Wednesday, June 30, 2004
"I Hate Korea Days" ... culture shock
I think that people that haven't felt culture shock underestimate the effect that it has on your brain. Imagine getting dumped ... on your birthday ... which is also your anniversary ... on a cruise ... for someone else ... who works on the boat ... and you thought everything was going better than ever ... and everyone on the boat knows.
And they're out of beer.
I seriously check the prices of tickets everyday to New York ... Chicago ... fucking Singapore ... anywhere but here.
The Koreans that I know are both the best and the worst thing for me here. First of all, they're the only people that don't laugh at me and say "oh you speak Korean! Say something in Korean" when I speak Korean. I am going to ask SeokHyee how to say "if you say that again, I am seriously going to stab you with my fist." Also, they're the only ones that I can talk to. If I talk to the other foreign teacher, I can't tell him exactly what I'm thinking because he might tell the director of the school. I just want to get through this myself. I don't want help.
Also, they help me connect to Korea. I am learning bits and pieces of the culture from them. Actually, they are just reinforcing things that I already knew lots of times. They are also helping me with the language a lot, too. It's good, because those are both things that I need to understand ... both for me and for Yun Jung.
They're the worst thing, too. They remind me that Korea is a horribly repressed society in a twisted way. Getting so drunk that you puke at the bar and then your friends drag you out of the place into a taxi .... okay. Kissing your girlfriend on the cheek in public ... bad. Drinking outside of a convience store every night until everyone falls out of their chair ... not a social problem. Living with someone that's not your family and not your spouse ... first of the four horsemen from Revelations wins the Kentucky Derby.
I'm not saying that I have a problem with the drinking. Not at all. No one drinks and drives, it's part of the culture, and it's easy to get hangover medicine. I have a problem with all the things that Koreans have a problem with.
It's not like in the US, where some things are illegal that really shouldn't be illegal. Like weed. What's wrong with smoking with your friends, going home, and watching cartoons while eating some twinkies? Nothing. Seventy percent of the country doesn't really care, and those that do are too busy burning books to do anything about it. I was sad when the Dell dude got busted on the Lower East Side. That was just a shame.
But I digress. It bothers me that KOREANS have a problem with so many things ... yet ripping people off (there are no copyright laws here), blatant racism, and cronyism are rewarded. There are lots of things that are illegal, which is fine ... but they and may more things are LOOKED DOWN UPON by Koreans. It's a culture of abject conformity.
And I'm nothing if not a nonconformist.
Korea is possibly the worst place on Earth for me to be, and every Korean I talk to reinforces that.
And they're out of beer.
I seriously check the prices of tickets everyday to New York ... Chicago ... fucking Singapore ... anywhere but here.
The Koreans that I know are both the best and the worst thing for me here. First of all, they're the only people that don't laugh at me and say "oh you speak Korean! Say something in Korean" when I speak Korean. I am going to ask SeokHyee how to say "if you say that again, I am seriously going to stab you with my fist." Also, they're the only ones that I can talk to. If I talk to the other foreign teacher, I can't tell him exactly what I'm thinking because he might tell the director of the school. I just want to get through this myself. I don't want help.
Also, they help me connect to Korea. I am learning bits and pieces of the culture from them. Actually, they are just reinforcing things that I already knew lots of times. They are also helping me with the language a lot, too. It's good, because those are both things that I need to understand ... both for me and for Yun Jung.
They're the worst thing, too. They remind me that Korea is a horribly repressed society in a twisted way. Getting so drunk that you puke at the bar and then your friends drag you out of the place into a taxi .... okay. Kissing your girlfriend on the cheek in public ... bad. Drinking outside of a convience store every night until everyone falls out of their chair ... not a social problem. Living with someone that's not your family and not your spouse ... first of the four horsemen from Revelations wins the Kentucky Derby.
I'm not saying that I have a problem with the drinking. Not at all. No one drinks and drives, it's part of the culture, and it's easy to get hangover medicine. I have a problem with all the things that Koreans have a problem with.
It's not like in the US, where some things are illegal that really shouldn't be illegal. Like weed. What's wrong with smoking with your friends, going home, and watching cartoons while eating some twinkies? Nothing. Seventy percent of the country doesn't really care, and those that do are too busy burning books to do anything about it. I was sad when the Dell dude got busted on the Lower East Side. That was just a shame.
But I digress. It bothers me that KOREANS have a problem with so many things ... yet ripping people off (there are no copyright laws here), blatant racism, and cronyism are rewarded. There are lots of things that are illegal, which is fine ... but they and may more things are LOOKED DOWN UPON by Koreans. It's a culture of abject conformity.
And I'm nothing if not a nonconformist.
Korea is possibly the worst place on Earth for me to be, and every Korean I talk to reinforces that.
Comments:
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I think the Koreans are still battling for an Identity. They have been free longer than the fall of the Berlin Wall.
I think one of the main issues in this identity search is their position in the world. The Japanese for eons have looked down on Koreans as something below a totally human being. Not unlike how blacks in the US were looked upon by the whites at the end of the civil war. "Okay your free now but nothing has changed in my view of you".
