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I definitely did not like how I was treated in South Korea compared to Japan.
Both are xenophobic countries, but at least in Japan, I did not have people screaming at and calling me a honyol (derogatory word for someone who is mixed race) and I did not like to witness how they treat people who are darker.
The only reason why I went through it was because it is cheaper than Japan at the moment. And now that the yen is weaker, I will go to Japan again!
I can't agree more.
This is completely a foreign opinion from a Taiwanese.I would never want to live in Korea because like OP said and from what I've heard the pressure of living over there seems unbearable,but the patriotism of Korean people is just unbelievable.Koreans turned their country from ashes into a fully developed Asian country,into a country that stands firmly on their own between three major forces.Korea has been so prosperous that even the financial crisis that cracked down almost every country in East Asia didn't defeat it.Even if they reunite with North Korea,I believe Korea will recover from the throe asap.
I kinda feel like Asian societies are all generally more collectivist than the Westerners,while Korea is the most obvious among all of us.It definitely has cons and pros.
Stress levels are generally higher in many asian countries(i.e. competitions, collectivist societies, etc.), and this isn't unique only to Korea.
Another fun fact: Seoul is the only capital in the planet without a Chinatown.
Shows how strong their anti-Chinese views are.
Chinese can be loud and whatnot, but rarely out of spite. Koreans on the other hand.......
That's bloody bullcrap! I am ethnically 100% Korean and I really enjoy learning Mandarin as a "semi"-4th language!(ditched a year of Spanish I learned in US high school) It's the Korean gov't to blame for this, not the general Korean public!
There's a Chinatown in Incheon, just like how the international airport is located there instead of the capital.
Last edited by OZpharmer; 05-05-2014 at 10:39 PM..
My rant was about the society / people, not necessarily the livability of the country. Korea is actually very livable. Great transportation system, lots of disposable income, not expensive, good food, delivery service for everything, etc.
I am in the USA right now. Going back in June or July.
How would you compare the vanity and materialism, and rudeness of South Korea, to what you would find at your average flagship State University? Did you go to school in the states? Did you go to a large university? You will see plenty of rudeness, vanity, shallowness, materialism there too. You probably wont see the people who do not exhibit those, because they are hiding from the ones who do.
Heck, you can experience all that in high school here in the states. Or come to Downtown or Midtown Manhattan. Would you say what you have witnessed is any worse than what is already here in the states? If not, then South Korea is pretty normal. The negatives are no more pronounced than you will find anywhere not third world.
lol...your fish story is lol...granted i believe you have visited korea, but i don't believe you're a teacher.
this doesn't sound like a teacher to me. sensible teachers would research the country before going...you sound like a 10yr old. you obviously didn't research singapore about parties and women either.
I am not a teacher huh? Lol ask someone who has worked at Avalon (largest hagwon chain in Korea) about this.
You have levels for the speaking ability / age. Goes from HB - UN. For each level there is a speaking and writing class with the exception of H level as speaking and writing are combined into one. Each level comes with a set book to go over each day broken up into units (usually 10).
I researched Korea plenty before coming. Good pay (2.2mil won / 2,000 usd), free apartment, free round trip airfare, severance bonus, pension, good transport system so no need for a car, good food (korean BBQ), decent time off (10 days + National Holidays), etc etc.
Actually the main reason I came back to the US was to finish up a alternative certification program so I can work at International Schools in any country.
We obviously have different idea of good parties and women lmao. Just lulz at the notion of Singapore being good for that. I take it over priced nightlife and hookers are your thing?
I'll stick to Latin America and South East Asia for my partying / women.
Nightlife in the main cities (Seoul, Daegu, Busan) is decent. The problem with Korea is you have two options for clubbing.
1) Mostly Korean Techno/House Clubs
Going here is pointless if you want to meet women. Koreans here are out with their friends and are not interested in pickup and even if they were it wouldn't be with a Foreigner
2) Mostly Western Bars and Clubs (Top40, Hiphop, Rnb)
Terrible ratios (manageable as most Foreign teachers in Korea are socially inept and the Military guys have a 2am curfew)
Both 1 and 2 are on the expensive side (clubs that is)
There was a nice Latin / Salsa bar in Itaewon that had a good mix of Foreigners and Koreans but sadly that closed down.
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