Cultural difference at it's most surreal.

ArmorPierce · Post by **ArmorPierce** » 2003-02-20 10:48pm

I skimmed through it but from what I hear, I might pay more attention next time I'm there.

Sokar · Post by **Sokar** » 2003-02-20 11:24pm

This isnt funny, is damn sad......
This dude was an idiot in my book and deserves every second of his misery over there. Drop everything and go teach English to Korean kids, what a bunch of BS......

shawner88 · Post by **shawner88** » 2003-02-20 11:42pm

Once again, sigh....I ended up loving it there when I found the right job. I'm just writing from the beginning, retrospectively. Stay tuned.

Endless girls, partying, free rent, decent money, meeting people from all over the world...hmm, not so idiotic. It sure beat the mundane life of chasing intangible dreams after college in the states...not to mention being I was in the hub of Asia. I was able to travel to China, Japan, and Thailand, as well...

Thanks for the glim comment anyway.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2003-02-21 12:20am

gargamel wrote:
Slartibartfast wrote:Honestly this guy shouldn't have ever left her mother's house

Doesn't he have any kind of smarts at all? I mean the doctor had to explain to him that what he called Jock Itch, is normally called a "rash", go figure.

Anyway it's funny. Very naive person tho

EDIT: I do think it's funny and hard the way his employers don't make any real attempts to communicate with him, that should be really frustrating, but stuff like the Trash Mystery or the Vegetable Man doesn't seem very bizarre to me.

Is it me, or does Smartfartblaster have hilarious grammar. I think he's missing the point, tho...this guy is just trying illuminate cultural shock through a comical narrative...I know I would have lost interest fast if wasn't written in such a way. Anyway, what do I know, I'm new around here anyway.

You need to shut up, newbie.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2003-02-21 12:26am

shawner88 wrote:Once again, sigh....I ended up loving it there when I found the right job. I'm just writing from the beginning, retrospectively. Stay tuned.

Endless girls, partying, free rent, decent money, meeting people from all over the world...hmm, not so idiotic. It sure beat the mundane life of chasing intangible dreams after college in the states...not to mention being I was in the hub of Asia. I was able to travel to China, Japan, and Thailand, as well...

Thanks for the glim comment anyway.

Hey dude, really your retrospective was very funny, and I actually admire your ability to joke about yourself as much or more than the culture you are actually visiting. I mean at least it's not cultural bashing, what I meant was that a few of those things aren't unheard of where I live (a guy selling fruit in a cart with a voicebox thingie or hanging the trash at the door), I suppose from an amerikan's perspective it was very different.

I understand the parts where you bash the idiots that received you or the recruiter, but I agree that you kinda had it coming

When I read between lines, it looks pretty obvious that you actually liked it out there.

Sidious · Post by **Sidious** » 2003-02-21 12:27am

Well I dont think it was stupid. Brave? Sure. A little naive to think everything would go smooth considering the setup? Yup. But it obviously turned out ok, and he has a great story to tell and look back on.

Like I said, great read.

Sidious · Post by **Sidious** » 2003-02-21 12:34am

Startibartfast wrote:I mean at least it's not cultural bashing, what I meant was that a few of those things aren't unheard of where I live (a guy selling fruit in a cart with a voicebox thingie or hanging the trash at the door)

As an American thats never been outside the US (not even to Canda or Mexico) I can say that reading about the tomatoe truck and the trash thing I would have had the same reaction.

What I dont get is why Mr. Kim's wife expected you to know what to tell the children at lunch and other things like that. Or how they could expect you to start working the moment you stepped off the plane. I know there is a strong work ethic in Asia but cmon.

Rathark · Post by **Rathark** » 2003-02-21 11:32am

shawner88 wrote:Once again, sigh....I ended up loving it there when I found the right job. I'm just writing from the beginning, retrospectively. Stay tuned.

Endless girls, partying, free rent, decent money, meeting people from all over the world...hmm, not so idiotic. It sure beat the mundane life of chasing intangible dreams after college in the states...not to mention being I was in the hub of Asia. I was able to travel to China, Japan, and Thailand, as well...

Thanks for the glim comment anyway.

Welcome to SDnet, Shawn!

