RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

I get so tired of people giving tautological advice about Korea in response to simple observations and then acting like they're being helpful to the dumb foreigner or that they have "explained" something.

"There's no toilet paper in some toilet stalls. It's outside the stall."

"Yes. Here in Korea some toilet stalls don't have toilet paper, but it is outside the stall."

"People only drive black and white cars here."

"Yes. In Korea people drive black and white cars because Koreans prefer to buy a black or white car."

Okay.

I used to think that sort of "stupid explanation" was because of peoples limited English, and so I was happy to just pretend to accept it.

As I started picking up more Korean I realised that Korean explanations are similar. It explains so much about what is wrong with this place.

Here are two that annoy me

Me: Why are you learning English?
Student: I will go to Canada next month
Me: Why are you going to Canada?
Student: So I can improve my English

Me: What .......do most people...........or Do you think most people............. .?
Student: It depends on the person......

Had a 5 minute walk to school today. By the time I made it to the teacher's office, I had to take a stop off at the bathroom and towel myself off. Sweat soaking through my shirt, dripping down my face. I thought I liked summer before coming to Korea. I've rethought that. Meanwhile, I saw a kid coming to school in black jeans and a thick black hoodie. The heat just doesn't affect them like it does me.   

To all the Gyeonggi teachers out there, how are you doing without Microsoft office? You're just using the presentation viewer. My Co-Teacher keeps saying that after summer vacation it won't work at all now (my school got a grace period for MS) and she says that everything has to be in Hanshow. Blech.

Any stories?

To all the Gyeonggi teachers out there, how are you doing without Microsoft office? You're just using the presentation viewer. My Co-Teacher keeps saying that after summer vacation it won't work at all now (my school got a grace period for MS) and she says that everything has to be in Hanshow. Blech.

Any stories?

1. Use your own lap top.

2. put a copied version of office on and every time they delete it, put it on again.

3. Use a USB with office on it https://www.howtogeek.com/98855/how-to-create-a-portable-usb-version-of-microsoft-office-starter-2010/

4.

Had a 5 minute walk to school today. By the time I made it to the teacher's office, I had to take a stop off at the bathroom and towel myself off. Sweat soaking through my shirt, dripping down my face. I thought I liked summer before coming to Korea. I've rethought that. Meanwhile, I saw a kid coming to school in black jeans and a thick black hoodie. The heat just doesn't affect them like it does me.   

I turn red if it's hot or humid, and so the kids have given me the nickname of "tomato face."  I walked in with my red, shiny face and my coteacher was so concerned, and asked if I had been crying. I am really upset about Chester dying, but I wasn't crying about it; I just don't handle the wet heat well.

 

"That's NOT good."

-Korean people

UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I sent a file to my Co-T and it was received and I said "Ta-da!"

  Don't say Ta-da.

  Uhhh, okay. (dafuq?)

Here are two that annoy me

1) Me: Why are you learning English?
Student: I will go to Canada next month
Me: Why are you going to Canada?
Student: So I can improve my English

2) Me: What .......do most people...........or Do you think most people............. .?
Student: It depends on the person......

1) I wonder if it's not just considered rude to simply tell a person you just don't know the answer to something, hence all the giving-of-directions when the way is unknown. Or it's somehow face-saving to give an unhelpful answer rather than admit ignorance?

2) This is especially upsetting when it comes from a doctor:

-Before we proceed, what percentage of people develop complications from this procedure?

-It's really case by case basis. (Hard stop.)

"That's NOT good."

-Korean people

UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I sent a file to my Co-T and it was received and I said "Ta-da!"

  Don't say Ta-da.

  Uhhh, okay. (dafuq?)

I once had someone tell me to stop saying the words "Catholicism" and "Mormonism" because she didn't like the way the -ism part made them sound. 

"That's NOT good."

-Korean people

UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I sent a file to my Co-T and it was received and I said "Ta-da!"

  Don't say Ta-da.

  Uhhh, okay. (dafuq?)

I once had someone tell me to stop saying the words "Catholicism" and "Mormonism" because she didn't like the way the -ism part made them sound. 

Maybe you were pronouncing it like Catholojism?

"That's NOT good."

-Korean people

UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I sent a file to my Co-T and it was received and I said "Ta-da!"

  Don't say Ta-da.

  Uhhh, okay. (dafuq?)

Out of context, she might have thought you were speaking Korean slang. 타다 means "I want to ride you."

Maybe you were pronouncing it like Catholojism?

How would you pronounce that?

I prefer to think that she was a little special.

Out of context, she might have thought you were speaking Korean slang. 타다 means "I want to ride you."

Is this for real?

Because of it is, I'll remember it forever.

"That's NOT good."

-Korean people

UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I sent a file to my Co-T and it was received and I said "Ta-da!"

  Don't say Ta-da.

  Uhhh, okay. (dafuq?)

You should whistle victoriously instead.

Out of context, she might have thought you were speaking Korean slang. 타다 means "I want to ride you."

Is this for real?

Because of it is, I'll remember it forever.

"타다" is the infinitive form of the verb "ride". I've never heard of it being used in the way donovan suggests, but then it's possible we move in different circles.

Maybe you were pronouncing it like Catholojism?

I thought this was brilliantly hilarious!

Out of context, she might have thought you were speaking Korean slang. 타다 means "I want to ride you."

I hope this is not real... I say tada all the time 

Maybe you were pronouncing it like Catholojism?

I thought this was brilliantly hilarious!

Out of context, she might have thought you were speaking Korean slang. 타다 means "I want to ride you."

I hope this is not real... I say tada all the time 

How's it working?
Better than CO2's random booty-call texts?

Maybe you were pronouncing it like Catholojism?

I thought this was brilliantly hilarious!

Out of context, she might have thought you were speaking Korean slang. 타다 means "I want to ride you."

I hope this is not real... I say tada all the time 

How's it working?
Better than CO2's random booty-call texts?

Greece's economy and Trump's Cabinet are working better than those.

Uggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I hate the non-immersion here. They're in grade 5 FFS.

AS Teacher: 6 times 2 is.....what? (They've been learning the 4 basic math things for the last 3 weeks).

  열두개

AS Teacher: 아~~~ 맞아

FFS, he's 10, so this is his third year of English, and he's in an AS program. He can say twelve. And if he doesn't say twelve? You call him out on it and get someone else to answer.

I understand the need for translation here, twelve is NOT one of those times.

WHY does my school have classes today? It's been two weeks since exams and they have the summer vacation ceremony on Wednesday. WTF could possibly be learned today?