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Xarb posted:Whenever I drop by the Korea thread there seems to be a lot of bitterness. Are people really that unhappy living in Korea or is it just the trendy thing to do in this thread? I bitch about little stuff, but I'm pretty happy here.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 11:15 |
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| # ? May 20, 2013 03:50 |
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Yeah we all bitch every now and then but it's mostly just venting. I love it here but sometimes there's little things that get to you. Still haven't had my breakdown yet!
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 11:25 |
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AmbientParadox posted:What;s the best arcade in Seoul? I'll be in the neighborhood this upcoming weekend, but honestly am kind of struggling for things to do that don't involve drinking and nighttime. Depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for your Dave & Busters affair, then I really can't help you there. If you're looking for old-school style loud rear end music games fighting games whatever, your best bet might be Joyplaza 2000 (http://www.joyplaza2000.com/). Here's a naver street view of the joint, and you can get directions: Naver Street View I usually visit enter in Sincheon, mostly since it's between where I have my classes and where I go to the subway station. It has the light gun / crane / air hockey / candy games up top, and dance games / fighting games / purikura downstairs. Also, as a student, I'm loving Korea. kimcicle fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 12:03 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 11:54 |
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I don't hate Korea. I just hate myself. What's everybody doing for the super weekend, four consecutive days off which will probably be the longest period of time off I'll enjoy thanks to my bosses insistence I take my vacation in one day blocks. Also, what's the buzz with quitting and getting a new job, I guess it's a massive pain in the arse? I'm probably not going to do that but it's nice to consider the option.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 12:08 |
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BrainDance posted:Yeah we all bitch every now and then but it's mostly just venting. I love it here but sometimes there's little things that get to you. This. If I just hated living here all the time, I'd have left a long time ago.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 12:12 |
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John Sheehy posted:What's everybody doing for the super weekend, four consecutive days off which will probably be the longest period of time off I'll enjoy thanks to my bosses insistence I take my vacation in one day blocks. And this is why I don't want to work at a hagwon ever. I'm going to Gyeongju for three days, then Seoul for a week. Then deskwarming two weeks, then vacation #2. I really want to go to Tokyo for a bit of that but I suspect there's no way I can get the money together. I love that I have like five million won in bonuses in my future, but I won't get any of it until after my vacations are over so I can't go anywhere. Head start on saving for summer vacation I guess. kimcicle, I forgot I changed my schedule a bit, I'll be in Seoul all day Monday too. Either that or Tuesday is prime time for photo cruising. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 12:16 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 12:13 |
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John Sheehy posted:What's everybody doing for the super weekend, four consecutive days off which will probably be the longest period of time off I'll enjoy thanks to my bosses insistence I take my vacation in one day blocks. Seoul: Gonna go to this Joy Plaza, because I am looking for that childhood arcade experience, COEX to see the aquarium, The 7 Luck casino, drinking in Itaewon, and i don't know, maybe go see Sherlock Holmes 2.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 12:18 |
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Yeah, if there is a round two it'll be public schools. Or one of them jobs in a power station teaching. Or something. Have a friend coming down to Busan, might check out the aquarium here. If anybody is down these parts then holler. e: Does anybody have experience of tax for Irish expats? I'll be damned if I'm paying 67,000 a month for nothing. John Sheehy fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 12:38 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 12:25 |
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Grand Fromage posted:Yeah, working for Koreans is a whole different thing than visiting or even living here. That's the thing that sours people on Korea in the vast majority of situations. Example, my friend at our place got blindside fired today. He doesn't even know why or how long he has left. It's really bizarre, out of character for the directors as well.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 12:32 |
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Toussaint Louverture posted:Example, my friend at our place got blindside fired today. He doesn't even know why or how long he has left. It's really bizarre, out of character for the directors as well. When was his contract up?
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 12:41 |
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Is it easy to get money from American bank cards in Korea? I use Wells Fargo and Bank of America. I also imagine I could use my Hong Kong HSBC pretty easy, but in this case it'd be more convenient to take the money from America.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 13:03 |
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John Sheehy posted:
I'm drinking soju with friends and probably making an rear end out of myself. After SEMF I can't really afford to party until next month  but next month I'm going back to Seoul. Because gently caress... partying in Seoul was something else.After the plane ticket there, dinner, tickets (thanks for hooking us up aeglus) breakfast/dinner/whatever you call a meal at 5am, hotel, more soju, breakfast and plane ticket back I'm at about 200,000 won... Edit: bloodnose it's pretty easy. There arent too many international ATMs where I'm at but if your debit card works as a credit card it will work anywhere, The only problem would be street vendors. BrainDance fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 13:07 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 13:05 |
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Bloodnose posted:Is it easy to get money from American bank cards in Korea? I use Wells Fargo and Bank of America. Citibank ATMs always worked fine with my Wells Fargo card
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 13:07 |
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You flew to Seoul...? Where do you live?
