Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tfunk]

Warning: the following is a drunken rant that I may regret in the morning.

1. It is a country that doesn't turn around to smile and face the tourist.

2. It has a charm that is not writtable or expressable except through experiencing it.

3. It gets under my skin and irratates me and I feel like I have to conquer it some way but...

Now let me explain what I just wrote. I think I can establish a suitable context by saying I am drunk at the moment. Nonetheless, I am pretty confident that my philosophy is valuable to humanity.

Now I will explain. Actually, I won't explain, I'd like to start a thread about what I dislike about foreigners in Korea. Let's call this the b.itching forum.

1. Spitting is not a major cultural crime on the relative historical scale of things.

2. Foreigners act like spoilt princesses.

3. Most Koreans are actually cool people if you'd just take the time to learn the language and speak with them.

4. Most foreigners generalise. Yes, I have proof.

5. Korean food is nice. And foreigners that come to Korea moaning about how it doesn't have a selection of food miss the whole point about a country having its own culture.

I can't remember. Now, before you all go across and psychoanalyis me, let me say that I think you all have the wrong end of the stick. You see, by writing about things on davescafe you feel a sence of camaderie with people and you feel like your feelings are validated by having people justifiy or take the time to argue with you. That's all well and good. I think that negative emotions are far more...shiet, can't think of the word, what i'm saying is that negative emotions are easier to express in words but positive emotions don't seem appropriate to write about in forums.

In other words if you are in Korea, then it is you that made Korea and it is you that you will find in korea and the korean forums are full of sarcastic/negative whingers.

I'm not sorry i made spelling mistakes, in fact i wish i made more...

Korea is cool! Long live the Happy Foreigners!

[Canucksaram]

There isn't a single reason in the world that the Korea of circa 2000 A.D. could be considered "noble."

Not a one.

[tfunk]

I agree! My new point is that the adjective 'korean' is applied to everything a foreigner experiences over here. So, a person spits on the path and then it's 'Koreans spit'. A person pushes in a queue on the subway and then it's 'Koreans push and are rude'.

Some are noble, maybe, but I cannot prove it.

They are all different!

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Hollywoodaction]

Well, there are some pretty nice places in Kangwon and some nice islands to visit along the southshore.

[teachingld2004]

When I saw the post that said "Koreans are noble", I was just stunned. tfunk, I agree with everything you said. Yes, we are here and we tend to say "Koreans are....." This is because we live here.

Korea has wonderfull food. O.K. some it I can live with out,but then again, some food in my own country I can live without.

Most Koreans are nice; we have to get to know them.

Koreans do not speak English well. Yep, that is true for some, but some of them speak wonderfuly. I do not speak Korean, and I have been here for 5 years. No excuse really. I have said "I can't", and I have said "I tried". But have I really tried? I think so, but perhaps not really.

Koreans spit on the street. That is quite rude. But then again, there are worse things.

I can not stand the pushing. Even when there is no one around, people push.

I agree that we are here in another culture and we have to respect their culture.

On average, I think Koreans are fantastic. They have made me feel at home here. They have made me feel welcome. They have given jobs to people who at home never could work. Yep there are crappy jobs here. But some people are crappy teachers.

My mother used to always say that people should respect other peoples cultures. She always used to get angry when we would put people in catagories. (well, she used to get angry at many things, but that is another topic...)

We see the negative too quickly. We need to see the positive side.

I have so much trouble with kids names. But the names of the students who behave badly stick in my mind.

Noble??? that was a laugh.

tfunk,m I am SO not putting your post down, I liked what you said. You are right about foreigners (in general)

We are here, so we say "Koreans are....Koreans do.....Koreans say"....
tfunk you have a great attitude. But "noble"? I am still laughing.

[tfunk]

Good for laughing!

I used the word 'noble' because it seems so absurd. Sometimes I have to laugh at things I've thought, the way I've labelled people etc. If I was a time traveller the first thing I'd do would be go back and slap myself around.

Did you know Koreans cry when they spill ice-cream...I saw one of the little ones do it just the other day.

I think it has something to do with their mothership, but I'm still working on a theory.

[Qinella]

That post was well-written for drunken fingers. Better grammar and spelling than some posters here when they are sober!

I can't agree with everything you said, but let me point out that it's just as lame to generalize about "foreigners" in Korea as it is to generalize about Koreans. You do not have any proof that most foreigners complain here, or even most westerners (remember that English-speakers aren't the only aliens here).

[SirFink]

[ChopChaeJoe]

[jajdude]

The OP sounds a bit like my father did when I was a youngster and he came home loaded.

I believe foreigners everywhere in the world criticize locals and the host country in general. Just think about, say, Koreans in Canada, complaining how obnoxious these white people are, how they feel mistreated, or whatever. Some of it is just homesickness, loneliness, and trying to live in a foreign land.

[Gamecock]

[tfunk]

You're absolutely right Gamecock, you don't understand the meaning. Thanks for the interesting interpretation though!

[Hollywoodaction]

I'm with teachingld2004 for the food. I may be biased because I'm a man, but where else around the world can you have at least a dozen barbecue restaurants within walking distance no matter where you are?

[Fresh Prince]

I agree with taking the time to speak the langauge...

Whenever I see a Korean I say to them in Korean, "hello," (anyoenghaseyo), then,
"where are you from." I usually follow that up with, "where are you going?" or, "do you like Korea?" It's a great cultural exchange where I get to practice my Korean and the unwilling Korean participant gets to experience what it is like to be a foriegner who is walking to the store on a Saturday.