Korean Job Discussion Forums

[taobenli]

So, I live with a Korean family. I am now in my room working on a paper, and the kids (twin 10-year olds) and one of their friends are playing in the common room. Whenever the kids are home I automatically put in earplugs. They have absolutely no concept of inside voices, and their ordinary volume is yelling. It doesn't matter if I tell them to be quiet, it's like they have no volume control. At first I thought it was disrespect for me, the foreigner, but they don't listen to their parents either. (And their parents' ordinary voices are also, well, loud).

I know all kids are loud, but I have never experienced anything so loud as Korean children. They are good kids but watching their behavior helps me understand why most Koreans don't bat an eye at vegetable trucks or construction, and seem to be able to fall asleep anywhere anytime.

This thread has no point, just an observation. Perhaps they should change from "Dynamic Korea" or "Korea Sparkling" to "Loud Korea" or "Korea Deafening"- would that go over well?

[laogaiguk]

That's how they like it apparently. I don't, but it's their country. Though I do think that kids can be quite loud anywhere (you are living with them now, so that probably makes it seem they are louder than what you are used to, though that's just a thought). Are you in a homestay?

[taobenli]

Yeah, a 3-month homestay. The family is great. This isn't a Korea-bash, just an observation. I grew up in a rural area, and then moved to Seattle (not the loudest of cities), and I also think my family was quieter than most. So that explains my aversion to noise sometimes.

I also think the intonation of Korean (especially from kids) gets to me after a few hours of hearing it. (And I know that English intonation sounds just as grating to speakers of other languages). But, in complete seriousness, one of my professors (a linguistics PhD), a Korean, wrote a conference paper called "Is Korean whiny?" I believe her basic answer was "yes."

[laogaiguk]

[bosintang]

Koreans are loud. There's no doubt about that. I posted a rant about telephones and handphones ringing off the hook at full volume yesterday. Sitting in my house with my window open, I can completely hear my neighbours talking on their telephone, they don't even try to hush down so others can't hear them. Everywhere I go, restaurants, people's houses, schools, department stores, there are tv's blaring and unnecessary forms of noise like talking escalators. Even parks at night are noisy, and when there's no noise, it's added like bloody speakers blaring music!

The cultural relativist in me says that it's their country, they don't mind the noise, so so be it. The other part of me says that this just can't be mentally healthy....

[normalcyispasse]

[the eye]

You know, building construction here plays a large role in how sounds are perceived, also.
I studied architecture in one of my undergrads.
Rooms are small, and living space is all on one floor.
Concrete is an amplifier and reflector of sound. It isn't that thick either, which increases the problem.
So is metal.

Those are the basic lego bits here.
These buildings need some wood, and insulation.

[Qinella]

[RACETRAITOR]

Korea or not, I would not want to live in those conditions.

An ex-boss of mine tried to change the terms on a new teacher coming to work for him, and decided she would live with him and teach his two sons and one very young, very obnoxious daughter 24 hours a day. It was at that point that I started threatening him.

[nick_shawyer]

Its not just young children who are noisy. I am staying with my girlfriends family at the moment until i find a job and her older sister has no qualms about talking or watching tv loudly until 3am. her mum gets up early to make brekfast for her father so that can leave me with very little sleep.

I find it strange how the koreans treat the daughters like children until they are married off, but i guess that explains why they act like children alot of the time

[taobenli]

It's not that bad. I am not here on a teaching contract, I'm just studying Korean for 3 months this summer. I wouldn't do this for a year, no way!

Since my main goal this time in Korea is to learn Korean, the situation is really ideal for me. I stayed in a goshiwon last time I was in Korea and while it wasn't terrible, I found it a bit overpriced and isolating. Since I have to speak Korean every day (and the mother is a housewife and so hangs around alot and is chatty) my Korean is improving a lot.

I just use earplugs often! I think every foreigner in Korea needs them.(Heck, probably many Koreans who are light sleepers use them too). Aside from the noise, the invasion of privacy is not bad- they do tend to barge into my room without waiting for me to answer their knock (as I was warned they would do) but I DO have the option of locking the door. And once the kids are asleep (10:00-10:30 each night) things quiet down substantially!

[Mix1]

yeah, my neighbors let their kids wail on and scream like theres no tomorrow. Spare the rod and spoil the child is my new mantra...and I don't even have kids.
I agree lack of wall insulation is also a problem for the noise...
I also agree Korean language sounds totally whiny... the guys below me (in their mid-20's) sound like spoiled 6 year olds bitching and moaning half the time. I don't mind when a cute chick does it though... double standard...yes.

[Ekuboko]

[Harpeau]

With a lot of noise in Korean people's daily life, I'm wondering if many are hard of hearing. It never fails to amaze me how loud people have their cell phones. They're just blaring. Not to mention, people yelling in normal conversation. I try to ask them to turn it down a couple notches. It's insane, really.

[PeteJB]

Well, it maybe whiney, but at least it doesn't sound like alley cats fighting (Vietnamese comes to mind..)