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 13:11 |
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Today was my first day of vacation for the next 2 weeks. (Public School) I'm going to the Philippines for 9 days starting Thursday and I will enjoy every second of it. (my second time there) The people that say they love it here are either new, no choice for anywhere else or they don't actually work here. I'm honestly confused at the white people that have been here for awhile (a lot of my friends are lifers) and enjoy this place. You have to have "serious" reasons for staying here longer than your 1 given year. e; I've been here 17 of 24 months. I am going crazy now... GZA Genius fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 13:18 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 13:16 |
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Bloodnose posted:Is it easy to get money from American bank cards in Korea? I use Wells Fargo and Bank of America. Yeah, anywhere marked "Global ATM" will let you withdraw from wherever and international debit cards work fine at stores. The global ATMs aren't common but they're not too hard to find. There's a bank called KEB, they will always have them. Other banks may, NH seems to have them semi-frequently. Seoul probably has a higher percentage than average. I've seen the occasional HSBC and Standard Chartered. Citibank too. Edit: Don't forget the koreaboos who unreservedly love and defend anything about Korea no matter what, GZA. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 13:51 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 13:43 |
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I like my job and my life here and have been here for longer than most, so who knows. Maybe I'm the weirdo.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 13:58 |
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Momonari kun posted:I like my job and my life here and have been here for longer than most, so who knows. Maybe I'm the weirdo. Hell no. I like it here a lot. Great friends, great job...and this is in the boonies.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 14:07 |
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cryptoclastic posted:You flew to Seoul...? Where do you live? Pohang. We could have taken a bus but Pohang has an airport that almost exclusively goes to gimpo. Taking a bus would have just been a pain in the rear end you know? 30 minutes versus 5 hours. And it's only 80,000 won. And a plane is a lot more tempting at 8am when you work in a few hours and are really hung over.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 14:21 |
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John Sheehy posted:Also, what's the buzz with quitting and getting a new job, I guess it's a massive pain in the arse? I'm probably not going to do that but it's nice to consider the option. I did it about a month and a half ago. It was actually relatively painless. I simply took the required documents from my new employer and my release letter from my old employer (very important) and paid 30,000 won for a new sticker in my passport. The immigration office in Mok-dong is really streamlined. I was done and legal in about 30 minutes.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 14:32 |
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I'm glad we have a KTX station, the train is so much nicer than an airplane.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 14:39 |
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GZA Genius posted:I'm honestly confused at the white people that have been here for awhile (a lot of my friends are lifers) and enjoy this place. You have to have "serious" reasons for staying here longer than your 1 given year. No, maybe you would, but I just happen to like it here. Overall, I've had a very positive experience, have great coworkers who treat me well, and great friends who couldn't give less of a gently caress where I was born. My job is enjoyable and pays well, and I love my wife's family to death, as they do me. Just because you hate it doesn't mean we all have to. VVV That's fine, Korea certainly doesn't suit everyone. Just don't go making blanket statements that because you aren't happy here, no one else can be either. VVV The Bible fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 15:39 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 15:20 |
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I'm sorry if it always seems like my posts are big downers (this is my only outlet to complain since I wont see any of you in real life), but I couldn't imagine spending more than 2 years here. I lived in Sweden for 1 year and I would rather take 4-5 months of darkness there than the best weather here.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 15:26 |
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I realized years ago that I'm not a happy person. Therefore any situation that I don't react negatively to is a good thing, and I like good things. Korea is a good thing.John Sheehy posted:When was his contract up? Yeah more info on this. It could be very similar to my situation last month, where the school told me they didn't want to rehire me, but instead told me I was being let go. There could be some miscommunication going on, if it's something completely out of the blue and uncharacteristic for how the owner runs the business.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 15:39 |
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Just the bus from Pohang to SinGyeongju KTX station, then go to Seoul that way. Way easier than taking a flight from Pohang to Gimpo.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 16:21 |
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His contract isn't up for about four more months. From what I understand, his being let go was phrased as the new hire being "his next teacher". I wonder if it maybe isn't miscommunication now, but it seems extremely unlikely, and they've told him some stuff about "parents complaining" so,
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 16:28 |
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I'm pretty happy here. It's not exactly my dream life but in the real world you have to be grateful for whatever happiness and opportunities you get. In that regard I have a lot to be grateful for.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 16:29 |
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What it comes down to is the director who matters doesn't like him. Apparently they made the decision in December but "didn't have time" to tell him until today. Basically I went from feeling pretty happy about my job to wanting this place blacklisted in about 20 minutes.
