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Moving to Seoul... any advice?

I admire your sense of adventure, Wonderboy. And if my wander through Koreatown last Saturday evening is any indication, get your eyes ready to feast on some of the most beautiful women this sorry planet has to offer.

That gets me thinking a bit....what's the name of this "good school" you'll be teaching at, if you don't mind me asking?

Life is short and the worst that could happen is you regret your decisions and die unhappy. That's not that bad!
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LOL.. what's hilarious about your post is that I not only live in Korea town but I work at Yonge and Finch (aka... Koreatown II). I've met a lot of wonderful people here (I admit, mostly attractive females) and am looking forward to seeing some of them again when I get to Seoul, and I'd be lying if that wasn't an influencing factor of choosing Seoul over some of the other destinations.

Once I have the Visa in hand I'll be more than glad to name my school, heck I'll post a link to their web site and probably a bunch of pictures once I'm there.

Japan looks like a great destination too, not so sure about the others... I really wanted to be in a true "mega-city" and Seoul fits the bill, and despite the hassle that is getting the Korean work Visa it's been easier to get into then Tokyo where being "in Tokyo" is usually a 40 minute high-speed train away.
 
theowne said:
Apparently it is. I know that some hot spring locations have "Japanese only" signs according to a friend of mine.

In the case of examples like that, I think people emphasize the wrong part - it isn't so much that whites aren't allowed, it's moreso that only Japanese are allowed. The Japanese are famously a very close-knit group of people. It's not even so much of a racial thing - East Asian countries hate each other more than anyone else hates them according to worldwide opinion polls. So while the behavior is deplorable, it isn't the same as "No blacks allowed" in the U.S. Segregation in the U.S. was founded on the belief that black people are inferior and shouldn't be allowed to mingle with the noble white population. The case of Japan is more about being distrustful and hesitant towards people outside their culture that they are unfamiliar with (foreigners). I'd say xenophobia describes it better than racism does.

That's just the impression I get. Korea appears to have some similarities and some differences with the racism issue, but with this school thing in particular, it is definitely true. There was a story on NPR interviewing two Korean mothers who were at the playground with their kids. The mother was talking about how black people were scary and she wants a white man teaching her kids, "preferably Canadian" (they hate Americans). I learn most of this through the blog of Michael Hurt, a half-Korean half-black person living in Seoul. His blog can be a bit uncomfortable to read sometimes. Anyways, enough of that. I supposed this discussion is making wonderboy416 rather uncomfortable as well! Like being invited to a party and criticizing the furniture.
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I would disagree with this. While Japanese culture is xenophobic, racism is also quite prevalent. The "No Whites Allowed" signs stem from exactly the same kind of racial and cultural superiority that existed among many whites in the US when segregation was in place.
 
Brian69 said:
Not that I can understand anything, but care to elaborate for this mush-head?
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Babysitting jobs in Korea especially suck since you're opportunities for speaking regular English outside of work are rare, other than other mush headed babysitters. Nobody travels to Korea for a vacation, and it's no wonder why.

At least in Vietnam there's a sense of culture, the language is easier to pick up for anglos, and you're treated with more respect.
 
cuzzin_elias said:
Babysitting jobs in Korea especially suck since you're opportunities for speaking regular English outside of work are rare, other than other mush headed babysitters. Nobody travels to Korea for a vacation, and it's no wonder why.

At least in Vietnam there's a sense of culture, the language is easier to pick up for anglos, and you're treated with more respect.
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So how long did you live in Korea?
 
The "Japanese only" signs in some places in Japan are certainly disturbing to see, but my rationalization was that it's the only way to keep throngs of foreign tourists from ruining some really nice/traditional hangouts steeped in ritual, like some select onsen or a couple of classic sushi joints in Tsukiji. I understood the signs to really mean "no tourists", which in racially homogenous Japan does have racist implications.

It can be seen as racist, but I certainly never felt like I was seen as inferior for being white in Japan and everyone was always very nice to me, and not just in the "oooh look at the cute retarded white boy" way.
 
Babysitting jobs in Korea especially suck since you're opportunities for speaking regular English outside of work are rare, other than other mush headed babysitters. Nobody travels to Korea for a vacation, and it's no wonder why.

