Hi Fam! Some of the statements I make here might be confusing if you don't have context, please watch part 1 of the story if you haven't yet. Link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N1Ql0cX8kF0.htmlsi=9Ffiql-XLPe-qODL
Oh wow, this is very heartwarming❤ I am so glad that you are still part of my journey here, I wish you all the best as you grow in your career and other spheres of life 😍
Welcome back Ruth! SA with all it's challenges is still home... I remember your first video when you landed in Korea, you were thankful for no loadshedding. You so correct about babysitting. There were times when I used to see what is required to make an intro video and I thought this is so not me.... as we all not performers...
Oh yes! 😅 When I first arrived, it was so impressing to look at service delivery and compare it with how things were at home. With time, the excitement about having electricity all the time for example died down, and I had to ask myself more important questions 🫣 Thanks so much for watching ❤
You are so welcome sis. I feel like this specific video was all over the place and just a lot to put together, but I am glad it made sense somehow 🥹♥️🎙
Hi Ruth. Thank you so much for this podcast. I lived in Korea from 2017-2018 and I can say that I agree with EVERYTHING you said 😩 I’m in China now and it is a bit better but because it’s also a homogeneous country, most of the struggles are the same. The only difference here is that the money is better. If you’re a qualified teacher, it’s better to go to the Middle East 🤷🏾♀️
I hear this a lot! One of my friends is actually there now, she said exactly what you are saying. Might be worth it to give China a try, ne? Or even the Middle East 🫣
I’ve watched both of your videos in why you left Korea, and honestly comparing to other content creators in why they left vs yours seems like you are very sensitive about how you look and have extreme self esteem awareness. You judge how others look but you don’t want people to judge you. Not to mention, there is that continuous racism discrimination but there is any racism that occurs in any country you visit or encounter outside of your country. But it seems like you didn’t really enjoy staying there as much as you did but it’s rather causing more fear from people to even try to experience their own going there. I do believe that moving to some other foreign country is a big commitment and people should always understand that not everyone will look at you positively at start but it’s something that you have to be aware of and overcome that to blend in with everyone. If it doesn’t work, there are thousands of others out there who will accept you. It isn’t like 1990s. I’ve noticed one of the comments where they said to try China, but I’ve heard more bad things about racism in China and Japan than Korea. There is one black content creator who left Korea to teach in China, but they feel that they hated China more because she was physically assaulted by her Chinese school HR in the face and no one protected her and police sided with the teacher by telling her that she is to pack up and leave China asap. There will always be some racism and there will always be some differences in looks when you are in another country. This isn’t United States or UK where there are mixed amount of different races. If you can brush them off and overcome that, then no Koreans will bother you. I have two black friends who actually are still in Korea since 2012, and they have been living their life. And yes, with dreadlocks. The only thing I agree with is payment structure for teachers who teach in Korea because the job economy in South Korea is brutal to earn money and make a living with good housing etc.
What you said about the attention to your hair is so real. I have locs so I don’t change from wigs to braids to afro or anything like that, but let’s say I get a side part. At work, there’ll be so many comments from students AND teachers like “teacher, new hairstyle?” I wear my hair in a ponytail “teacher, new hairstyle?” I wear a headband “teacher new hairstyle?” Like it seems nice and harmless but I feel like a spectacle.
"New hairstyle" comments when you have locs is insane! 🤣 Yes it seems very harmless, and it's so difficult to explain to others why these comments can be frustrating. Feeling like a spectacle and being judged according to your looks so intensely and consistently is really draining. Thanks for watching, love and light ❤️
Thanks for sharing your experience in SK with us😊 With all that you've said in both your videos concerning you leaving SK, is it a decision you wish you never took? Or would you go through the experience again with the good and the bad?
