u/lilfortunate

26F American seeking advice re 25F Korean national who has targeted me with disturbing behavior.

I 26F am staying in a roommate situation for an international volunteering project. I am in Korea for 2 months and I have a week left before leavimg.

There are 5 girls here between 20-26 and one 25F who has been living here for a year to work a real job. The rest of us are international volunteers who stay 1 or 2 months to work at a hotel.

For the first month, I found it easy to make friends with everyone and didnt have any real issues with anybody. The 25F Korean girl who lives here had been a bit reclusive, not so open to hanging out with us, a bit hard to have a conversation with us etc. So we just let her come out of her shell on her own.

Last week she started paying special attention to me (for whatever reason, idk we dont have much in common at all). She would randomly come into my room (shared by 3 people) and start talking in a weird high pitch voice and would grab my hand and try to start a conversation.

For the most part I have been friendly with her but her way of speaking put me off from really getting close with her. Only with me she will speak in a baby voice, make strange exaggerated facial expressions, and say nonsensical things.

For example I will just sit on the couch and she will come up to me and say "wOuLd yOu LikE tO cOmE tO mY pArTy?????" In that weird creepy voice. Or she will send me a random DM saying something completely irrelevant like "Do you want to visit Russia with me?"

We are not close friends but she goes out of her way to pretend like we are. She will grab my hands and cuddle with me on the couch while having a nonsensical conversation that leads nowhere. She seems to be liked by everyone else and treats everyone else with respect.

The other day she popped into my room complaining that she hates her job and wanted a bunch of advice from me about what to do. I just wanted to help so I talked thru it with her for a few minutes and she acted super overly friendly the whole time?

I was a bit weirded out but I assumed she was just not good at making friends so i let it go. Anyway this week we ended up spending a lot of time together because i wanted to buy a new camera and she knew a place so we went together. And the next day we went on a long walk together.

She seemed to be acting normal during these outings but toward the end of the day would get snarky with me.

The next day we watched a movie with all the roommates and she kept holding my hand or poking me in a silly manner. Again I just thought she was really really awkward or something. But she seemed tobe having fun so I left it alone. I thought I was helping her come out of her shell etc.

Unfortunatley she seems to have turned the wrong corner and now she cannot hang out with me without saying something backhanded or making me extremely unsettled and uncomfortable.

We went to the grocery store together and it was perfectly normal but suddenly she became a totally different person, keeping my groceries away from me and holding my hand and creepily saying "I just wanna make you happy" or "lets go home and make out!" But she would always frame it as a joke.

Finally yesterday I was just laying on my bed and she came up to me with a camcorder and started recording me while insulting my appearance from afar??? I was just on my phone and she said "oh you have such a big nose and your room is really messy".

I just ignored her and decided not to engage with her anymore after this incident. Now she cannot stop following me around asking me if I am mad and grabbing me in some fake hug. She keeps making excuses to find me alone to confront me about why i "look mad at her".

Its getting totally out of hand at this point I started telling some of the other girls that shes being so creepy to me. Unfortunately it seems like she acts like this exclusively with me and the other girls cannot relate. I have one roommate who is empathetic and is a bit concermed as well.

But I dont really know where to go from here, why she is acting SO bizzarely toward me, or what I have done to make myself a target. I am not really a people pleaser or insecure about anything, I think I come off as very friendly and personable. I dont have low self esteem and im not in a particularly vulnerable spot in life.

Does anyone have any insight into this odd situation? Is there something I have done to attract this behavior?

Hey I'm white American 25F I was recently solo traveling in Rome and ran into a REALLY BIZARRE situation.

I was eating alone in an empty restaurant by Termini in the middle of the day when an older black man came in.

He was wearing the traditional black priest outfit with collar and had a briefcase.

The waiter welcomed him but the man immediately came over and asked to be sat directly next to me?? I was in the middle of eating so I didn't say anything at that point.

The waiter was a bit awkward about it because obviously the whole restaurant was empty??? He could have sat anywhere.

Anyway he started talking to me asking where I'm from and how I'm enjoying Rome etc. I was trying to be friendly because I ASSUMED he was some holy man who was about to preach and demand I convert to his religion.

He told me he was canadian and was in town for some catholic event. This was obviously a lie because he sounded and looked Nigerian.

He said he was on his way to Dubai and that I SHOULD COME WITH HIM?????

I let him know I am married (I AM!!!!) and he just asked where my husband was. I told him he's home working so I can travel.

He stopped eating the food he had ordered, said it tasted bad and asked for the check.

He finally just paid and walked out and said bye it was nice talking.

I'm wondering if this is some sort of scam? Was I being propositioned for a role as a human toilet in Dubai (look it up), or is he just a weirdo?

Please I have never before had something like this happen in my life!!!

Hey I'm white American 25F I was recently solo traveling in Rome and ran into a REALLY BIZARRE situation.

I was eating alone in an empty restaurant by Termini in the middle of the day when an older black man came in.