*POKE*

Rathark · Post by **Rathark** » 2003-02-21 12:07pm

Here are a few points I'd like to clear up about South Korea:

1: City-dwelling Koreans are far more worldly and sophisticated than the islanders who employed Shawn. However, very non-Western customs still persist - the habit of keeping toilet paper outside of the toilets (don't ask, I'm still scratching my head), the habit of leaving everything until the last minute (more of that later), and the traffic ... my God, the traffic ...

2: The vegetable man at 7am was more bloody irritating than bizzarre (especially to an Australian). I swear I'll never criticize the West for being over-commercialized again. I often eat fast food just to ensure that my money goes to capitalists with a clue.

3: If you're caucasian, you will be stared at (occassionally in the city, frequently in smaller communities). Korean co-workers will tell you up-front that some people find foreigners very strange. Westerners, of course, are exposed to racial difference all the time in their own countires. In Korea, however, some people (mostly children, some adults) would stare at you as if you are a talking velociraptor.

4: Even other Asians get culture shock in South Korea. This really depends where you work and who you work for. It seems that, in most cases, the businesses that succeed in Korea are the ones that swallow their pride and do things the modern way. One huge exception would be the restaurants, where tradition remains a good thing. (I'm ignoring the ones that serve Fricasied Fido or Wriggling Octopus, or the street stalls where gutted fish lie on upside-down bowls on the rain-soaked bitumen).

Just don't expect "a familiarity with Asian culture" to fully prepare you. It's a bit like saying that a familiarity with Turkey would prepare you for Portugal.

5: Don't expect Korea to be like Japan. The Japanese plan things months in advance. Some Korean businesses, on the other hand, tell you what you are supposed to be doing five minutes after you are supposed to be doing it, and that's only after the timetable has already been changed six or seven times.

While many Koreans still leave the most important work and details until the last minute, this does not seem to resemble the "slacker" procrastination of the West. This is something far less comprehensible. The national last-minute-rush seems to be a discipline in itself. Apparently planning too far in advance closes off other options, causing businessmen to refuse (or alter) subsequent arrangements and thus "lose face".

This experience has truly broadened my mind. Never in my life have I so achingly appreciated the well-planned, even-principled, rationally-structured, creative, individualist, elagitarian culture ... of the West.

shawner88 · Post by **shawner88** » 2003-02-21 02:12pm

Hi! Thanks again. I am glad people have even read anything at all and have taken the time to comment here. I really appreciate it!

This has been my first real attempt at writing anything of length, and for any of you who have tried to write yourself, you know how hard that it is...what to include, what not, what to focus on, form, mainting a theme/ style of writing, etc...

I have to admit I was actually less naive than it appears, but it really is easy to convince yourself / hear what you want to hear about something you become excited about, which is something I tried to set forth in the prelude. Also, the prospect and reality of free airfare and apartment/ decent salary (even more so for non-American teachers who get a much better exchange rate) is pretty enticing even if you know what you're getting into.

I think if you look at any comical piece of writing or film (fiction or non fiction), you'll find characters that are much more naive than than most people are/were/could be in reality. That's what makes people laugh at movies like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, About Schmidt and the like...the characters, even when supposed to be based on real people, are usually caricaturized versions, lacking the true depth any real person possesses.

Anyway, I'm almost finished with part 3 and have already written part 4 in its entirety which takes me on my first trip around the island. Keep reading if you can! P.S. the do in Geoje-do means island.

Shawn Matthews

j1j2j3 · Post by **j1j2j3** » 2003-02-21 02:41pm

I for one, am enjoying your story immensly. Even though I am a Korean living in Seoul, I can see that people are indeed caricaturized versions.

Keep up the good work!

gargamel · Post by **gargamel** » 2003-02-22 01:18am

i agree...i signed for the update subscription...cool

shawner88 · Post by **shawner88** » 2003-02-27 12:03pm

Anyone still reading????? heheheh

Rathark · Post by **Rathark** » 2003-02-28 11:28am

shawner88 wrote:Anyone still reading????? heheheh

Yep. You're spot-on about the busdrivers. The island sounds like a much better place to visit than to live.

shawner88 · Post by **shawner88** » 2003-03-01 12:42am

It'd be a great place to live if you're not working.....or have a decent job/girlfriend

Sure as hell beat Ulsan

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-03-01 01:48am

It's kind of interesting you brought up My Big Fat Greek Wedding... having a Greek girlfriend (more or less) I'll say that a lot of that movie was accurate, even if it exaggerated certain parts.

I hate to say it, but many people have no clue what culture shock is until it's hit them in the face.