The Stages of Living in South Korea

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@petrp4427 3 ай бұрын

I hope your video gets the views it deserves. I lived in KR for a year and after coming back to Europe I realized how superficial, status based and in general horrible is the society there. I'm not even talking about working culture, that's so disrespectful to employees considering this is a first world country.

@adurasarangheyo9597 3 ай бұрын

i used to be married to a s.korean. haven't been there for a long time, but it was terrible when i lived there for several reasons. they are very very rude ppl and often dont know how to even say a simple thankyou.

@machikr 3 ай бұрын

Nobody in Korea treats Whites the way they feel entitled in vast regions of the globe, because Korea is one of the few Asian countries that had never been colonized by Whites. If you are a White who looks nothing like Brad Pitt but expects to conquer Korean ladies by the sheer exotic smell of your armpit, all I can say would be much woe waiting ahead you.

@etvow 2 ай бұрын

Every country has good and bad, but more good then bad. Having said this, I feel sorry for all those Koreans who treated you with respect and tried to help you out when you were there for a year. I am sure they did not realize someday you would talk crap about them behind their back.

@mdilham5237 2 ай бұрын

Koreans never hyped their country ever... they got no tome to hype it... foreigners are the reason why Korea are poorly a bad country especially the ones who come from western countries...

@GregorianMG 2 ай бұрын

There are some people who still glorified Korean. It's good one to visit, but very hellish to live in.

@요셉-r9l 2 ай бұрын

Before watching the video, as a korean, I wholeheartedly agree with the title.

@JohnLee-db9zt 2 ай бұрын

Where else have you lived? South Africa, Iran, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nicaragua? Get back to me after you spent some time those countries. You disrespect what your parents and grandparents went through to make your country great.

@kaitlyn8743 2 ай бұрын

@@JohnLee-db9ztseriously? Someone's "parents and grandparents" built every single country in the world. That means no one can ever say anything bad about them? Nobody's disrespecting anything, it's called having an opinion. You're disrespecting every person who reads your comment

@machikr 3 ай бұрын

Well, a South Korean living surrounded by White America here. You complain Koreans ask too many private and personal questions to you, which annoy and frustrate you. Hard to believe, since no one is all that interested in others' lives in general, esp. in a non-celebrity, English teacher who looks extremely ordinary. It takes efforts to ask questions, efforts take energy, and most Koreans are too tired to move a finger after long work. (Btw, if someone asks your age, that has nothing to do with personal curiosity; it merely means that person is wondering if he/she should use deferential/honorific (존대말) or normal manner of speech when speaking to you.) After my long stay in the U.S., I realize the opposite of love is not hatred but indifference. No White Americans seem ever curious about the Asian country I am from, what I am thinking. White Americans treat me (and most colored people for that matter) with polite indifference, as if we are invisible or transparent, while they seem to have such great laughter and fun among themselves. Zone of interest, perhaps, but trust me, a silent treatment is far worse than nosy intrusion into your privacy. I would be so glad if only Americans here asked me something personal and private, for that would at least evidence my existence.

@Ryan-ju4pn 3 ай бұрын

I am sorry to hear you're not getting the interactions you want. People here today don't generally engage with a stranger unless there's some underlying motivation. The vast majority of white Americans are not racist. Still, without an ice-breaker of some sort, they may feel uncomfortable asking you where you're from or what you're doing here, as that could appear as a discriminatory line of questioning. They might just be viewing you as another American or a recent immigrant. If you want contact, you'll have to be the one to make the move with strangers. Many will chit-chat with you without sincere interest in getting to know you, but others will become friends if you try.

@machikr 3 ай бұрын

@@Ryan-ju4pn Thanks for the tips! And your care!! You may be entirely right! I will try opening up first now. Thank you!

