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smurfystew
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Seoul, ROK
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 Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:58 am Post subject: A promise to myself |
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So I have been getting burnt out recently. Broke up with a gf of over a year and have just generally been disappointed with humanity this week. I have been in Korea for about a year and a half and I want a fresh start. Here is a list of things I believe will help make my life in Korea better. Feel free to ad yours.
1. Accept the things I can't change about this country.
2. Make more friends and develop meaningful lasting relationships while I am here.
3. Consantly evaluate and re-evaluate my thinking about culture and society of this country.
4. Make the best of it. Live life to the fullest
5. Stop drinking so much.
6. Develop some sort of hobby to occupy my time.
7. Stop falling in love with the wrong girl too fast or the first girl who slobbers my knob.
8. Learn how to say no to others and not feel bad about it. Koreans are very good at occupying MY time.
9. When all else fails, laugh it off.
10. Stop browsing the internet so damn much. |
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princess
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: soul of Asia
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:12 am Post subject: |
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| Numbers 5, 6, and 7 sound VERY good. Never be desperate!!! Even if you are in your 30s and beyond! |
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Scouse Mouse
Joined: 07 Jan 2007
Location: Cloud #9
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:13 am Post subject: |
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| yeah but slobbered nobs are special in sooo many ways! |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:19 am Post subject: |
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All of those are good goals. I've been here over 3 years and sometimes I agree it's hard to accept the things you can't change (like people trying to run you over even on the sidewalks).
Number 10 is a tough one. I spend too much time on the internet and always have. If I was able to track how long I spent on the internet it would probably make me faint. I remember a long time ago I used an ISP where I could view on my account how long I was logged on the internet. Let's just say it was the equal to 5 or 6 days every month. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:20 am Post subject: Re: A promise to myself |
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| smurfystew wrote: |
| 1. Accept the things I can't change about this country. |
the serenity prayer is of great personal value overseas
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| 2. Make more friends and develop meaningful lasting relationships while I am here. |
I have made two good friends and some great though less close friendships... lifelong? I had what i thought were two of those back home, at least one of which ended up being disappointing
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| 3. Consantly evaluate and re-evaluate my thinking about culture and society of this country. |
avoid making judgements, find a way to stop needing to evaluate them and accept them for how they are... a historical perspective can make it easier, as they have been the little guy perservering culturally and socially and linguistically in the face of Mongolian, Japanese and especially Chinese efforts at assimilation and control. See them as little people trying to survive and many of their traits can seem admirable.
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| 4. Make the best of it. Live life to the fullest |
still working on that one!
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| 5. Stop drinking so much. |
so much? or do you mean so often?  alcohol and korean friendships often are interrelated, but seeking alternatives is a good idea
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| 6. Develop some sort of hobby to occupy my time. |
wanna play tennis? go camping? hiking? beach bumming? checking out historical sites? unvisited places? weekends can fill up pretty quick with things to do, especially in the summer. 
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| 7. Stop falling in love with the wrong girl too fast or the first girl who slobbers my knob. |
I got this one down to a science: I'm approaching my fifth anniversary girlfriendless... think I get a renewed virgin designation... I am picky and I've always found Korean women annoying or distant or just otherwise disconnected
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| 8. Learn how to say no to others and not feel bad about it. Koreans are very good at occupying MY time. |
Dunno what you mean. But then again, I have no problem saying "I'm busy" when I need me-time.
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| 9. When all else fails, laugh it off. |
worth having from day one here!... when i waited two hours at the airport and the recruiter hadn't shown up to drive me to where I was to go, I phoned him and he had forgotten, showed up twenty minutes later, and drove me there, everything worked out fine. was this a bad moment? not at all! i went from slightly worried to a roaring laugh  at his forgetfulness and rushed last minute moves to get things done - Korean culture! just as I had heard I'd experience.
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| 10. Stop browsing the internet so damn much. |
I'm down to an hour a day on weekdays, less on good weather or travelling weekends. I admit to having spent too much time online some winters.
Last edited by VanIslander on Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:22 am; edited 1 time in total |
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tfunk
Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:21 am Post subject: |
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| Thank you for giving peace in the region a chance (I'm assuming that's you in your avatar). |
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Sophocles
Joined: 15 Mar 2007
Location: MetroSeoul
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:30 am Post subject: |
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How about making lists of the things that make you happy in your life, the things (like hobbies and goals) that would make you work for something to better yourself and the things that you should avoid. You've started number 3 already - good start, too.
Everyone should sit back and take stock of their lives from time to time. No one is ever completely happy or fulfilled - it's always something we can work toward.
As for lasting friendships in Korea... good luck. I find the majority of the people I meet can be really flakey and, well, most of us are here on 1-year contracts. That said, I have found a few really good friends that make my time here more enjoyable and fulfilling. Will I still meet with them when I go back home? Unlikely but they sure make the present a good place to be. |
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venus
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Location: Near Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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Before you start following your list and become too crusty or life becomes too 'deliberate.' Or you start 'trying' to be happy - One is reminded of the recent episode of 'House' where the black doctor has a near death accident and to make sense of the experience, he treats each day as a 'blessing.' The thing is he is not happy, he is 'trying to be happy.' He's acting happy, but he is not being a whole person. He wont be confrontational, wont see the negatives in life... this reduces life to a bland, one dimensional experience...
Before you start trying (and hey - some of your ideas are great, such as cutting down on booze, questioning -yet not blindly changing - existing ideas etc) to live life following an arbitrary nine point plan, I'd go out this weekend and have a damn good blow out if I were you...
You know, you don't have to get slaughtered on booze, have a one night stand, buy a hooker, wake up in the gutter.... But go out, have fun, throw a little caution to the wind, dance like no-one's watching, wear ya best outfit, chat up girls you've never met even if you don't think you stand a chance, make one new friend....
That's what I think anyway....
PS - I think your avatar is the best I've ever seen. Awesome, thanks...! I'm reading a book about the Kims at the moment, so it's even funnier... I would, however, make it a bit smaller, avatars that size are mildy irritating... no offense...
Good luck anyhow... |
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stumptown
Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Location: Paju: Wife beating capital of Korea
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Hey VanIslander, what serenity prayer? The one George Costanza's dad used on Seinfeld: "SERENITY, NOW!!"? |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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| stumptown wrote: |
| Hey VanIslander, what serenity prayer? The one George Costanza's dad used on Seinfeld: "SERENITY, NOW!!"? |
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Saxiif
Joined: 15 May 2003
Location: Seongnam
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| Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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| 1. Make my avatar pic not so freaking huge that is screws with the forum formatting. |
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