Toussaint Louverture fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 17:12 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 16:44 |
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GZA Genius posted:I lived in Sweden for 1 year and I would rather take 4-5 months of darkness there than the best weather here. *unlurk* Were in Sweden were you, GZA? Uppsala? Because even though the darkness is getting me down, my worst days in Stockholm are about as good as my ok days in Korea. I still occasionally have nightmares about that job. And if you want to really vent, I've got PMs. Incidentally, I'm always up for shipping small things I can get in euroland to you guys who miss them in exchange for skinfood products (the number 1 thing I miss from Korea besides Lotteria's shrimp burger which is loving awesome you haters  ).
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 17:36 |
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I really want to try the squidburger.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 18:01 |
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Grand Fromage posted:I don't think there's anybody in the thread right now who's unhappy here. There's annoying bullshit anywhere you live, but for some reason if you're living in another country it's THIS COUNTRY SUCKS gently caress (LOCAL ETHNICITY HERE) instead of the general bitching about life that we all do. While us hagwon folk are lusting after your vacation time. It is killing me seeing all these posts from month long vacations in SE Asia. Most of my bitterness is either generic hagwon crap or my unhappiness with an inability to do things all by myself here. My friends keep on asking when I am coming back, I say I will when I can have any certainty of not being a paycheck away from being out on the street. Almost glad that I didn't gather the money to get here until now. I have much lower expectations for things and am happy with a roof and food. Though I suppose I am more bitter in general than I was. Also, we had a lesson going to Mars. My students could care less about space exploration. What is wrong with them? I am almost fanatical. DontAskKant fucked around with this message at Jan 16, 2012 around 19:37 |
| # ? Jan 16, 2012 19:24 |
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To everyone working in hagwons with crappy vacation situations - Is there no option to find someone to cover for you for x days? My roommate a couple years back always went on weeklong vacations by just finding bored housewives or korean language students to cover for him. He paid them out of pocket and the hagwon didn't mind as long as the classes were taught. I imagine this varies from hagwon to hagwon, but it's certainly worth looking into.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 19:36 |
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Depends very highly on the hagwon. If it is just about getting the classes taught, you may want to explore those possibilities. Really, vacation is a huge hassle for others, especially at small schools, so if you put in the effort to get things completely squared away, places can be accommodating. At a small school with only three teachers, one native teacher, if that person is sick or going on vacation, that often means mandatory overtime, combining/canceling classes, which make parents upset, which make them take their kids out of that hagwon etc, so I can perfectly understand why owners don't like to be generous about it. Whether running a business on a shoestring like that is a good idea is a completely different matter, but you did your research and signed away, so...
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 20:20 |
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My old school wouldn't let me get subs, which was annoying. And I couldn't bluff to quit because I pulled that card when I went down from working 6 days to 5 days (why the hell did I ever think I could work Saturdays?!)
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 20:38 |
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Toussaint Louverture posted:I really want to try the squidburger. Squidburger is only OK, the spicy sauce is pretty overpowering. Shrimpburger is glorious. Bad days at school were followed by this slice of heaven with the surprisingly acceptable cheese sticks. Their fries and chicken burger still suck, though. That reminds me how much I actually miss the little chain coffee shops. Tours Le Jours had my favorite sandwich -- some sort of amazing crab salad and my favorite hangover cure, the green tea smoothie. I miss getting breakfast at Paris Baguette everyday on the way to school, cream cheese walnut pastries made me hate my mornings so much less. And they learned not to put syrup in my americano. I could go for a green tea latte/smoothie right now. Do they make powders for that I could buy somewhere?
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 23:04 |
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They do actually, although I'm not sure how good it tastes.
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| # ? Jan 16, 2012 23:23 |
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Do soju hangovers get any easier with frequent drinking?
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| # ? Jan 17, 2012 00:07 |
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Xarb posted:Do soju hangovers get any easier with frequent drinking? Yes, they do.
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| # ? Jan 17, 2012 00:13 |
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Not I'm my experience. Drinking more Soju just means you clear more bottles the night before. Still going to feel like death the next morning.
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| # ? Jan 17, 2012 00:15 |
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| # ? May 20, 2013 03:50 |
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It depends on the rapidity of the soju consumption. If you drink it at a regular, mixed drink pace, you'll only have a minor headache. However if you decide that you need to go from 0-drunk in 3 minutes and pound a bottle or two outside a GS25, you're going to feel it the next morning.
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| # ? Jan 17, 2012 01:10 |
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