@adurasarangheyo9597 3 ай бұрын

sorry to know what you are going thru, a couple of questions if i may, how long have you lived in miguk ?? and which state /city do you live in ? i,ve lived in many big cities, osaka, seoul, bangkok, guangzhou and melbourne, it is well known that the bigger the city, the more impersonal ppl are, humans were, apparently according to social psychologists, are only designed to function adequately in communities of about 200 other humans, and in most of human history, most humans never travelled further than 35 kms from where they were born and likely never even met more than several hundred other humans. consider joining clubs/hobby groups of things you have an interest or curiosity in or even volunteering somewhere, there you'll like find humans who a more genuine and have more compassion. nega hochu saram imnida. haenguneul bireo usneun haru doeseyo

@adurasarangheyo9597 3 ай бұрын

@Ryan-ju4pn 3 ай бұрын

@@machikr I'm a shy person too, so I'm well aware approaching people first can be uncomfortable. Your point is well-received regarding the lack of a formal greeting structure in this culture makes it that much harder to get the conversation started predictably. I would have liked to have the structure you related when meeting a new person, to get the wheels moving in the talk and to make both feel more comfortable. That would have given me the opening I really needed in a lot of social situations where I ended up doing nothing instead. But I reiterate, there are more than enough Americans, wherever you're living, that will befriend you and bring you into their circle. I think the only roadblock to forming a relationship could be if there were a large language barrier but it doesn't sound like that's a problem for you. Of course, there will be people who are stuck up and shun you and others who have no interest in making a new friend because they're comfortable with the status quo. That all happened to me too, a very white person living around a lot of other white people. But your ethnicity matters a lot less than you think. Even where I grew up in lily-white Lincoln Nebraska in the 80's, my group of high-school friends had members who were Vietnamese immigrants and they hung out with us as unquestioned equals. They all had a bit of an accent but I remember two distinct groups of Vietnamese kids back then, those who kept to themselves and were much less likely to join our group and those who talked to us and became one of us. Since then I've lived on the East Coast, West Coast, and Southwest, and from my perspective, the situation has only gotten better with the acceptance of someone in your situation. Anyway, best of luck and I truly hope you meet the right people so that you no longer feel invisible.

@FullBellyTravels 2 ай бұрын

I didn’t know you had a channel! Nice dude!

@soggymoggytravels 2 ай бұрын

This is all very subjective and I'm afraid I can't finish this video. I'd say that it all depends on your job (there are many terrible English teaching jobs there) and where exactly in Korea you are located. But added to that, if you learn the language and make friends there, it can be a great place. I love Korea and could readily live there long-term with the right job and right accommodation.

@DissidentNomad 2 ай бұрын

All very true. It's about time the myths are done away with and people knew the reality of life in Korea instead of all the social media sugar coating that goes on.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

Those soft power cultural exports are working their magic.

@tmoon9297 2 ай бұрын

There's pros and cons of living in Korea. There's gross superficiality and genuine kindness. The convenience is on another level. You have to have a balanced view. Whether you decide to stay or leave will be down to your subjective preferences.

@0matters 2 ай бұрын

pros and cons exist everywhere. However, what Korea has done to their own people (mental health, suicide, depression, insanely low birth rate, work/life balance, sexism...) can't be denied and ingored.

@coleslow5519 2 ай бұрын

This video is more informative and precises unlike other videos that goes on 20 minutes. You did a great job. However, it could have been even better if it showed the life experience can be varied depending on ones career in south korea, and teaching english isn't a respectable job in south korea (and japan too) any more.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

Thank you for the feedback

@UbermanNullist 3 ай бұрын

1:15 This feeling, in my opinion, is what Koreans felt in the 1980s and what Americans feel now. Koreans enjoyed American movies and pop, even though most of them didn't know any English. Just Imagine the culture shock that Korean diplomats felt when they first visited the United States on July 15, 1883. We, as human beings, had a similar system and values, but it was a completely parallel world. It took us 100 years to reintegrate and modernize it. Now SK fully understand Western perspectives. This was made possible by the sacrifices of those who came before you. And the same kind of feelings you having since you staying in Korea.

@rranft 2 ай бұрын

Hate to say it... You're right, but this actually applies to literally any new place you move to. In fact, it applies to any major life change, not just where you live. The main thing here is that people let the hype really push their decision to move to Korea and then the hype turns out to be exactly what it is. The crash hits hard because they let themselves build it up so high. I was assigned to Camp Casey and returned after I got out of the Army to teach ESL for another four years. When I first got my orders my section sergeant said "don't listen to anyone; just go and see. You might love it, you might hate it, but go with your eyes open and make that decision yourself". Best advice ever. I really enjoyed my time there and moved back to the States because my Korean wife wanted to. Oddly enough, she dislikes Korea while I still really like it. I plan to retire to the suburbs of Seoul eventually and will likely move forward with one of the new "digital nomad" visas in spring of 26.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

Absolutely. You have to do it and see for yourself. If you have an open mind and no expectations, you're more likely to enjoy the journey.

