Sup

[thorny_rose]

I'm a, yep you guessed it, English teacher in Japan, originally from North Carolina (or Ohio if you want to go way back). It's a comfortable gig, but I'm thinking it's time to move on. Two things

Comments

[articulate_ink]

Thought I'd say hi. I'm also from North Carolina: Greenville would be the hometown, although I've also lived in New Bern, Durham, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem. And you? I'm teaching Englishy in the suburbs of Seoul at a small university. How are you liking Matsuyama?

[thorny_rose]

Yo! I went to UNC, so I rode through Durham and Greenboro frequently. I'm from Charlotte though. *misses*

Matsuyama is...well...uh...drrr...Matsuyama. ^_^

[claydust]

Starved for diversity in Japan? no way.

I found Singapore to be a bit dull. I'd check out Kuala Lumpur too.

[je11ifysh]

I'll second KL. I'd seriously consider leaving Korea for KL if my gig here wasn't so cushy.

[thorny_rose]

From looking at KL's public transportation facilities, no f'n way.

[je11ifysh]

Really? I found KL's public transport to be quite good and exceptionally clean.

[pei]

Singapore's dull as hell. Ever thought about Hong Kong?

[thorny_rose]

I agree that there isn't anything that'll give prolonged orgasms, BUT it's not Japan and it's not America, so for me, that's different. XD I wasn't planning on anything past a year, and I like the location in Asia, too.

Hong Kong is an idea, but I'd have to develope much more confidence because I know little about China. I was hoping to take Chinese while in Singapore.

[pei]

honestly, HK is so different from what people might think of when someone mentions China...so much of British influence still lingers, and there's a pretty large expat population that lives here, which helps with the transition process. there's so much variety in lifestyle here - you can choose to live amidst a very bustling city, or out on a quiet island a mere half hour ferry away from the central area of business.

don't get me wrong...Singapore's hardly a horrid place to live, but it's rather sterile and lacks the beat of a real city. HK is a nice blend between the local culture and Asian-ness available in Singapore, but with a less constructed feel.

just a snippet of my opinion shaped by the fact that i was born and raised in Singapore, lived in NYC for 10 years, returned to Singapore for a year, and just moved to HK not too long ago.

[wee_tim]

xcultural relationships are like any relationship.

open communications and really understanding what is being shared,
or not shared in a relationship, as well as the goals
of both people in a relationship need to be considered.

often people have relationships to enjoy each others
company, but do not really share the same goals outside of their
mutual enjoyment.

blah...hope that helps, looks like a fun community!

[petite_rani]

i joined the xcultural community. great idea! i can totally relate to the motivation behind creating it. :)

as for singapore, well, my parents live there right now. i wish i could give you input from a professional point of view, but i haven't ever worked there. i can tell you there is a lot of diversity there, but it's almost "standardized" diversity, if that makes sense. the city embraces western developments and is quick to ignore ethnic and eastern cultural points of views easily, in my opinion. but on the other hand, singapore is one of the major developing economies in southeast asia, with promising professional growth in the near future, so that's good? plus, from an educational point of view, there are TONS of schools there. education is definitely valued highly there.

i'm done rambling. haha.

[thorny_rose]

True! Singapore is one of the top countries to do business in! A real plus (except for being expensive. :b)

[pei]

just a quick butt-in...Singapore's hardly a developing economy. and it depends on what you define as ignoring ethnic/eastern cultural points of views...Singapore is one of the most culturally balanced places i know of.