Korean Job Discussion Forums

[enochyoo]

Just wondering If there are others like me on this forum who are living in Korea right now.

[princey]

i personally feel like im not fluent in korean my vocabulary sucks

[Xaiko]

me

[enochyoo]

I'm thinking of teaching there next year, how did you guys make friends when you first arrived? Where are you guys from?

Is your social crowd other gypos, foreigners, or koreans?

[xingyiman]

[nosmallplans]

Maybe it's just me but I'm like oil and water with other gyopos - I like having my circle of foreigners who count on me to know everything about Korean and I can't imagine having to split such attention with another individual.

Also, my Korean is terrible - till I drink, then I find myself in the unenjoyable position of official "help-me-get-that-Korean-girl-to-sleep-with-me-translator."

[t1m1ty]

I can read, write, and understand. I can't speak any Korean though. I have a large vocabulary and grew up hearing the language, but I think I'm too shy or just not confident enough to actually speak it. Every store I go to, I speak English. I get the weirdest looks sometimes hahaha

[Underwaterbob]

I had this gyopo friend who had some great stories about how they made him join the army when he emigrated to Korea after living in Texas his whole life and not speaking a word of the language. I guess he bunged up often enough that they classified him as mentally challenged and booted him.

[Yaya]

I didn't speak much Korean when I first came years ago. I did learn and it made my life better here, not to mention my job prospects. I'd say most gyopos don't stay that long, though, especially the ones from the U.S.

I know people who've been in Korea for eons and STILL cannot (or more likely will not) learn Korean. It's kind of like a gyopo griping about Koreans in the U.S. not learning English yet the gyopo does the same when it comes to Korean.

[exit86]

Just out of curiousity, how is it that most of the above posters
of Korean ethnicity didn't pick up sufficient communicative skills in your
parents' primary language? Was Korean spoken at home and the dominant language outside this setting? Did your parents try to educate you in their ethnic language?
(I ask because I have been teaching my daughter English in the home
while we all speak Korean outside of the home here in Korea. My situation is probably the exact opposite of that of your parents with you all in your respective
countries. My linguistics books all agree upon this approach which my wife and I have employed; but it seems some posters here have experienced differing results.)

Thanks!

[cdninkorea]

I've known a number of gyopos who've not been able to speak Korean. Unlike non-gyopos, they often complain about people thinking they're stupid for not speaking Korean... when I speak it, albeit mangled and butchered, I get no reaction or praise.

[enochyoo]

[jvalmer]

I have a friend who said he didn't know a word of english until he started school. Once school started, his Korean went downhill. The older you get, the less and less time you spend at home. And by the time you get to high school and university you spend maybe a few weekends in the whole year at home speaking to Korean speakers.

Also another factor is where they grew up and the generation gap. The ones who grew up before the 90's had it really tough if they even dared speaking a non-english language in the schoolyard. I've known some guys, in their 40's who said their parents were so worried about their safety that they avoided eating Korean food at home so they would assimilate faster. Also, what happens to guys and girls is different too. Guys generally get physically attacked, while girls get verbally attacked.

[jyoo24]

I'm in the same boat as t1m1ty.

[jvalmer]