Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gideon]

Been working in korea for 6 months now....

Well i've encountered a weird feeling.. one that i didnt think i would experience... anyway here i am back in Canada for my 3 week vacation. I leave this following Sunday.. and for the past week or more i've felt homesick to korea. I didn't think i would feel like i would be missing korea, but here i am feeling like i am missing something.. Perhaps its just my friends. Thou um not really sure... or perhaps i am really bored here. Things seem so slow. I can't find much to do to keep me busy. I know i am on vacation but i feel like i am missing something back home in korea.

Since i work at a university i get about 3 months vacation. Prior to comming home for 3 weeks i spent 10 days in Thailand. It was nice and i really enjoyed it. I guess comming from that place to here no comparison. Another thing i've experienced being home is that friends just dont get me anymore... can't seem to relate, and albeit most will never.

I also feel like i am not in the "loop" anymore with friends... And i feel like i've missed whats been happening since i've left. And then again, not much has changed since i've left.. notice a few new buildings, roads...ect.. but nothing to scream and holler about.

I just feel like my time has expired here. Before leaving Korea i was excited to get home. And now that um here i feel homesick.. I guess to get right down to it, um just plain bored with myself. Anyone know what that feeling of being unemployed sitting around doing nothing??.. well thats exactly how i feel.. again perhaps its just that i am not use to having so much vacation time.

Nothing to do.. to be honest i'd rather be back in korea working or in thailand getting some r&r.

I thought i'd do a year and save money, come home and pay off some bills... hahaha.. now i'd rather buy a small place in Thailand on the beach and enjoy life.. I guess the things just don't appeal to me back home..

not sure if any of you feel this way, but it be nice to here your thoughts on this topic.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think lots of us have felt the same way; I know I do.

There is no way to convey to friends and family back home what our lives are like here. It's frustrating.

I know when I am out of the country I start to miss things. I have often wondered if I am addicted to the new and different. Maybe to the adrenalin rush of stressful situations? I don't know.

But there is something about the place.

[captain kirk]

It can get kind of weird, the isolation in Korea. But only when a person has doubts about what they're doing, how they're living, and a lot of time on their hands to ruminate like that. If a person is busy, it's fine. And even then, if some kind of weird feeling comes up, a sort of 'self-doubt' but really just a kind of candy for a panic junkie mode, I just ignore it. Easy to do busy, but with three months vacation. That's not a vacation, that's a whale.
Sometimes posters who are not in Korea and who have been in Korea working appear on the board and I can't help but detect their wistfulness about wishing they were back, living the teaching life here with all its ups and downs and twists and turns.
About becoming distanced from friends and family I look at it this way, after feeling moments of being left off the boat, their boat. A person is going to, has got to, become their own person anyway, eventually. Co-dependency, enmeshment, family dramas, being with people for the sake of company/comfort/to be cool or for whatever reason isn't something that has to be permanent to be real. That may sound jaded but I prefer to look at it as a cool assessment as an alternative to getting all flushed about being 'left behind'. What bandwagon left without me? Did/do I really need to be part of it?
A poem by Canadian poet Margaret Atwood says something to the effect that by giving up the desire to be loved (and approved) one becomes free, and so loved, self-approved. This self-love is very portable, flexible, resilient and good for being 'on the go'. Sure, people are social animals, but why be at home to be hooked on a comfy feeling you think is there, and there alone?
Three months vacation! Yikes. I'd go nuts.

[lookingtoteach]

I've been back in Canada for four months now and after the initial feeling of relief that I was no longer in my hellish Korean situation, I felt and still do miss Korea and the life that I had there. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, but here the grass is burned and almost to the point on not existing. That's why I started revisiting Dave's, cause it brought me at least a little closer to Korea. I also started contacting the teachers that I left behind at my school. Maybe a bit selfish on my part, but it helps me feel better.

[shifty]

Thank you Captain Kirk for yr nicely-phrased insights.

In South Africa, hard-worked members of the clergy, after working to the bone, use their vacations to attend retreats. I don't really know, but i think these retreats are not effortless, but rather intense spiritual buildups, in the sense of a change is as good as a holiday.

