Korean Job Discussion Forums

[drumpounder]

I just finished my first 1 year contract in Korea. Good and bad but glad I did it. Now I'm in Canada for a couple of weeks till I head over to Laos.

Question: Does anyone else feel like a wanderer? A gypsy? A hobo?

I do. And no disrespect to the aforementioned travellers. I'm still kinda lookin'.

I was born in Montreal in 1960. Lived in Europe till 13, then Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, Toronto, Halifax, Calgary. In the interim I spent a handful of years gigging as a drummer on the road, delivered yachts to the caribbean for a few, flight attendant for 10 years...

Where am I from?

I don't know. Honestly, I feel no particular pull from any country.

I am glad to have a Canadian Passport however.

How about you?

[Okibum]

Haha, I totally understand. I am a military brat so I have lived in Spain, Panama, Italy, Japan, the US, and now teaching in Korea. I have never lived any place for more than 4 years. When people ask me where I am from I usually just pick a place so I don't have to explain my nomadic life.

[mmstyle]

I'm not as well traveled as you are, but I know how you feel. I've lived in many different states, lived in a few countries and visited many more, and when people ask me where I am from, I just say all over. I get funny looks and have to explain. They end up asking me where I am from most recently but that is certainly not home. I don't know where home is yet. I hope to find it some day.

I'm guessing there are a lot of people on this board that feel like you do, Drumpounder.

[jlb]

In some ways it's easy for me to answer because I have lived most of my life in Canada. But even then, I grew up in Edmonton, lived in Calgary for 5 years and Vancouver for the past 2. Edmonton is not really my home but neither are Calgary or Vancouver. Interspersed has been a year in Korea and 6 months wandering the USA.

[chest rockwell]

"Jun guk eso wes soy yo" That normally gets an amusing reaction

[heydelores]

I just answer "Chicago." I only lived there for three months, but just about everyone knows where it is. It's a lot easier than explaining that Korea is my 20th country and that I've lived in 12 different cities within the US.

[Sina qua non]

I try to avoid being pigeon-holed by nationality by the people over here (as in all people from Choongchun Province are yokels, all people who aren't from Korea can't eat spicy food, etc.). So in those situations where I've just met the person, like a store clerk, or something, when they ask me where I'm from, I just tell them Bucheon.

The more aggressive ones tell me, "No, I mean...," but pretty often, they just stop any try to mentally compute my answer, and it's funny to watch them look confused and decide to not persue the subject further.

[Woland]

[captain kirk]

I now see, from the other end, what that look on their face meant. A tired look, like 'gawd, that question again'.

From back in Canada when I'd ask someone with dark skin (from India, Zambia, wherever) 'Where are you from?'.

[Lizara]

It's fine when Koreans ask me, because "I'm from Canada" is usually a perfectly acceptable answer. When I'm talking to foreigners and they want details, it gets a bit sketchier... my so-called permanent address is the very rural area where my parents live, where I haven't really lived for years, never intend to live again, and hated for the whole time I did live there. so it always turns into this big story... I'm from Nova Scotia, I was born near Toronto, my parents live near Lunenburg, but I've spent most of the past few years in Halifax. Sometimes I just say I'm from Halifax for the sake of simplicity, even though it's not strictly accurate.

[pidgin]

Where are you from?



Earth, and you?

[RACETRAITOR]

I can't stand it when people ask me where I'm from. Not that I'm ashamed at all, just it's an annoying question. Koreans want to know so they can judge me and foreigners want to know so they can figure out if they have common ground or if I'm going to be a problem.

You learn a lot about being Canadian if you tell other Canadians you're American, and I bet it works in reverse too.

[drumpounder]

[drumpounder]

Sorry about the huge font. Don't know what happened...at my soon to be ex-wife's house. Used to be my house too.

[djsmnc]