austin Powers black plastic frame glasses. Stocky. Husky voice. Always joking around and often breaking bones and spraining wrist, ankle from skateboarding, rollerblading, that kind of thing. Always horsing around, and in class, always joking around to push out of the box and get somewhere bright.

[noelinkorea]

You might also want to add the compulsory shower before sex, and the immediate use of tissues during and after sex - more planned than a Korean housing development project...ugh...

[cubanlord]

[Reflections]

Rapier, you made an important omission:

10) A passion for spending up to 15-20 hours caught in traffic jams on the highways in the frantic attempt to get back to the hometown for Chuseok and Lunar. The majority of the holiday is spent sweating it out in Hyundais and eating in roadside restaurants.

Hey oppa, look how many cars are on the road, if they are doing it then it must be fun. Katche, upshida>

[Hollywoodaction]

Rapier, when I first came in Korea, couples couldn't even hold hands.

[buddy bradley]

[rapier]