Are you a lifer?

How many other OECD states are this close to China?  Tokyo is quite the distance away from China.

Well, *technically*, Japan is pretty close to the same distance. The shortest distance between South Korea and China is about 200 km while the shortest distance between Japan and China is only about 300 km.

It's not the distance that matters but the typical wind patterns.
The same wind that carries the shit from China to here, doesn't go all the way to Japan, especially not to the Tokyo area.
Korea has very bad air quality only when the wind blows from the West. That's a fact.

That's clearly true.
He asked a question, and I gave a technically correct but completely irrelevant answer.
I have to get that out of my system here on waygook, otherwise my students will never learn anything.

I didn't realize my country was a prison for foreginers 

I have been here a long time (in intervals), and have feared becoming a lifer, because I have not met many (if any) that are all there upstairs.

Yikes!

Being in Korea long term causes a deterioration of social skills and/or insanity?

Or were those people off before they came to Korea, those being the types who would want to stay long term, perhaps lacking other options?

A bit of both?

I've lived in this part of the world for 16 years, taught in Korea for 6 plus China and have met a lot of ESL teachers who have taught in and around here in various countries. My experience clearly shows me that Korea attracts more than it's fair share of weirdos. There are a few reasons for that, most notably, Korea paid the best for a long time, plus housing and health etc etc.

But perhaps as important  was, you could be an extreme weirdo in Korea and not stand out because Koreans weren't very familiar with westerners. I'm not counting the war, when westerners saved Korea from communism (with pretty much zero appreciation).

So, weirdos went there and fit in. I'm not judging at all. That's just what I think. It was a good place for weirdos to go so they went.

I think the lifers are the weirdos among the weirdo crowd! They don't fit in anywhere else.

There are weirdos where I live too, but not many and they tend to be women. Every guy I know is married to a local, owns a house and a car, most have children and they're living a typical middle-class lifestyle. There doesn't seem to be young kids fresh outta uni here.

Gordie Lachance: Do you think I'm weird?
Chris Chambers: Definitely.
Gordie Lachance: No man, seriously. Am I weird?
Chris Chambers: Yeah, but so what? Everybody's weird.

The lifer weirdos in Korea take their vacations in your part of the world, Lichtenstein. Uni teachers who predate the MA requirement, often married with kids, shabbily attired with weird haircuts... They like solo vacations to Thailand and the Philippines, from which they return with looking guilty and satisfied in equal measure.

And the wives just let them go?

The lifer weirdos in Korea take their vacations in your part of the world, Lichtenstein. Uni teachers who predate the MA requirement, often married with kids, shabbily attired with weird haircuts... They like solo vacations to Thailand and the Philippines, from which they return with looking guilty and satisfied in equal measure.

Yeah, I've seen that a fair bit over the years.

I didn't like living in Korea but I liked my job and colleagues, I was treated very well, as was my wife, and we lived in a beautiful spot. It got me  where I wanted to be financially.

I liken living in Korea to a very fine hand-tailored Saville Row suit made from asbestos. It looks fantastic, fits perfectly, but itches a bit! 

The lifer weirdos in Korea take their vacations in your part of the world, Lichtenstein. Uni teachers who predate the MA requirement, often married with kids, shabbily attired with weird haircuts... They like solo vacations to Thailand and the Philippines, from which they return looking guilty and satisfied in equal measure.

Ok fair enough, but traveling to SE asian countries to visit pros??? They can do that here. Also the vast majority of lifers with kids here put their family above all else. Hence the bad haircuts and shabby clothes.

I've lived in this part of the world for 16 years, taught in Korea for 6 plus China and have met a lot of ESL teachers who have taught in and around here in various countries. My experience clearly shows me that Korea attracts more than it's fair share of weirdos. There are a few reasons for that, most notably, Korea paid the best for a long time, plus housing and health etc etc.

But perhaps as important  was, you could be an extreme weirdo in Korea and not stand out because Koreans weren't very familiar with westerners. I'm not counting the war, when westerners saved Korea from communism (with pretty much zero appreciation).

So, weirdos went there and fit in. I'm not judging at all. That's just what I think. It was a good place for weirdos to go so they went.

I think the lifers are the weirdos among the weirdo crowd! They don't fit in anywhere else.

There are weirdos where I live too, but not many and they tend to be women. Every guy I know is married to a local, owns a house and a car, most have children and they're living a typical middle-class lifestyle. There doesn't seem to be young kids fresh outta uni here.

Where are you teaching now?  I thought you were in Korea.

I'm not counting the war, when westerners saved Korea from communism (with pretty much zero appreciation).

