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[Kuro Madoushi]

Anybody else receive one as well?

Unfortunately, I'll be going to Korea

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

Anybody else receive one as well?

Unfortunately, I'll be going to Korea

 

[BugCatcher]

 

[demon]

"owned!"

 

[nitewulf]

Anybody else receive one as well?

Unfortunately, I'll be going to Korea

why unfortunately?
south korea is super cool. hot chics, nice cars, good food. what more you need?
as far as the far east goes, any country...malaysia, thailand, singapore are just as good as japan for living. they just dont get the hype because gamers have this fascination w/ japan.

 

[Kuro Madoushi]

I didn't mean "unfortunately" as in "goddamn it I'm going to Korea instead of Japan" I meant "it came too late to have any impact on me going to teach overseas"

I agree with you completely nitewulf - Just hope they won't give me trouble cause I'm Chinese Canadian...heard lots of contradicting reports...

demon - :lol Yeah I'm a little worried about that...will have to find the quickest way to the Canadian Embassy if all hell breaks loose

 

[Pedigree Chum]

Is there a Jet equivalent in Canada? Also, is this through TESOL/TEFOL? Or did you apply to this after doing an undergrad/Bachelors of Ed?

Edit: Omit my first Q, but my last 2 Q's still stand.

 

[Kuro Madoushi]

ummm....you got 3 questions there pedigree...but...

JET is from the Japanese government and their goal is to hire native English speakers to teach English in public schools throughout Japan. So they even hire us Canucks to teach there...

This is not though TESOL or TEFOL

I applied to JET after undergrad, you don't need your bachelors of education to apply for JET

 

[Pedigree Chum]

ummm....you got 3 questions there pedigree...but...

JET is from the Japanese government and their goal is to hire native English speakers to teach English in public schools throughout Japan. So they even hire us Canucks to teach there...

This is not though TESOL or TEFOL

I applied to JET after undergrad, you don't need your bachelors of education to apply for JET

Very cool, I'll look in to it after my undergrad. Thanks.

 

[BugCatcher]

why unfortunately?
south korea is super cool. hot chics, nice cars, good food. what more you need?
as far as the far east goes, any country...malaysia, thailand, singapore are just as good as japan for living. they just dont get the hype because gamers have this fascination w/ japan.

You really think so? South Korea is still a pretty poor country compared to Japan. It's really weird that they have the highest broadband penetration in the world, high-tech cell phones on par with Japan and so on, yet they don't have clean drinking water. I mean, their largest bill (10,000 won) is only worth about $10, which gives you some idea of how much cheaper things are there, and the larger supermarkets I went to made you leave your bag/backpack in a locker to prevent theft. Why do you think so many exchange students who come to Japan from other asian countries spend all their time slaving away at crappy low-wage jobs? Even a shit job at a convenience store is big money back home, which is where they send all the money they earn. I wouldn't say that the standard of living is close at all. Also, from what I've read, the way the government treats foreigners makes Japan seem downright cosmopolitan in comparison. What I've read also makes the South Koreans seem more xenophobic than the Japanese, but fortunately I didn't have any negative experiences when I was there. Then again, my Korean was limited to some greetings, counting and asking how much things cost

 

[nitewulf]

You really think so? South Korea is still a pretty poor country compared to Japan. It's really weird that they have the highest broadband penetration in the world, high-tech cell phones on par with Japan and so on, yet they don't have clean drinking water. I mean, their largest bill (10,000 won) is only worth about $10, which gives you some idea of how much cheaper things are there, and the larger supermarkets I went to made you leave your bag/backpack in a locker to prevent theft. Why do you think so many exchange students who come to Japan from other asian countries spend all their time slaving away at crappy low-wage jobs? Even a shit job at a convenience store is big money back home, which is where they send all the money they earn. I wouldn't say that the standard of living is close at all. Also, from what I've read, the way the government treats foreigners makes Japan seem downright cosmopolitan in comparison. What I've read also makes the South Koreans seem more xenophobic than the Japanese, but fortunately I didn't have any negative experiences when I was there. Then again, my Korean was limited to some greetings, counting and asking how much things cost

the relative wealth of the countries is irrelevant, as he is getting paid in canadian dollars. whatever he would be able to do in japan, in SK he would be able to do for much less.
all of these countries are cosmopolitan, go to malaysia and stay in kualalumpur. it's as big a city as any with higher skyscrapers than american cities.
singapore is probably a lot cleaner and nicer to live in than tokyo, osaka etc.
for instance, do you think hong kong is any less cosmopolitan than tokyo or new york? no, it isnt.
as far as xenophobia goes, i noticed if you're white you get treated nicely everywhere. i dont know how koreans might treat a chinese canadian, or in my case, a bangladeshi. japan might be better in that regard, or might not. but you gotta understand, the big cities are always more cosmopolitan than the rest of the country.

 

[Trizten Dareeque]

JET is a great cultural experience.

 

[sprsk]

From what I hear it is also a lot harder to bag Korean babes.

