Comments on: Aww, man, some guys got all the luck

By: The_William_G

The_William_G — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:52:56 +0000

The general tone of the piece strikes me as somewhat mean spirited

Really, I found it more sympathetic than that. I guess it’s true that we all bring ourselves to the book, so to speak…

By: dinkus maximus

dinkus maximus — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:28:24 +0000

where does he get off???? writing on a blog website does not qualify as A) real writing or B) art. It’s just glorified whinging. And as for artistis in Korea…..the ones I have met are pretenders. Banging drums in Hongdae….woooohooooooo. coool! bohemian!

By: el kayakista

el kayakista — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:40:42 +0000

i’ll tell you right now. farmer chicks (Gunsan city) are extremely different from seoul or even osan girls. easier to throw game at and much more curious. here in kunsan… ehhh… a bunch of overly conservative, swamp land type thinkers who needs to seriously loosen up. sometimes i’ve turned to the bottle, but i’ve come to discover that there are a few loose cannons out there.

By: Seth Gecko

Seth Gecko — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:28:52 +0000

Guys,
Please let us not forget “what a hundred and fifty bones will get you in Korea”.

*THIS* is expat writing at it’s worst, meaning BEST!

http://www.camobear.ca/index.php?id=23

By: montclaire

montclaire — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:08:30 +0000

Ben
Y-y-you mean he’s THE Rolf Potts?? He’s serious, he’s published, he taught English…he’s the new James Joyce!

By: Ben Eller

Ben Eller — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:08:24 +0000

This is not just some guy. The guy writing the piece is Rolf Potts. He is a serious travel writer and published author who taught English in Korea about ten years ago. Not to be too snippy, but the fact that he was commissioned to write for Slate over you is not a matter of luck.

By: montclaire

montclaire — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 10:12:07 +0000

Hmmm…Guess we can’t fault Pawi for dismissing white Gastarbeiter in Korea as empty headed boozehounds and bimbo collectors when so many are happy to describe themselves in those terms.

By: pawikirogi

pawikirogi — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 08:30:28 +0000

‘i drank more at home; we had better bars and nightlife but there are far more easy whores in east asia so i have more sex here.’ expat comment

my thoughts exactly.

*****

i hope mar’ won’t mind me putting this here:

‘what do you mean boon’s farm, night train, and mad dog? is that some kind of korean american slang?’ expat

i don’t know any korean american slang, but i do know american slang and can verse in it too. it’s seems you can’t. you’re not american are you? any american would understand my references stated in your quote.

*****
if you can speak korean should be watching ‘jumong’. man, the fight scenes represent a new level of sophistication. there’s also a good story with fantastic costumes. good entertainment.

By: montclaire

montclaire — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 07:31:15 +0000

You’re right, usinkorea. But the very word “expat” seems so complacent. The reality, in terms of what most of the English teachers are doing (during and after work, physically and intellectually), and how they are seen by the public, is much closer to: Gastarbeiter.

By: SomeguyinKorea

SomeguyinKorea — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 07:29:20 +0000

It depends how you look at it. For some, being an expat in Korea is more than enough of a good reason to get drunk, even more so if they work at a hagwon.

Actually, I think that Korea lends itself to that sort of behavior.
With a bar at every street corner, it’s almost inevitable that many expats will to turn to the bottle to beat loneliness, boredom, and alienation.