RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

I'm utterly burnt out.

Since I had to do a week of camp, I had 2 days of holiday before coming back to school, this was after a long and stressful first term. The students are all miserable and unmotivated making it even more difficult to teach them,  my CT, who never complains, is complaining. The license given to each principal to basically whatever the hell they want is one of the stupidest things in this countries education systems.
 

   Burnout sucks. I hate that feeling of knowing that your classes could be better, but can't summon the motivation to grind out the quality prep that it requires. Combine that with unhappy kids, and, well... my condolences. 


    Oh, and make doubly sure that your school understands the new contracts (I'm assuming you're EPIK!): since you only took 2 vacation days this summer, they are obliged to give you the remaining 24 (minus whatever discretionary holidays the school has taken, which won't be more than 3) over the winter holidays.
That's nearly five weeks of vacation!
If the school doesn't schedule a long enough break to accommodate that, then they're SOL: our vacation days take precedence over their scheduling (although the *scheduling* of our vacation days does not, unfortunately.    )

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

They're between China and Japan. I think most Westerners could tell you some things about the two countries..... but prod them about Korea and it becomes a lot less evident. Canadians have the same problem with the US as neighbours.

We love ANY attention we get.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

yeah, of course it's this. but it feels like not liking a single korean food/thing is slighting the whole country and causes outrage. it's okay not to enjoy every single aspect of a country. i would never feel offended if somebody doesn't like fish and chips or english public transportation (i'd actually be curious about non-british peooples' *actual* thoughts more than anything)

wasn't there one episode with some russian girls and one girl diidn't have a very good time? something about her getting sick and staying in the hotel most of the time, and really just wanting to go home. apparently it received a lot of complaints as people took it to her hating korea. i'd like an article about that if anyone has one.

The new trainers I bought have perfect pebble-sized compartments in their treads.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

yeah, of course it's this. but it feels like not liking a single korean food/thing is slighting the whole country and causes outrage. it's okay not to enjoy every single aspect of a country. i would never feel offended if somebody doesn't like fish and chips or english public transportation (i'd actually be curious about non-british peooples' *actual* thoughts more than anything)

wasn't there one episode with some russian girls and one girl diidn't have a very good time? something about her getting sick and staying in the hotel most of the time, and really just wanting to go home. apparently it received a lot of complaints as people took it to her hating korea. i'd like an article about that if anyone has one.

Talking of seeking conformation, I've noticed the only cultural topics my students (who are planning to study in the UK) ask me about are the negative ones abut the UK that they've already heard about. So they'll ask me about not being able to access the internet in the underground, the generally slow internet speed, the expensive transport, the way a lot of pubs close at 11 etc.. They'll never say something like 'I've heard that the UK has a really good live music scene/fascinating history/is great for fashion etc...is that true? 

damn. i've noticed this actually.

"oh you're from england? i heard english food is really bad"
"err..nice to meet you too"

not that i give a shit either way that someone said something negative about the uk, but, yeah, imagine saying something negative about korea in the first sentence of meeting someone

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

yeah, of course it's this. but it feels like not liking a single korean food/thing is slighting the whole country and causes outrage. it's okay not to enjoy every single aspect of a country. i would never feel offended if somebody doesn't like fish and chips or english public transportation (i'd actually be curious about non-british peooples' *actual* thoughts more than anything)

wasn't there one episode with some russian girls and one girl diidn't have a very good time? something about her getting sick and staying in the hotel most of the time, and really just wanting to go home. apparently it received a lot of complaints as people took it to her hating korea. i'd like an article about that if anyone has one.

It's like they have an inferiority complex.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

yeah, of course it's this. but it feels like not liking a single korean food/thing is slighting the whole country and causes outrage. it's okay not to enjoy every single aspect of a country. i would never feel offended if somebody doesn't like fish and chips or english public transportation (i'd actually be curious about non-british peooples' *actual* thoughts more than anything)

wasn't there one episode with some russian girls and one girl diidn't have a very good time? something about her getting sick and staying in the hotel most of the time, and really just wanting to go home. apparently it received a lot of complaints as people took it to her hating korea. i'd like an article about that if anyone has one.

It's like they have an inferiority complex.

3....2.....1 with demartian....

Oh no, he's been muted....

 

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

Every time I've seen it I just hear things like, "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten" or "Korea is the most impressive place I've ever been". It's so cringe worthy. I have to leave the room. I literally cannot stand it

Oglop, why do you think Koreans are always looking for this kind of affirmation?  I haven't come across it in other countries.

If I could have a go at answering this, Western tourists coming here is still a comparatively novel thing. Obviously if it's an important enough event to make a TV show about it, viewers would rather see Western tourists liking stuff here than slagging it off. Koreans also get a lot of propaganda at school - in particular in English lessons they're specifically taught how to tell foreigners how great Korea is. Hence you only have to mention K pop to a Korean adult and they will tell you apropos of nothing that K pop is famous all over the world. Straight from Middle School English unit 10.

yeah, of course it's this. but it feels like not liking a single korean food/thing is slighting the whole country and causes outrage. it's okay not to enjoy every single aspect of a country. i would never feel offended if somebody doesn't like fish and chips or english public transportation (i'd actually be curious about non-british peooples' *actual* thoughts more than anything)

wasn't there one episode with some russian girls and one girl diidn't have a very good time? something about her getting sick and staying in the hotel most of the time, and really just wanting to go home. apparently it received a lot of complaints as people took it to her hating korea. i'd like an article about that if anyone has one.

