Some of the people who come here are just plain weird. I've hinted at it before but never really written about it. The stories I could tell about these people would probably not be believed anyway, so I will give you the watered down versions. On the surface these people are actually very nice, and that's really all you need to function here in Korea, after all Koreans don't really know how we're supposed to act anyway. Get under the surface and you're opening up a whole can of worms.
Some of the people I've met...
This particular person is extremely friendly, and I generally like him. Some of the strange conversations he's had with me and other people include: instead of teaching people English we should hire dolphins and teach people to speak dolphin. His solution to make the world a better place includes getting a machine gun and killing the bad people? I'm not sure how he came about that brilliant plan.
The next person will do anything, and I mean anything if someone challenges him to do it. I won't go into the details but he told me a story that would make your teeth hurt if I told you. He is incapable of standing up to peer pressure and will literally risk his life because of peer pressure. Oh, and he's obsessed with his height. He's stopped talking about it recently but he used to always complain that everyone here is taller than him. Oh, he used to complain about fat chicks with the guy I'm going to talk about next, until he got a girlfriend who is on the heavy side.
The next guy is probably the biggest misogynist I have ever met. I have NEVER had a single conversation with him where he did not bring up his favorite topic "fat chicks". The only time he stops talking about it is when a girl he is interested in enters within earshot. He's incapable of looking me in the eye for some reason, every time I talk to him he has to look away from me. He's never said a single nice thing about anyone here. Oh, and he loves to complain about his roommate. It's kinda funny though, if you're a male in your 20s and you come here agreeing to have a roommate, you are an idiot.
This last one is a girl. First time I met her she told me not to crack my knuckles because it would cause arthritis. I told her that was just a myth and she freaked out...here are some of my favorite quotes from that conversation. "I'm a scientist I majored in biochemistry". "Go ahead and challenge me I used to work in a lab". "Every time you crack your knuckles a little bit of liquid escapes from your bones and thats what causes arthritis". Needless to say she has some serious issues.
These are just a couple of the foreigners I have to deal with. My Korean friends are always wondering why I enjoying spending time with them and not the foreigners. I just tell them they are younger than me, or they always want to go out drinking and I don't. I don't tell them the real reasons...I'm too embarrassed.