I mean let's face it Japan spoils us, too easy.

i also hear korean women are mean

 

[Fresh Prince]

I saw a piece on Korea about how parents are forcing their children to speak English (making them go to school on Weekends, after normal school or even the most dramatic sceanrio making their children have tounge surgery so they can prenounce words better etc). Though some of it was for maths, science etc as well.
Basically they were saying Japan has this, China has that etc- what does Korea have? Nothing really- that's why we need English so we can be part of a global business world! I felt sorry for the kids. When you go make sure you let them relax etc.

 

[cvxfreak]

www.prisonerofwonderland.com

Have fun.

 

[whytemyke]

why unfortunately?
south korea is super cool. hot chics, nice cars, good food. what more you need?
as far as the far east goes, any country...malaysia, thailand, singapore are just as good as japan for living. they just dont get the hype because gamers have this fascination w/ japan.

Especially Burma. The Burmese looovvveeee white people. And singapore has one of the strictest penal codes in the world. It's a beautiful place to go as long as you don't break any of their stupid nuanced laws, otherwise you're going to jail, then a nice visit to the US embassy and then a really nice trip out of there in a C-130. Malaysia is nice as long as you're near kualalampur, and thailand... well... they know where the money is.

 

[rareside]

Congrats on your letter.. I've thought about going to Korea and/or Japan to teach English, but in the end I only applied for JET. Part of it was that I spent a good time in college studying the language, as well as spending my final college semester abroad in Nagoya.

Apparently, I got a letter from JET today annoucing my status as an alternate. Now I've got to return the letter and *wait* even longer to see if I get offered a position. I know lots of alternates get selected (for obvious reasons - you're declining your acceptance), but I'm still completely unsure about whether or not I'll even accept if they do end up asking me.

Decisions decisions... How the hell do you know what to DO with your LIFE!?!? I need some direction in my life. Direct me GAF... direct me.

 

[BugCatcher]

the relative wealth of the countries is irrelevant, as he is getting paid in canadian dollars. whatever he would be able to do in japan, in SK he would be able to do for much less.
all of these countries are cosmopolitan, go to malaysia and stay in kualalumpur. it's as big a city as any with higher skyscrapers than american cities.
singapore is probably a lot cleaner and nicer to live in than tokyo, osaka etc.
for instance, do you think hong kong is any less cosmopolitan than tokyo or new york? no, it isnt.
as far as xenophobia goes, i noticed if you're white you get treated nicely everywhere. i dont know how koreans might treat a chinese canadian, or in my case, a bangladeshi. japan might be better in that regard, or might not. but you gotta understand, the big cities are always more cosmopolitan than the rest of the country.

I was only talking about SK, but thanks for suggesting that I don't think Hong Kong is cosmopolitan. What I mean is that SK is even more homogeneous than Japan, and Japan's population is 99% Japanese. Yeah, places like Tokyo are cosmopolitan, but as a country I don't think it's true, and definitely not about SK. It's also hardly true that if you're white you get treated nicely everywhere; a lot of the time you're sheltered from xenophobia and racism by the language barrier of the country you're in. There's no shortage of annoyances that drive foreigners nuts in Japan, both in how Japanese treat you and discrimination by the government. Westerners on vacation who don't speak Japanese never realize it's there, and come away with this unnaturally rosy view of the country. Most of the foreigners who live there get used to the way things are, but that doesn't mean that the problems don't exist. And as backwards as Japan still is about this, AFAIK the SK government keeps an even tighter leash on foreigners, which doesn't exactly endear them to me.

Don't get me wrong, I had a good time in Korea, and I had nothing but pleasant experiences. Well, except for the food; I hate spicy stuff, so I mostly ate rice, gyoza and pabingsu Maybe you can say that one place is just as good as the other, if you're a tourist. But I don't see how you can make that comparison in the long term.

On the bright side, if Kuro's already got some basic Japanese down, Korean should be a piece of cake to learn! I'd love to study it again, given the chance. Kuro, are you going to be taking any language classes while you are there?

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

say hello to kim-jong-il or to any of those starcraft players. cheating bastards.

 

[AntoneM]

speaking of Korea and games, could you do me a huge favor and kill whoever it was at NCsoft that decided to use the same port that Napster used to use for Lineage 2? I can't play the game anymore since I'm on campus and that port is still throttled to all hell, and the fucking jerks at NCsoft won't change ports!

 

[nitewulf]

I was only talking about SK, but thanks for suggesting that I don't think Hong Kong is cosmopolitan. What I mean is that SK is even more homogeneous than Japan, and Japan's population is 99% Japanese. Yeah, places like Tokyo are cosmopolitan, but as a country I don't think it's true, and definitely not about SK. It's also hardly true that if you're white you get treated nicely everywhere; a lot of the time you're sheltered from xenophobia and racism by the language barrier of the country you're in. There's no shortage of annoyances that drive foreigners nuts in Japan, both in how Japanese treat you and discrimination by the government. Westerners on vacation who don't speak Japanese never realize it's there, and come away with this unnaturally rosy view of the country. Most of the foreigners who live there get used to the way things are, but that doesn't mean that the problems don't exist. And as backwards as Japan still is about this, AFAIK the SK government keeps an even tighter leash on foreigners, which doesn't exactly endear them to me.

