Korean Job Discussion Forums

[politica]

Hey there everyone. Its looking like this Seoul job is becoming more of a possibility for me, but I'm still questioning my ability/desire to live in Korea. I have a few "issues" shall we say . . . and I was hoping someone could comment as to how I will fare . . .

For background, I've lived in India and Palestine/Israel, so I'm hoping Korea will only be a step up . . .

So basically, I'm a recovering anorexic, vegetarian/vegan lesbian.

How difficult is it to find an affordable, English-speaking therapist and nutritionist/dietician in Seoul? Is anorexia very common in Korea? Ideally I'd like to find a therapist that I could easily talk to about food issues and identity (sexuality) issues. What do you think, is this possible?

I've read a lot on here about veg restaurants, but what are grocery stores in Seoul like? Do they carry many soy products (tofu, soy cheese, etc.)?

Does anyone on here have personal experience with the Seoul lesbian scene? Would it be possible for an American to date a Korean girl, or will I likely be limited to other ESL teachers/westerners?

Thanks in advance!

[Apple Scruff]

You'll love it here! Chicks walk the streets holding hands all the time and the majority of them are about as thick as a piece of gum. You may have trouble with the vegan thing, but isn't that the point? I mean, aren't vegans just masochistic by nature anyway?

[Wangja]

OP, if you need to find a therapist, maybe Seoul ain't for you.

[RACETRAITOR]

And if you're a vegan, you're going to sit out a lot of meals while everyone enjoys some great food that you can't have.

[ella]

Your eating-out options will be Buddhist temples and restaurants, otherwise you'll be preparing your own food at home most of the time. If you go to a non-Buddhist restaurant with others, you'll have to learn to politely and very firmly refuse their repeated insistence you eat stuff you don't even consider food - they will not quite grasp this concept. Fruit in particular is pricey and finding decent protein sources will take time and effort (I'm still looking).

Western-style therapy is almost unheard of in Korea. Unless you can find a personal reference to a therapist educated and trained in the West, watching Oprah on AFN is probably about as close as you're going to come to it.

[drumpounder]

[aldershot]

hey now, racetraitor has a valid point. korean cuisine is excellent: healthy and delicious.

when you opened your first beer, did you think, "now, hey, this is something i'll drink for the rest of my life."? most likely not. korean food is in the same vein. great stuff.

as for being vegan and needing a therapist? most koreans find the answer at the bottom of a soju bottle sans veganism.

[trinity24651]

Perhaps you should put the Korean thing on hold for awhile. Get in control of your health - both physical and mental - before you make such a big decision about your life. Korea will always be there but first and foremost you have to think about you.

Good luck!

[kangnam mafioso]

korea can be a difficult place to live (even for people who are less particular about food and are heterosexual). from my experience, men seem to fit in better in korea (although i've had several female friends who adapted and even liked the place).

your experiences in india and palestine should aid you here but don't count on korea being anything like those places; i suspect, at times, korea will feel a lot more rich or poor or just plain weird or annoying than those places depending on how things go for you ....

i'm not sure how much of a problem anorexia is here ... i think that is more of a western problem.

a lot of the english newspapers have psychiatrists advertising to the foreign community -- you can look in the back of those papers and probably find someone.

there are several gay bars in seoul and so you don't have to worry about being the only lesbian in town.

[Wangja]

[mindmetoo]

[SPINOZA]