In my business days, I would relish the approach of the weekend and never planned for them. With nothing particular to do, mood disturbances would often afflict, with negative consequences for those about me.

Running marathons, sex and drinking helped, with the mind redirected to these ends.

We should approach any return to our homeground, with prep and circumspect. If a permanent return, a good, satisfying job should be in the offing; vacations should be planned.

Us humans are drawn to overcoming difficulties, irrespective of present whereabouts

[davtayl]

Hello there,
I got a few things to say. I have been here for less than 2 months now. I find that I am really homesick. I have a condo and a pet dog that I really miss.
If anybody knows of any clubs to join in Daejeon that would be great.
I joined a health club and work out everyday.
I did this job like everybody else. I wanted to get some experience. I am going back to graduate school next year.
Here is another problem that I'm having.
My Hagwan is terrible. I mean the hours are not bad. But they are incredibly disorganized which is making life a living hell
I also find that other foriengers around here just like to drink. Don't get me wrong I'm not opposed to doing that. But if I wanted to sit at a bar and drink I could have done that at home.
I just need to make a circle of friends. If there's anybody that would like to meet up with me that would be great. I havn't even been out to any authentic korean restruants.
I really hope to hear from somebody,
Dave
[email protected]

[Boodleheimer]

get a boyfriend/girlfriend. mine's not from the same country that i am, but it helps.

[Feloria]

Wow-I am glad someone put up a post like this. I won't be out there until November, but I think I can relate a little bit to the person who wrote about how some of their friends and family just don't 'get it'.
Last year I volunteered with the American Red Cross to assist with Hurricane Katrina relief- I was down south for a little less than a month as part of the mental health team- very long hours, intense situations, dangerous situations at times, crazy, hardly any sleep; I saw things most could not imagine, lots of tears, reptile bites, pulled muscles etc. But none-the-less, probably the best experience of my life. When I came back, I could tell people about it, but it's like there was no way they could understand it, or maybe they didn't care. there was also the aspect of going back to work-the same old lame crap- after having come back from something that really changed me. It is such a weird feeling-not knowing where you DO belong, but knowing for sure it isn't where you are. That is probably the main reason I decided to teach in Korea. I guess I'll just have to see how it turns out.
davtayl- is where you are anywhere near Busan?

[ajgeddes]

When I go home, I do find that most people can't relate to me very well, but I don't have that problem with my family. My sister did this same thing for 8 years, and while she can't relate to Korea itself, she can for everything else. It is actually very interesting talking with her now because we are on the same level. My parents are also very used to my sister and I being away and are good at dealing with it. To be honest, I don't go home to visit my friends (most aren't even there anymore anyways), I just like to spend time with my family and I always find my stays are too short. I also look forward to coming back here as well, so I kind of have positive experiences both ways.

[crazylemongirl]

reverse culture shock.. but I think as others said you've come back a vastly different person to the one you left and you aren't sure how you fit in anymore. You may find making new friends might be part of helping you to find your new idenity at home.

[vox]

I have a twist on this theme.

I went home to Canada, I had a short job waiting for me in my hometown, then I moved to the big city (Toronto) and started my life anew. Got certified for TESL Canada, and within a couple of months, was working the language schools. I loved and hated Toronto. Mostly hated on my downtime, except when my hobbies kept me busy. Slowly but surely I learned to love Toronto for its own charms.

Then winter hit. All the schools took a hit with the strong dollar, and when spring came, the work wasn't enough to pay down a new debt. So just as I settled into Toronto, I had to rip myself from my new roots in order to save more and not go bankrupt. It broke my heart to leave again, but I'm in no rush to head back now that I'm here.

However, I'm managing to do here what took me a little while longer to to there - a big part of settling in is knowing full well what makes you feel that a place is home, and aggressively and persistently recreating the conditions for 'home' wherever you are. Good luck.

[Dev]

Spend a day in Itaewon. You probably won't want to go home for a while after that.

[Dev]

[vox]

[brento1138]

Even going back to beautiful British Columbia (Vancouver) got me bored. I was so excited to go back to Canada too, but once I was there, it was a quick "mehhh." I like it out here in Korea, really do. 25 years old and nothing really calling me back to live a boring average life!