@PrincessAkua yup! The point isn't to discouraged anyone from going, but to honestly relate how my experience was and just the down sides of being black in Korea 🥹
Hey Mbali! I would say save as much as you can so that you are not forced to stay beyond year 1 if you change your mind about the length of your stay after the first contract ❤❤
I am so sorry about that. It wasn't my intention to scare you, I just think it's important to portray all sides of the story and not just focus on the good. There were good days and bad days, but the bad days were BAD. It might be a different experience for you, particularly if you are placed in a bigger city and not the rural areas. All the best with your applications ❤
I'm a black American who feels S.Korea is totally overrated. If not for the Kpop craze people would really have very little interest. It is an illusion that will fade out. As Far as beauty standards, It's only in their minds and they need to sell it with the surgeries and one look fits all mentality. However those standards are not widely received or accepted in non Asian countries. People in other countries are not trying to look Asian. They are really competing with each other not the rest of the world. When I hear they are trying to copy the white look I am puzzled because I do not know any white person that looks remotely like them and I've been around a lot coming from a mixed family. White people here are getting tans not trying to become whiter. They are not trying to have heart shape faces. Most surgeries here are to enhance your natural looks or to appear younger. So I really have no idea on what they are trying to achieve honestly.. I can certainly understand how one would be uncomfortable living there. Being that I have visited I could never live in that environment. For me as an American it would be like living in a can of sardines. In my travels there are many desirable places to take up residency but Korea is not one of them. I guess some would call me a spoiled American because for me there is no place like home!
South Korea and Japan are just not the right countries for making money. You'll have to go to China if you want to live in that part of the world and then you also need to be smart about the school and city you go to as living expenses and salaries vary greatly between cities.
We don't talk about this enough hey! Unwelcoming and toxic work environments can begin to change us for the worst, and it's really best to walk away while we still can 🥹❤️🥺 So proud of you for choosing yourself 🫶
Thank you so much sis wam. It was so exciting to relocate in 2022, but after realizing that the experience isn't what I thought I had to be decisive and choose myself 🥹
My sister and I are in Vietnam and we did a video about should you come out here or not lol😂😂😂 tell me why the video ended up being nothing but negativity??? Like we even laughed at the end and said wow this video is so bad but yeah people need to tell the truth for once!! But Vietnam is better than Korea and China. I stand by that 10 toes.
My interest to go to S.K has literally weaned from 100% to zero now! ….the more I get to know about S.Korea the more I think if they themselves do not accept what they see in the mirror how the heck can they accept anyone else except their white gods! Too many horror stories. Please make more stories.
Seems like u had a tough time there. U're cerebral so many things that don't make sense like beauty standards were always going to be problematic to u, and the fact that u didn't enjoy ESL muddies everything. The resentment is palpable and I hope you recover asap. Welcome back home once more.
Girl you went in!…I almost didn’t want to listen so I fast forwarded. I stayed till the end and thumbed up. Girl you left no stone unturned! Well done. I follow the other American lady who left sk for Japan after being spat at on the streets of Korea! And she was working as a model!. A few days ago an African American business owner in Soul married to a Korean guy, invited about 40 clients mainly black visitors to a restaurant that actually wanted to host her. When they arrived at the restaurant, the manager basically ignored her and asked that her korean friends should come in to the restaurant and the blacks including herself should go home. Kept repeating “No Blacks!” She said she was furious…
Oh my gosh 🥺 There was recently an article written on the Korean Herald about an advert published with the words "go back to Africa" said by a white little girl to an African little girl. It's sad that these kinds of things are still happening. Hopefully with time there is change 🙏
OMG sis, you were my tutor at UJ when I was in first year! I looked up to you so much, thanks for watching and commenting ❤❤Most of all, thank you so much to validating my views because sometimes you might gaslight yourself into thinking you just need to calm down and stop overreacting. But to be honest, life as u darkie in Asia is a whooole thing 😫
What a wonderful podcast tank u sis but d reason why we end up applying in foreign countries is Dat our SA system is failing us as graduates. Yhooo when u go to the departments u get comments like thrs no jobs, no budget to hire new teachers my God forgetting that some of us r trying to win the battles our parents never won its jst soooo sad being unable to provide for your family while u worked sooo much to get Dat degree yhoo💔
You are so right about this sad truth sisi 💔🥺 We don't go abroad because siyathanda, it's external circumstances such as unemployment that push us out of our home country. We also have to break generational cycles of poverty as the first ones to graduate in our families and so on. The struggles of the Black Child are never ending 🥺💔