The hypersensitivity to any [perceived] criticism isn't super related to those TV shows, though. I remember when Academy-award winning film Birdman was released, there was a line in it where a character says the place she's in 'smells like kimchi.' This was literally deemed newsworthy and people were calling for the movie to be banned from showing in Korea.

Also, you can find people like that around the world. They love to complain how their country is in the dumps because of whatever reasons, and how terrible everything is. But the moment anyone else says anything even remotely critical about the country, and they're immediately the most offended person in the world. Funny, that.

damn. i've noticed this actually.

"oh you're from england? i heard english food is really bad"
"err..nice to meet you too"

not that i give a shit either way that someone said something negative about the uk, but, yeah, imagine saying something negative about korea in the first sentence of meeting someone

Hi, I'm Kevin. Oh, you're from Korea? That's the country with all the dead students in that boat, right?

Aristocrat:  "They didn't keep on top of the maintenance and the school will be undergoing renovations from January to late February, meaning there'll be no 2 week school period at the start of February."

My commiserations on what was clearly an astonishingly short summer break.  But your school does the come back in February for a week or two before having another spring break vacation?  I thought those had been eliminated across the board?  We first did it at my school last year and I got the impression we were behind the curve.  We'll close down on January 10th next year and that's it until the new year in March.  Obviously I was mistaken. 

Hi, I'm Kevin. Oh, you're from Korea? That's the country with all the dead students in that boat, right?

Lately I've been getting a lot of comments about the string of mass shootings that's been going on in the States, lol. At least it's recent. ;P

Man you boys have really done a number on DeMartino here.  He must seething and compiling piles of drafts about how you should learn to speak Korean or understand the culture better to enjoy Korean TV for how great it could be if only you were better. 

That is funny though when someone replies with 'the food is disgusting there' when you say you are from England. I'd imagine it might not have been that great when the Germans were dropping bombs but England is one of the most diverse countries in the world with ample food options from just about every country you can think of. Oh, and people in England stopped eating spam 30 years ago mate. Jog on.

Ever spoken to a Korean that's been to Europe? Especially Italy?

Me: Oooh Italy, how was the food?

Korean: Too salty.

Me: Right, still though, coffee, ice cream, pizza? Oh, I'd love to eat a pizza in Italy.

Korean: No, everything was too salty so we ate Ramyun for 3 days then we went to Austria to complain about the lack of loudspeakers on the mountain treks.

Korean: No, everything was too salty so we ate Ramyun for 3 days

Jin Ramyeon is the second saltiest thing I've ever put in my mouth, truly. 

Hi, I'm Kevin. Oh, you're from Korea? That's the country with all the dead students in that boat, right?

Lately I've been getting a lot of comments about the string of mass shootings that's been going on in the States, lol. At least it's recent. ;P

Something I read this morning. The US is on day 244 or something of the year, and there has been over 270 mass shootings in the US in just 2019. That's more than 1 per day.
I'm surprised that's not more alarming to the people there.

Korean: No, everything was too salty so we ate Ramyun for 3 days

Jin Ramyeon is the second saltiest thing I've ever put in my mouth, truly. 

Salty Sally from Songtan being numero uno?

Hi, I'm Kevin. Oh, you're from Korea? That's the country with all the dead students in that boat, right?

Lately I've been getting a lot of comments about the string of mass shootings that's been going on in the States, lol. At least it's recent. ;P

Something I read this morning. The US is on day 244 or something of the year, and there has been over 270 mass shootings in the US in just 2019. That's more than 1 per day.
I'm surprised that's not more alarming to the people there.

There have also been nearly 40,000 'normal' shootings, so there's no particular reason to worry about the mass ones.

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/

Salty Sally from Songtan being numero uno?

I fellated Dr DeM in Seoul Pub last year.

Hi, I'm Kevin. Oh, you're from Korea? That's the country with all the dead students in that boat, right?

Lately I've been getting a lot of comments about the string of mass shootings that's been going on in the States, lol. At least it's recent. ;P

Something I read this morning. The US is on day 244 or something of the year, and there has been over 270 mass shootings in the US in just 2019. That's more than 1 per day.
I'm surprised that's not more alarming to the people there.

I feel for the normal, rational US person who wants to sensibly outlaw assault weapons and have background checks to get a gun.  I'm not alarmed by the fact that the trumps, mcconnells and the other GOP have received so much money from the NRA and fossil fuel companies that they no nothing with two such huge issues.  That, to me, is the saddest and also the most disgraceful thing about it.  The shooting this past week, was nothing to do with mental illness.  The dude lost his job, did something stupid in traffic and then went crazy in a rage, completely pissing on the 'it's the person who pulls the trigger who's at fault, not the gun'