Don't get me wrong, I had a good time in Korea, and I had nothing but pleasant experiences. Well, except for the food; I hate spicy stuff, so I mostly ate rice, gyoza and pabingsu Maybe you can say that one place is just as good as the other, if you're a tourist. But I don't see how you can make that comparison in the long term.

On the bright side, if Kuro's already got some basic Japanese down, Korean should be a piece of cake to learn! I'd love to study it again, given the chance. Kuro, are you going to be taking any language classes while you are there?

sorry, didnt mean to put words in your mouth, i just dont think japan is the ONLY place to go in asia.
i could take you around a trip in bangladesh, and you'll have the time of your life. i bet you.
personally i like thai food and chicks...so may be im biased. and i know for sure singapore IS very nice. and so is dubai. there are just so many places to go in the mid east/far east that ppl should look beyond japan. IMO.
sorry.

 

[HAOHMARU]

I've lived in Japan, been to Singapore twice and was in South Korea for a week. South Korea looks and feels like an industrial wasteland. Parts of the capital are ok, but definately nothing spectacular.

Singapore was pretty awesome. Very clean city and lots of things to do. I rank it third in all of the cities I've visited. Good Thai food, plenty of American style resturants and great shopping.

Hong Kong is a little rough around the edges. Its a beautiful city from the bay looking in. No where as clean as Singapore or even Tokyo. Awesome food, great architecture of some of the buildings.

All of Japan has a special place in my heart though. I loved Tokyo and its prefectures, I lived in Yokohama for 2 years, Kyoto and its temples/shrines were amazing, Kamakura, Osaka, Nagano. I never got a chance to explore Nagasaki or Hiroshima...I will when I go back. I've been to Okinawa like 5 times, but it was always business...never got a chance to look around.

 

[BugCatcher]

sorry, didnt mean to put words in your mouth, i just dont think japan is the ONLY place to go in asia.

Aah, now I understand. I agree; there's much more to Asia than just Japan, and you can have a hell of a time wherever you go. I'd love to visit Thailand, Hong Kong and mainland China someday, myself

 

[Lyte Edge]

Anybody else receive one as well?

Unfortunately, I'll be going to Korea

Congrats on getting the job in Korea (what is it for? Teaching English?) and for the JET acceptance.

I got picked as an ALTERNATE for JET. I've been told that all the alternates for the last two years ended up going; I hope so since it's the only job I applied for after graduating college in December. I figure it just gives me more time to lose weight; I'm overweight and want to go overseas much more in shape than I am now.

 

[kumanoki]

Congratulations to all of you guys. I'll be finishing up after four years in Japan. I'm sad to leave, but I'm getting really happy about being back home, too. If you guys have any questions about the JET Program or any general questions on what to expect, please drop me a PM.

 

[DCharlie]

"I've lived in Japan, been to Singapore twice and was in South Korea for a week. South Korea looks and feels like an industrial wasteland. Parts of the capital are ok, but definately nothing spectacular."

the Soeul night life was fantastic IMO.

 

[norinrad21]

the Soeul night life was fantastic IMO.

Samaria

 

[DCharlie]

what's not to like about it ? It was pretty fantastic.

Didn't you enjoy it when you went?

 

[Kuro Madoushi]

Whoa...late with the responses

Yes, I am leaving for Seoul to teach English.

I'll TRY to take some languages classes...but I'm going to spend more time traveling. The brochures made Seoul look amazing.

I've been to Hong Kong and I loved every minute of it, and a lot of people tell me Seoul is much like Hong Kong.

If you're an alternate for JET you don't have to worry as I've heard they'll likely all get hired.

If Korean women are so mean, why are they treating me so nicely? Many of the students at my school now offered to cook a meal for me when I'm over there; show me around; and introduce me to people.

I'm actually getting paid 2 million won... so I'd be making anywhere from 2200 - 2700 CAD. Additionally, a lot of my students here said they'd get me students for private tutoring in Korea, so I can make an extra 400 for 16 hours per month.

It's not that hard to get a Korean girlfriend...I've already got one and I'm not even there yet.

I've read that some South Koreans are a little hostile towards foreigners, but it's mainly the older generation who have a bone to pick with Americans. From all accounts, South Koreans treat foreigners pretty well...and some women are crazy for the caucasians from what I've heard, in fact, there was a scandal recently where some fucker shot his mouth off about how easy Korean women where. Additionally, a teacher I work with here recounted some of his personal stories...and...well...let's say Koreans are a really friendly bunch. The thing is, most Koreans are a little shy and can be a little cold or distant until you get to know them really well and then they get really close and you're all buddy-buddy.

Anyways, main reasons I'm going to Korea instead of Japan
- Company accepted me sooner, and it's non-profit (shut up, I know it is...)
- Their pay isn't as good as JET, but I get a month's paid vacation, and a bonus month's salary when I complete my contract, so that's 11 months of working for 13 months of wages.
- I get really good health benefits, I pay 20% of medical costs
- The people working at the company are so freakin friendly!!!
- Accommodations and airfare (roundway) is provided
- I just got a Korean girlfriend
- Tonnes of my students are going to show me around and hang out with me as soon as they get back from Canada.