He was wearing the traditional black priest outfit with collar and had a briefcase.

The waiter welcomed him but the man immediately came over and asked to be sat directly next to me?? I was in the middle of eating so I didn't say anything at that point.

The waiter was a bit awkward about it because obviously the whole restaurant was empty??? He could have sat anywhere.

Anyway he started talking to me asking where I'm from and how I'm enjoying Rome etc. I was trying to be friendly because I ASSUMED he was some holy man who was about to preach and demand I convert to his religion.

He told me he was canadian and was in town for some catholic event. This was obviously a lie because he sounded and looked Nigerian.

He said he was on his way to Dubai and that I SHOULD COME WITH HIM?????

I let him know I am married (I AM!!!!) and he just asked where my husband was. I told him he's home working so I can travel.

He stopped eating the food he had ordered, said it tasted bad and asked for the check.

He finally just paid and walked out and said bye it was nice talking.

I'm wondering if this is some sort of scam? Was I being propositioned for a role as a human toilet in Dubai (look it up), or is he just a weirdo?

Please I have never before had something like this happen in my life!!!

What is the important detail that makes your life strictly yours? What was that special defining moment that made you who you are?

It doesn't have to be traumatic (but can), just something that changed you from a NPC into the main character of your life.

It could even just be a moment you came up with an idea or learned something new online.

Well I 31F have a year long solo trip coming up where I'm selling everything and traveling SEA.

I'm only going with a rolling backpack and my purse stacked on top, and I wonder if that is still considered backpacking???

I just went on a trip to Wales with just a traditional backpack (no wheels) and it was awful. I have EDS and carrying it around was painful and honestly unnecessary.

This time I figured I absolutely must have something with wheels because my body is just not built for carrying weight.

Anyway, how should I be referring to this trip? Am I a backpacker? Am I just a regular tourist?

Help a girl out

The only thing I did differently this time was add shredded mozzarella

Hi friends I'm looking to backpack Southeast Asia in August with the plan of finding a job and moving there long term. Visiting Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia for about a year.

I'm coming from the US and I will have my tefl certificate done online before I go. My question is,

I'm not sure which country I will settle in though I'm mostly interested in Thailand, but I hope to find the place for me while I am touring abroad.

Given that I haven't settled on a destination and haven't applied for any jobs I also haven't prepared my legal paperwork because in the US I believe you must pick a country before having the documents apostilled.

So my plan right now is to just get my birth certificate bachelor's degree and tefl certificate together and give them to an American friend in the US so that once I find the right opportunity I can just text her and have her do any paperwork for me from home.

I'm also concerned about the police background check and wonder if I can do it while abroad or if I should take a chance and do it in the US though it will only be valid 6 months and I'm not sure if I will find a job within 6 months.

How do you guys recommend that I prepare for this trip given my circumstances? Im also not clear on the exact documents they will need from me.

Thank you all

​

I'm specifically looking for an e Version of You're Not Crazy It's Your Mother by Danu Morrigan

Thanks friends

Has anyone been worldpacking lately and been disappointed on arrival?

For example the accommodation was worse than expected, a host s-xually harrased you, the work was really bad, hours were totally misrepresented etc.

And please share what hosts they are so we avoid them

Like for example at a hostel or language school?

If so, how did you get all your documents and things squared away while abroad?

Or how did it go down in general?

UPDATE: It's been confirmed through a previous guest that the host is a sexual predator and WP has taken down multiple negative reviews for his homestay. Thanks guys for all your help! Don't stay in a WP homestay alone with a man and his cat!!! All the reviews appear positive but the negative ones are erased!!!!

I found a host in Beijing that seems suspicious just at a glance, I wanted to ask what you guys think:

Host is a single Chinese man (25-35??) living alone in an apartment with a cat.

It's advertised as a homestay where volunteers pretty much just cook and clean for up to 5 hours a day.

I opened an application to see what he asks, and it's standard questions about yourself... but he also wants to know your date and place of birth for "zodiac purposes"...

There are only 7 reviews, mostly women, but all 5 stars.

As a woman myself, I struggle to understand what would make a woman spend weeks living alone with a man in his private apartment?

I get it if it's a farmstay or hostel or something but this is just his personal residence and the tasks are just maid duties.

The zodiac question is tripping me up because I know there's a huge marriage crisis over there and zodiac is one of the most important things they ask when looking for a "match".

What do you guys think? Is it sus or am I overthinking it???

안녕하세요

I am an american lady 26, relatively fit and I will be in Busan for 1 month in August-September.

Can someone please recommend affordable beginner surf lessons, can be individual or group.

Something Under $35/hr maybe? I plan to take a lesson 2x per week

I will only have a one piece bathing suit and will have to rent/borrow all other equipment.

One thing may be a problem, I am 5'6" 190lbs, very muscular but slightly overweight.

Please let me know if you have recommendations or suggestions for my adventures!

감사합니다