At least in Vietnam there's a sense of culture, the language is easier to pick up for anglos, and you're treated with more respect.
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Hey mods.. how about a ban for such an insulting and uninformed post.

South Korea has as much interesting culture as anywhere else you can visit, the people are fantastic and Seoul is world-class in a way few cities this side of the planet could ever hope to be.

Calling those who chose to teach children over adults babysitters is also quite the insult. It is much harder to get a job teaching small children, often experience is required and they are more desirable since the work hours are more regular thus there's lots of competition. I'd also note that every single person I know who has gone to Korea and taught youngsters have ranked it as one of if not the most rewarding thing they've done in their life.

I'm sure Vietnam is a wonderful country, but so is South Korea.
I must say I truly feel sorry for you.

Anyway, I got all my papers in order today so I'm off to visit UPS on Monday or Tuesday to send them to my new employer :)
 
wonderboy416 said:
Hey mods.. how about a ban for such an insulting and uninformed post.
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If banning for uninformed posts, then you'd be top of the list...

You've never been to Korea and you're telling me how cultured it is? :confused:
South Korea has as much interesting culture as anywhere else you can visit, the people are fantastic and Seoul is world-class in a way few cities this side of the planet could ever hope to be.
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I'm sure Vietnam is a wonderful country, but so is South Korea.
I must say I truly feel sorry for you.
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Why? I'm not the one getting me panties in a twist over some faceless web jockey's opinion.

You can ignore my comments but don't tell me I'm uninformed. I've been there, you haven't so lets compare notes after you've spent a few months there.

Enjoy your babysitting gig.
 
I am very concerned about the tone of some of the comments here. A ban is not exactly warranted in this case (at least in this mod's opinion), but Cuzzin Elias is on notice. Keep it up and a ban will come your way.

Anyway, I've been in China the past two weeks. I found the Chinese to be generally friendly, though where I've been, off the regular tourist path until hitting Hong Kong, people do watch you. It's a bit off-putting and slightly intimidating at first, but then you understand that they don't see all many westerners in cities like Changchun or parts of Shenzhen or Dalian or on China Railways. You stand out like a sore thumb, though some people I met have remarked that I have a bit of a Chinese face, what ever that means.

Almost no one treats you poorly. Most are polite or neutral. Strangers will come up to you and say hello. I usually replied back in English and Mandarin (I've also been told my pronunciation is pretty good too of the little bit I know). Then they're almost shocked to hear even simple Mandarin phrases come out of a westerner's mouth. Then they smile more. I haven't been to South Korea, but I have a cousin that taught there for over two years there, and he really enjoyed it. Americans have a tougher time, but Canadians, Brits and Aussies are sought after. I would like to spend some time in both South and North Korea. I am considering it for next year.

Also, there's a general assumption if you are from the west, you speak English.
 
cuzzin_elias said:
You can ignore my comments but don't tell me I'm uninformed. I've been there, you haven't so lets compare notes after you've spent a few months there.

Enjoy your babysitting gig.
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Well, I was there for a few years and I will certainly compare notes with you if you will actually follow through with your words.

I did the hagwan (private school) stint when I first arrived. On top I taught in an elementary school, two middle schools and a university. So I'd love to confirm my suspicion that judging by your attitude a baby-sitting job is what you had because a baby-sitting job was exactly what you were qualified to do. Judging by some of your other comments I'm also guessing there might be a correlation with what you are doing now.

And you can feel free to change my words again when you quote me, as, once again, I'm not expecting much.
 
by him starting a sentance with this "acknowledgement tactic" leads me to believe he has a stiff popped collar, a razor sharpe linebeard, and an' empty wallet.
 
Visa is in hand, electronic plane tickets printed, current employer given 2 weeks notice...

I'm pretty much set to go! It's hard to describe how I feel. I'm excited yet slightly nervous. I imagine October 26th will be the longest day of my life thus far... 6:45 am flight to San Fran, so that requires showing up to Pearson at 3:45. Then after a 5 hour flight I get to sit inside the United departures section in the San Fran airport for 4 hours wondering if my bags will be transfered to the correct flight only to get to go back into the air for 13 more hours arriving in a foreign country and losing half a day in the process! woohoo...
Thank goodness the flight will have power outlets for my laptop and free booze :)
 
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