A Look Back at Korea (by some other guy)

I'll have to write something like this too, but I found this pretty interesting. Got it from this site. Wow, he's even in Vancouver! It's about finding girls/women in Korea and I think (if you're a single guy and looking while you're over there) it's about as bang-on as I could write (of course I was never looking, but seen enough of what happens when people do). You could probably use this for gals/guys from anywhere...especially places (like Russia or Venezuela) where the living conditions are a tad worse.

A look back at Korea

It has been almost three years since I have set foot on Korean soil. Time has flown by and I can no look back on Korea with a sense of detachment and logic that previously wasn't there.

I didn't think I would be away from Korea this long, but sometime life takes a person in different directions. I don't think Korean women are any more deceptive than the North American woman, but they can deceive you more easily because you can't speak Korean. In all cultures, there are loyal women and cheaters. Here is some really good advice on dating Korean women:

-She speaks English: I know this is a hard one, but how can you really know each other if you can't communicate. If you are not compatible for the long haul, then it is better to find it out early on in the relationship than later on after you are engaged or married.

-Find someone who doesn't think life in the west is like the set of Friends or some other unrealistic show. Life is tough anywhere and she should know that your better paying career as an ESL teacher will be non-existent in North America. In North America, you'll you the other average joes working at some zombie job just to pay the bills.

-Find a woman who actually can hold down a job and who has some education. You don't want her to be a liability in Korea or back in the States.

-Watch out for the Korean woman who has dated foreign guys in the past. Either she likes new meat, or she is a gold digger. I know it is a blanket statement, but do you really want to be with someone who is with you based on your nationality or race.

-Don't take things too seriously and don't get attached until she has proven herself to you by introducing you as her sweetheart to both her father and mother. If she hasn't done this, then she does not look at you as a serious long-term mate yet or if ever.

-If you leave Korea for any extended period of time and she won't or can't come with you, then cut her loose. Long distance relationships don't work and you'll end up heartbroken in the end. The end of the relationship is the best thing for the both of you.

-Even if you are well off in your home country, or you have a marketable skill that can land you a good job in there, still tell her that you are an average guy in _______ making an average wage (should you return to your home country). If she is a gold digger, you'll find out soon enough.

-If you suspect that she wants you for your citizenship, then tell her that you plan to live in Korea for the rest of your life. This will get rid of any green-card scammer.

-Don't settle. If you don't have a spark with her, or you don't really find her attractive, or you just don't get along, then break it off ASAP. You'd be surprised how quickly a bootie call can turn into a life long obligation.

Again, I am glad for my experiences in Korea, but I have moved on with my life. My job is an average job and here I am not the celebrity but the average guy. But the air is clean; I have space to move and live, I understand this society, and this is a place I can really be confident to put down roots. I just never could feel that way about Korea. It always seemed like a dream that was about to end. It never seemed like a place I could live the rest of my life knowing what life in North America was like. Being with my current girlfriend, I know she is with me, the average joe, and not with me because I am perceived as a celebrity or good-looking in Korea. And no she isn't Korean.

At some point, all of you foreigners in Korea will have to come home (whether that be in GB, Canada, the U.S., Australia, etc.) But how easily will your wife/husband join you and how easy will it be for you wife/husband/kids to integrate in a new culture? These are things you should consider. The money (the amount you can save) is better in Korea, but life is better here in North America.

Bob Peavey
bobpeavey@yahoo.com
756 Bellingham Road
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada

Posted: November 4, 2004