@strongbad2016 3 ай бұрын

This is pretty much everywhere overseas

@tmoon9297 2 ай бұрын

The people who enjoy the Korean experience are the ones who love the positives of Korean culture and actually learn Korean and engage the people. If your closed-minded and don't want any changes in your life, then you're better off staying in your own country.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

Exaclty. You have to have that poitive mental attitude

@cooliipie 2 ай бұрын

Pros: the girls Cons: everything else

@pessoinhacansada6900 2 ай бұрын

This deserve more views, is way more direct and informative tha the majority in this subject ❤

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

Thank you so much for the kind words and you time :)

@moriarty032 2 ай бұрын

I live in South Korea and love the country and people, but I don't understand the hype. It's a beautiful and safe country, but it's not some magical place and it has its own problems just like any other country.

@etvow 2 ай бұрын

There is no hype and there never were any hype. It is people like you who have this bizarre idea there is hype. Most Koreans call their land 'Hell Chosen'. They never hyped their own country. You did.

@mdilham5237 2 ай бұрын

Koreans never hyped their country ever... they got no tome to hype it...

@jacob-de4zi 2 ай бұрын

Let's not forget the K-wave, buts it's mostly superficial stuff like kpop, dramas, food, fashion and makeup.

@mdilham5237 2 ай бұрын

@@jacob-de4zi worst take...

@RaewynHerrell 2 ай бұрын

Lived there 3 years and loved it and the beautiful Korean people. Some people do not make the the best of it and accept cultural differences.

@jaredcraig739 2 ай бұрын

While there is a honeymoon phase to living abroad, I do still think the pros of Korea outweigh the cons. While the society has a strict hierarchy and superficial aspect, as a foreigner you are not held to these expectations. So you get to enjoy the benefits of a safe society that is cheaper than America while not experiencing the stress of conforming to the societal expectations. I had no expectations when I arrived though, maybe people who arrive with the delusions of kpop and k-dramas would find living here stressful and a let down overall.

@mysticalrandomness4282 2 ай бұрын

Yeah, its different aspects of society that have pros and cons. The workplace and education in Korea is the one huge downside, but thats not what people praise. Basically, the romanticization isnt inaccurate or wrong, its just focusing on the positive aspects of Korea which only a foreigner, someone not growing up in Korea, or someone not working in an office will experience.

@mysticalrandomness4282 2 ай бұрын

Very clickbaity title because the video itself was very...tame? I was expecting you to talk about really issues like suicide and social pressures but you just said that cultural differences become hard to adapt to? That doesnt negate any of the romantization of Korea. The video itself is not bad at all and your other videos are extremely under rated while providing a positive review of Korea, so Im just confused why the title is so negative for no reason

@Excavator2006 2 ай бұрын

I love China and South Korea the most and my India also

@ashokgogineni8882 2 ай бұрын

Kpop fans must accept this reality!!!!

@psforever8888 3 ай бұрын

that's the life of any expat in anywhere in the world. Do you think it's easy for Koreans to settle in the US??

@adurasarangheyo9597 2 ай бұрын

EASIER....

@psforever8888 2 ай бұрын

@@adurasarangheyo9597 ask the 1st gen Koreans. What’s easier?

@mysticalrandomness4282 2 ай бұрын

@@adurasarangheyo9597 Well Not to say that theres no racism in Korea, but at least it doesnt involve you being stabbed and shoved in the subway tracks like in America.

@johnnybernard 3 ай бұрын

I like how honest you are about this topic.