Odd turn of phrase there.
1) Many Koreans DO show appreciation. There still exists a strong bond between Korea and Turkey, for example due to the war.
2) Question- Do you have this same view and expectation of Europeans and their appreciation towards Americans?
3) Interesting that you say "westerners." I mean really, it should be Americans because they did all the heavy lifting. Are somehow the Germans part of this now?
4) Which leads to the next point- Why are YOU so bothered by this? You aren't American, right? Did you have some relative who fought in the small British contingent? Or is there no connection, but somehow you think you deserve appreciation by extension?
5) Should this gratitude be eternal and for all things in every case? Should Koreans prostrate themselves every time a Westerner passes by? What are you getting at here?
6) Since you seem to be advocating some sort of eternal group credit, surely you believe in eternal group blame, yes? Thus it would be fair for someone to scorn you/Westerners for say, slavery and colonialism, yes? There should be an eternal grudge?

Where are you teaching now?  I thought you were in Korea.

The tropics!!!

The tropics!!!

They can do that here.

Korean prostitutes don't speak English. Thai prostitutes do. Almost all the "professors" who have lived in Korea for ages have very limited Korean language ability.

Thailand is also cheaper, and as disgusting as this is it's also easier to find child prostitutes. There's also the draw of the ladyboys.

I think the rest comes down to distance -- somewhere outside of Korea, as far away from your family while still getting the most bang for your buck, and far less likely to get seen by someone who knows you.

Anyway, yeah, most people fleeing Korea from scandal that I know of either go back to their home countries or they end up somewhere in SE Asia.

And I also agree, while most lifers here that I've met are normal folks going about their normal lives, there does seem to be a larger percentage of them that are weird in a really bad way. Socially unaware, super judgmental of others, argumentative and quick to jump to conclusions, etc. One guy I met who was like this apparently hadn't started off this way, though, a close friend of his said that over time he'd just kind of become a grumpy old man who hates people. Don't know if that was something that was festering in his personality and just took a while to "bloom" or if it was a result of living in Korea. Could be both.

Korean prostitutes don't speak English. Thai prostitutes do. Almost all the "professors" who have lived in Korea for ages have very limited Korean language ability.

I don't know about the accuracy of this comment.

It’s pretty accurate. Korean brothels don’t want foreigners to be seen going in / going out because it could cause them to lose business. Korean Johns could see the Korean women as “ruined”; foreigners are perceived to be more likely to be carrying STDs. So they’re not going to receive a warm welcome stepping into a brothel in Korea. Might get turned away. Pretty common from what I’ve heard.

Where are you teaching now?  I thought you were in Korea.

I was in Korea for a year in 2005-06 then again for 5 years 2011-16. All 6 years were good I gotta say, but I lived in small rural towns which is what I like. I could never have lasted working in Seoul - Busan - Changwon etc. In 2005 I came to SE Asia on vacation, fell in love with a girl and the area and moved here after my contract was done. Life is quiet and peaceful.

Odd turn of phrase there.
1) Many Koreans DO show appreciation. There still exists a strong bond between Korea and Turkey, for example due to the war.
2) Question- Do you have this same view and expectation of Europeans and their appreciation towards Americans?
3) Interesting that you say "westerners." I mean really, it should be Americans because they did all the heavy lifting. Are somehow the Germans part of this now?
4) Which leads to the next point- Why are YOU so bothered by this? You aren't American, right? Did you have some relative who fought in the small British contingent? Or is there no connection, but somehow you think you deserve appreciation by extension?
5) Should this gratitude be eternal and for all things in every case? Should Koreans prostrate themselves every time a Westerner passes by? What are you getting at here?
6) Since you seem to be advocating some sort of eternal group credit, surely you believe in eternal group blame, yes? Thus it would be fair for someone to scorn you/Westerners for say, slavery and colonialism, yes? There should be an eternal grudge?

And we are off with the apologist in residence, Mr. Hyperbole himself: B.M. oops sorry....DM

And we are off with the apologist in residence, Mr. Hyperbole himself: B.M. oops sorry....DM

Care to address the point raised- what you exactly meant with this sentence

I'm not counting the war, when westerners saved Korea from communism (with pretty much zero appreciation).

What should this "appreciation" look like? How long should it last? Should this apply only to Korea or should it apply to other countries as well? And most importantly- Does "grudge" apply as well? Is it okay for people in say, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, the USA to treat westerners like shit because westerners in the past colonized them/their ancestors and invaded their countries and gunned down their people?

Is it good for Koreans to dislike Japanese? For blacks to dislike whites? No. What happened before we were born should have no bearing. We should neither be credited nor punished for the deeds of our ancestors. Those people aren’t us. Judge each person individually. Not based on what piece of land they happened to be born on.