Saturday, November 14, 2009

Koreans

Ok, I need to go on a mini rant here for a post because I am feeling way out of place. I don't know how I am supposed to relate to these people I am teaching. I live, eat and breathe travel and almost all of the students (and staff) have just arrived here for their first trip ever away from Korea, or have never left the Philippines in the case of the other tutors. Thus, there is a huge mentality gap to go with the cultural gap because many of them don't even want to travel. Funny that because the students are supposed to continue to Australia after here and a few have already told me they don't want to go anymore.
Imagine that they've just arrived from Korea (which they have). They are still eating Korean food for all 3 meals, cooked by a Korean. I eat the same food. They complain about the heat (well, ya, Korea isn't tropical but this weather doesn't phase me much anymore). Half the students are sick most of the time. And the other half are sick the rest of the time. It's crazy how wimpy they are. Then again, half the Filipino tutors are sick as well..... hmmm......
But, the most ridiculous and impossible thing for me to deal with is the cleanliness paranoia. I think they must all be hypochondriacs or something because they have way too much hand sanitizer going on around here. All well and good to be clean, but they judge me based on it. We have a cleaning staff of 3 that do our laundry, serve the food and mop the floors. I'd eat off the floors in the hallway (no I haven't actually done it). They are not dirty to me at all. I want to walk from my room to the water cooler in the hall, a grand total of about 10 steps, in bare feet and they completely freak out. They think I'm some sort of sick animal or depraved lunatic. Heaven forbid I should not have shoes on right up until the moment I go to sleep. Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd go barefoot everywhere, even to my classes. I was barefoot everywhere in Koh Tao and at home in Singapore. It's terrible to have to put on shoes to walk down the hall just so I don't give someone a heart attack.
Ok, I think I'm ranted out. Whew!
Ammon

6 Comments:

At 1:53 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

hang in there dude.. change (in mentality) takes time & you've been very lucky to see so much of the world... i know it can get frustrating.. i got some freekish looks for walking barefoot in Sg too hehehehe :)

take it easy,
Jx

 
At 2:16 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Talk about the book 'War of the Worlds'. Remember what killed the aliens off?

 
At 5:43 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

And no wonder the girls avoid you, you slob. lol

 
At 3:21 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

People suck. Dr. Ammon doesn't. Show the bastards what a thinking person looks like.

-Rh.

 
At 3:33 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Ammon, I havent read any blogs in a long time I just spent 2 hours doing some catch up. Keep on writing be do check in from time to time.
Malcolm

 
At 7:06 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you had a time machine...go to the USA, back to the early 1970s, many college students were going barefoot to classes, and everywhere else all over the country. Big fad then. Rebelling against society's social and cultural norms. Now they are mostly conformists, there just to join the corporate world later.

 

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