How has your attitude to Korea changed?

Sure, but considering where it was at 1950 and where it is now vs. Korea, well, there is a marked gap in results. If indeed what he claimed was true, then Korea should be as it were and Thailand should be light-years ahead. That isn't the case.

Whether one has been to Thailand or not does not change the significant gap in development and change that has taken place. Unless one is seriously trying to put Thailand on par with where Korea is now and asserting that in Korea, in fact, nothing changes as is evidenced by the past 70 years.

No one out there in serious academic/professional circles is claiming that Korea hasn't changed significantly since 1950. Only a few disgruntled waygooks who seem to associate "development" with "fun for me."

I'm not sure you understand the Thai mentality vs. the Korean one.

Thailand runs on sabai sabai, which roughly translates to take it easy. The exact opposite of Korea's unofficial motto of work till you drop.

Frankly, I'm amazed anything happens in Thailand knowing the people as I do!

I'm not sure you understand the Thai mentality vs. the Korean one.

Of course he doesn't. He has never been there. But he seems to be an expert
on this, just like everything else.

Man oh man--good luck with the knee!  That replacement procedure looks very drastic.  One doc said that for my shoulder, so I found a different doctor.

As to meds, yeah, I got basically Aleve (Naproxen) + a muscle relaxer. 

Two friends who had knee replacement here in the US both got oxycodone and both said they NEEDED it.

Yeah, it's 'throw yourself out the window' kind of pain, if you could actually stand up, let alone move. It's so intense and it's a month before it even starts to subside...3 before you can throw away the zimmer frame with confidence. I watched grown men cry during physio.

I broke my femur in uni and was on morphine for weeks. Then codeine. Yes, new vistas
of pain. For some reason bones just send lots of pain signals. People think drugs like
morphine must be good. But it wasn't. No pain, but a sensation like lying at the bottom
of a warm swamp. Every sense deadened.

BTW, good luck. And a piece of advice. You should specifically ask for opiates
or the surgeon will put you on aspirin or something.

Two friends who had knee replacement here in the US both got oxycodone and both said they NEEDED it.

Oops, I was very unclear.  I was on a drip for a week post-surgery, then two weeks with codeine (?) then moved to less addictive stuff. 

I broke my femur in uni and was on morphine for weeks. Then codeine. Yes, new vistas
of pain. For some reason bones just send lots of pain signals. People think drugs like
morphine must be good. But it wasn't. No pain, but a sensation like lying at the bottom
of a warm swamp. Every sense deadened.

There's been many a day when I could get behind that.

I realized that Korea is still very much a developing country with a developed country's infrastructure, economy, and services.
Before coming to Korea, I went to Japan which had exceeded my expectations. Everything about Japan was incredible, the culture, and the people were so polite and orderly, and the neighborhoods were diverse and interesting.  So I was hoping that Korea would be even better than Japan.

When I first came here, I felt that Korea was the complete opposite of Japan.
It was too flashy, disorganized, and slightly chaotic.
But as I am here for a fourth year now, and got married to a Korean last year, I have grown to enjoy Korea enough to make it my home.
Overall, I am glad that I made the decision to come here. Living here has really pushed me out of my comfort zone.
I used to be a really orderly and organized person, always started tasks early, followed a set schedule, and prefer to be around those with good manners and exceptional social etiquette.
Now, I am OK with last-minute changes and realized that I can be more flexible and adapt to situations much better than I ever thought I could, and don't mind the ajjumas and ajjushis rude behavior and pushing on the buses and subways. Though I doubt I would want to drive here... everyone here drives like they're out to kill one another. And it seems the bus drivers want everyone dead >.<

I think my attitude changed from disappointment to appreciation over the past 3 years. Not just appreciation for how this country has changed me and helped me grow as a person, but also appreciation for everything that I was privileged to have back home. When I was younger, everyone was interested in Japan (anime/ manga trend) and then Korea ( k-pop/ k-dramas), and whenever my friends and I had a hard time we would just focus on "escaping" to the magical land of East Asia where we though things must be much better.... but coming over here, I realized that many Koreans want to immigrate to Canada, and the United States and they want their kids to have the stressfree childhood that they can't have in Korea because of all of this competition and societal pressure, as well as better work-life balance opportunities and more space.

You should have been here 20 or 30 years ago. Disorganized, and slightly chaotic were massive understatements. It was like culture shock going on a bender!

I can only imagine that Korea 30 or 20 years ago must have been a similar experience as present day developing countries like India in 2022.

Disorganization, chaos, and corruption were probably high! While work places are less professional than in the West, there seems to be more and more laws in place to stop corruption, workplace harassment, improve maternity/ paternity leave etc which is a good sign of societal development.