That wuuld be a difficult part of an identity to overcome.
The drinking seems to go along with repressive and or poor societies. If religion is not than booze becomes the "Opiate of the Masses". Whatever it takes to take a repressed/distressed mind and give it the temporary hospitality of relaxation and no fear.
It must suck to be a non conformist in the midst of totally rigid conformity.
I think one of the main issues in this identity search is their position in the world. The Japanese for eons have looked down on Koreans as something below a totally human being. Not unlike how blacks in the US were looked upon by the whites at the end of the civil war. "Okay your free now but nothing has changed in my view of you".
That wuuld be a difficult part of an identity to overcome.
The drinking seems to go along with repressive and or poor societies. If religion is not than booze becomes the "Opiate of the Masses". Whatever it takes to take a repressed/distressed mind and give it the temporary hospitality of relaxation and no fear.
It must suck to be a non conformist in the midst of totally rigid conformity.
Nothing like a good beer and a visit to a local karaoke hostess bar (room salon) to soothe your soul.
# posted by 
: 4:34 PM
: 4:34 PM
Diddo the cold drink and a rub down sounds bout right now!
Korea and Japan have always seemingly had a fued w/ea. other for sometimes trivial reasons.
Now w/the advent of email and faxing, connections abroad and to others even in countries that never had a good relationship, now can.
regards
no faxing guy
take care
Korea and Japan have always seemingly had a fued w/ea. other for sometimes trivial reasons.
Now w/the advent of email and faxing, connections abroad and to others even in countries that never had a good relationship, now can.
regards
no faxing guy
take care
Not that the koreans are actually "rude", but I think it's more of a cultural thing. The koreans fought eachother rather than fighting other countries, how stupid. But mostly, they were "brutalized" when the japanese were colonizing over them. And many things were stolen because they wanted their own culture to be worth something. x_X" Yeah, the japanese already popped out to the world with the korean things before the koreans even showed it off itself, so.. yeah. But Japan is still great, in my opinion, instead of being really ancient and traditional, I think their culture is more "cute". ^_^
We feel pity for them...
Please look at the following site and laugh...
http://www.geocities.jp/bxninjin2004/restroom/01/KoreanSolving.html
Please look at the following site and laugh...
http://www.geocities.jp/bxninjin2004/restroom/01/KoreanSolving.html
After a shitty at work, wanting to get the hell out of this country and move somewhere where people are happy, polite, smile at you, where pedestrians have the right of way.. etc etc.. your blog made me feel much better.. but if we dislike things here why do we stay? ... are we addicted to critizicing others' culture and feeling miserable?
Korea still battling for an identity? They already have a strong one but they have a weak brand.
Japanophile - rememeber 1592.
Why can't we leave this country? Do you have privates? Are you poorer than you should be, waster?
Drinking - yes, an opiate.... like TV, movies and other things we all claim to espouse...
Japanophile - rememeber 1592.
Why can't we leave this country? Do you have privates? Are you poorer than you should be, waster?
Drinking - yes, an opiate.... like TV, movies and other things we all claim to espouse...
I totally agree with you. I'm not Korean nor American, yet I've experienced many bad things from Koreans. I'm the kind of person who doesn't generalize people as as a group when one of them does something really bad. And I tried my best to really understand them. Yet, I see all these Koreans who come to my country to study English (coz it's cheaper than Western countries) yet they disrespect the people here. What's worse is that most Koreans who open their tiny (most-f-the-time unregistered) businesses here, never follow labor laws. I've even had a Korean boyfriend whom I thought was for real coz we dated for 5 years. And it ended up me being used only for "English" and his "Education" What an asshole! I still didn't want to generalize them as really ignorant and deceptive people, but as years passed by, and after hearing similar stories from people here, I think I've come to realize that they really do have a cultural problem. They're the most racist people I've ever met. Sad to say, I even liked most of my Korean friends. However, they really seem to have a problem understanding foreign cultures and can't adapt well. I think Japan is far better than them in terms of being more open-minded.
Dont listen to the Japs posting earlier.
Japan has historically been the reject of Asia, being on an Island and consisting of mostly Chinese and Korean migrants.
Historically its been China(or more specifically whoever conquered China), Korea and then Japan.
But for the most part Japan is not involved in any Asian history.
Japan has historically been the reject of Asia, being on an Island and consisting of mostly Chinese and Korean migrants.
Historically its been China(or more specifically whoever conquered China), Korea and then Japan.
But for the most part Japan is not involved in any Asian history.
an FYI, the real Japanese are Jomon and Ainu type natives, similar to Native Americans. The Japanese we see aren't really the original inhabitants of Japan.
Whats more is Japan prior to the modern age only fought one war, the imjin war. It consisted of 3 failed invasions for a decade or so by the Japs. It also resulted in thousands of Japanese soldiers being stranded by their king and ending up as slaves for the Koreans.
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Whats more is Japan prior to the modern age only fought one war, the imjin war. It consisted of 3 failed invasions for a decade or so by the Japs. It also resulted in thousands of Japanese soldiers being stranded by their king and ending up as slaves for the Koreans.
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