Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A Few Responses to "Why do Expats Complain"

Responses (in the order I found them): Lunalil, of "Funk Seoul Sister" has posted her reaction here.

My Name Is Joy of "Foreign/er" has posted her reaction here, and a follow-up here, which includes one of my favourite lines so far written on the topic: "when you take a fish out of the water it is going to gasp for air."

Well-said, Joy!



Next, Deborah from "I Really Do Like Kimchi" has this to say.

Thanks, Wangkon, for linking this at The Marmot's Hole; go check out the comment board there; it's usually interesting.

Part two of Gord Sellar's Essaye On Thiyse Streenge Whingeing of Expattes is up, with the first third being most pertinent to this topic, and the last two thirds being a kind of touching love letter to a town where he used to live.

My sister Beckles, who was an expat in Germany for a while, outlines the "stages of culture shock" as they were explained to her, and which I've generally found to be a pretty good description.

Wevegotseoul also posted a few thoughts on the topic, here: they're of special interest, because WevegotSeoul has lived in Taiwan AND Seoul, and can compare the two.

There are interesting discussion boards on Askakorean's write-up, Gord Sellar's first post on the topic, and at my post here, as well as some interesting thoughts on the Marmot Hole's write-up, that are worth reading. (Nobody quite took the troll's bait, so the discussion has remained on the up and up there.)

To all contributors so far: Thanks! To others: go ahead and weigh in. I'll link you, or post it if you e-mail it to me at the address on the sidebar.

p.s.: thanks, DB, from TuesdaysBorrower, for the blog props, AND the highly entertaining rant.

3 comments:

JIW said...

no no no! thanks to you Roboseyo for keeping the sanity out there for us bloggers.

Most of us expats in Korea have college degrees and I feel it is important we put all that training into use.

Although we are like fishes out of the water, some of us manage to get back in the water and go with the flow!

;)

danielle said...

Thank you for your thought-provoking and complaint-investigative blog! I really enjoy reading your stuff and I've humbly offered you the Brilliante Weblog Award. Check out my most recent post to pick up your award, that to my (and perhaps your) disappointment, does not come with a cash prize.

Roboseyo said...

Thanks, too, DB, for adding to the discussion on your site! Sorry, I'm so busy having a real life too, that I'm not quite up to throwing down my own top seven (it would depend on "top seven" for what, anyway) but you can see my faves on my over-crowded sidebar.