@mitsu.hadeishi 2 ай бұрын

Haha this is such a non-Asian expat point of view. Which is perfectly valid but it doesn't make sense to every Asian-American expat, like myself. I'm Japanese-American, and over the years I've lived in Korea for a total of around 2 years all told. And I didn't go through any of these "stages", at all. I'm here right now and I'd say I have pretty much exactly the same reaction to it I had the first time I visited. I love the country, I still find it fascinating and fun, and it has a ton of very dark sides which I am totally aware of. But the "cultural differences getting annoying"? Nah. Because the Japanese culture of my parents is similar enough to Korean culture that there's very little here that shocks me, both on the positive and negative side. It's all very familiar to me and in many ways makes more sense to me than American culture! Even the dark sides make sense to me. But the dark sides of the US are really hard for me to relate to, even though I was born and grew up in the US. I will never understand why people drive slowly in the fast lane, don't know to stand on one side of the escalator to go up, get up in arms about wearing masks during a pandemic, or who think Donald Trump is anything other than a clown narcissist rather than a serious politician. Not that Korea (or Japan) don't have lots of annoying things and stupid politicians but they're annoying and stupid in a way that's utterly recognizable and relatable to me. So yeah: not every expat goes through these stages. I never had an idealized picture of Korea before I lived here and to me, going back and forth between the US and Korea is no different than going back and forth between California and New York. Different, yes, but there's no idealization in my case. I suspect similar things happen to a lot of Asian-American expats here.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

That's a very interesting perspective I hadn't considered. While I don't think one culture is any better than another, I often find myself wanting to combine certain aspects of both. I love Korea and it's culture, but finding peace in accpeting things for how they are is one of the hardest things I have had to learn, and I still see so many other foreigners who adamantly fight back against it while ignoring or defending flaws in their own countries.

@dealreal9709 2 ай бұрын

cheer up!

@unka2007 2 ай бұрын

Have you ever heard American dream ??

@adurasarangheyo9597 3 ай бұрын

@etvow 2 ай бұрын

Every country has good and bad, but more good then bad. Having said this, I feel sorry for all those Koreans who treated you with respect and tried to help you out when you were there. I am sure they did not realize someday you would talk crap about them behind their back.

@adurasarangheyo9597 2 ай бұрын

@@etvow ".....Having said this....." such a necessary line, that those of low IQ copy others in its usage. AND genius, you DIDNT SAY IT, YOU TYPED IT. BTW THANKYOU for giving me a chance of self reflection, again to those with decent IQ they would understand that i didnt mean ALL koreans, as you CORRECTLY commented there were also many many good koreans. but i have to remind myself that many of low IQ ALSO USE THE INTERWEB and even know how to use a keyboard so i should consider dumbing down my commentary to accommodate these future darwin award winners. . also you should try to be original in yr commentary AND NOT COPY N PASTE. CHALBUTAKAHMNIDA

@GregorianMG 2 ай бұрын

YMMV, but there's always sh!t people everywhere.

@homebrandrules 2 ай бұрын

@@GregorianMG is there really ?? and what colour is the sky ??

@sis-l1i 2 ай бұрын

한국인 남편이 가난하고 능력이 없어서 낙후되고 열악한 동네에 사셨나 봐요.당신의 수준도 비슷하기 때문에 결혼까지 하고 능력이 없어서 무례하고 끔찍한 사람들만 사는 열악한 지역에 사신 거겠지만 ^ ^; 당신이 만난 사람들이 대체로 무례하고 끔찍하다면, 보통은 높은 확률로 당신이 무례하고 끔찍하기 때문일 겁니다. 그래서 남편도 당신 같은 낮은 수준의 사람일 확률이 높아 보입니다. 남편의 모국을 타국과 비교하면서 남편 모국을 폄하하는 짓을 하는 와이프의 수준..한국인 남편 힘내세요. 화이팅~ 돈도 없고 능력 없는 한국인 남편과 사는 어디인지 모를 국적의 외국인 와이프의 삶에 대해서도 깊은 애도를 표합니다.화이팅~

@7oclock239 2 ай бұрын

Your comment may be right and may be wrong. Do you think you're truly open-minded to other societies? I don't know.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

At times, I have found it difficult to accept the social norms, but, with time, reflection, and better understanding, it has been easier

@etvow 2 ай бұрын

Everybody loves "Korea sucks' videos

@adurasarangheyo9597 2 ай бұрын

I FEEL SORRY FOR ALL OF THE PPL WHO DONT FIT INTO YOUR NARROWMINDEDNESS.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

hahaha but it doesn't really

@bon12121 2 ай бұрын

Nice vid.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

Thank you for watching. I appreciate your time.

@wonhong8287 2 ай бұрын

You like a country, everything of the country looks cool. You don't like a country, you see all bad things only.

@chrisschumann404 14 сағат бұрын

I think a lot of foreigners that move here do think the country looks cool, but they have a warped perception of what it's actually like due the glamorization of the country through media