I guess at first Koreans only focused on improving the economic/ financial status of their country as most people were poor and hungry, and now that basic needs are met they can focus on overcoming other societal issues.

20 years ago sidewalks were littered with cars over curbs.

20 years ago sidewalks *are* littered with cars over curbs.

20 years ago sidewalks were littered with cars over curbs.

There were parked cars in every available space, under bridges, in those pained areas between roads. Any place where you were able to supposedly not impede traffic too much.

I tell you what amazes me; truck drivers are always able to sniff out newly created streets. Within a week or two, a new street has trucks parked along one side, making it impossible to drive down that side of the road, freely. Where do they come from? Where did they park before? A mystery!

lol.. I remember my time as a kid here, when car ownership really just started, my parents were visiting a Korean colleague. The family had to park a good hike away from their home, since older neighborhoods weren't designed for cars in mind. Luckily back then the average family probably had like 4 kids, so everyone in the car would have to carry their share of groceries like 1km to their house. So my father sent me, and my sister, out with his colleagues' kid to hike out to their car grab a bag, and hike it back to the guy's home. It seemed like 10 km to me.

lol.. I remember my time as a kid here, when car ownership really just started, my parents were visiting a Korean colleague. The family had to park a good hike away from their home, since older neighborhoods weren't designed for cars in mind. Luckily back then the average family probably had like 4 kids, so everyone in the car would have to carry their share of groceries like 1km to their house. So my father sent me, and my sister, out with his colleagues' kid to hike out to their car grab a bag, and hike it back to the guy's home. It seemed like 10 km to me.

I think that was when ajoshi with attitude started. I think the mindset was: I have a car. You don't.
I'm rich. You're not. I have the right of way. You don't.

Everything about Japan was incredible, the culture, and the people were so polite and orderly, and the neighborhoods were diverse and interesting.  So I was hoping that Korea would be even better than Japan.

When I first came here, I felt that Korea was the complete opposite of Japan.

I used to be a really orderly and organized person, always started tasks early, followed a set schedule, and prefer to be around those with good manners and exceptional social etiquette.
Now, I am OK with last-minute changes and realized that I can be more flexible and adapt to situations much better than I ever thought I could, and don't mind the ajjumas and ajjushis rude behavior

I just wish Ajosshis wouldn't blatantly pick their nose so much, its disgusting.

They still haven't learned to wash their hands in the toilets nor cover their mouth when they cough.

lack of refinement is an issue here.

The women are fine but the men..ugghh need the kind of basic training that any five year-old in the west has already mastered.

I have been to Japan 6 times in the last 20 years and have 4 takeaways:

1. The strangers on the street will act fake (unlike Koreans they will point you in the wrong direction rather than shrug their shoulders when they don't know where tf you are going);

2. They will smile a lot but it means nothing. Unlike Korean sincerity, Japanese interaction is  robotic and distancing;

3. The Japanese would rather lie to you than say they don't know; Koreans say "I don't know" quickly.

4. The police are night & day "better" at enforcing the law which means they are EAGER and WILLING to do their job.

I've seen like a zillion VanLolander posts in the past 20 years and have a few takeaways:

1. There's a pretense of authoratitiveness despite not saying anything particularly informative or interesting.

2. A Boomer-ish vibe of baseless self-satisfaction.

3. Would rather type out a long and boring shaggy dog story than admit it's better to not post at all.

4. Doesn't realize that nobody cares that he's been to Vancouver, Auckland, and Mobile AL.

I've seen like a zillion VanLolander posts in the past 20 years and have a few takeaways:

1. There's a pretense of authoratitiveness despite not saying anything particularly informative or interesting.

2. A Boomer-ish vibe of baseless self-satisfaction.

3. Would rather type out a long and boring shaggy dog story than admit it's better to not post at all.

4. Doesn't realize that nobody cares that he's been to Vancouver, Auckland, and Mobile AL.

Chimp, whenever I see you've posted a bunch of comments I know I'm going to have a good laugh.  I appreciate your work and this site needs more of it.

Chimp, whenever I see you've posted a bunch of comments I know I'm going to have a good laugh.  I appreciate your work and this site needs more of it.

He upsets the regulars but I've enjoyed all his posts too.

I've seen like a zillion VanLolander posts in the past 20 years and have a few takeaways:

1. There's a pretense of authoratitiveness despite not saying anything particularly informative or interesting.

2. A Boomer-ish vibe of baseless self-satisfaction.

3. Would rather type out a long and boring shaggy dog story than admit it's better to not post at all.

4. Doesn't realize that nobody cares that he's been to Vancouver, Auckland, and Mobile AL.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could say something nice for once? You just appear out of the blue to post some nasty comment. Come on dude, if you don't like what a person posts, ignore it and move on. No need to be so nasty.