Korean Driving

So it occured to me yesterday while on the bus, to THANK GOD for making it through the bus ride. (Both to and from school). When we first arrived in Korea we were told that the transportation system was cheap and fast. We assumed the subway and buses were on time and of course cheap. Well they definitely are cheap. It's less than a dollar for one way and only charges more depending on the amount of time spent on your particular mode of transportation.

Taxis are also super cheap. Most start at a base fare of $2.25. And then only go up 10-20 cents every few m/km. (not sure which...) This makes returning home after a night of drinking incredibly easy. I just have to know how to say Suwon Station and I'm on my way. Keeping in mind the entire time that this driver has my life in his hands and maybe, just maybe, if I don't pay attention to his driving I won't have a panic attack.

I take the bus every day: To and From school. I have two choices for routes: 31 (the more direct route of the two) or 30 (less direct but stops at a Dunkin Donuts near my school). I realized yesterday that I should watch for which bus I take in the afternon because HOLY CRAP if I take the 30 on my way home, I obviously have a death wish that day.

Since being here i have not seen one accident, which is a shock in and of itself. There are little to no traffic laws here. And if there are, no one (not even police) follow them. The buses are flat fronted so they (without hesitation) pull up on the back end of another car or bus. My 30 bus driver never stays inside his lane, frequently has bursts of Korean road rage, and tailgates every single motor vehicle on the road. AND THEN proceeds to honk them out of the way. Regardless of whether or not it's a red light. When I mentioned that my driver doesn't stay in his lane, I don't mean it's like driving on I-85 in traffic, he drives on the OTHER side of the road, if need be.

There are a ton of people here, and most take public transportation, but there are a fair amount of car owners and taxis on the road. Thus, Monday morning traffic is just as we all know and love it. However, if you are a big green bus, you can just honk and wrangle your way through ALL lanes to get where you need to be.

Once you arrive at your destination, say a silent (or not so silent depending on how bad the ride was) prayer that you made it safely.

First Blog, a wee bit late.

So a bit about me.

I graduated with an BA in English about a year ago. Since then I've been working in retail, travelling and basically getting through life after college. Summer of 2009 I spent teaching English in Italy. An experience that I would go back and repeat in a heartbeat. I had so much fun teaching the kids. Not to mention seeing Italy is mind blowing. Coming to South Korea was a bit of a culture shock. I live in Georgia in the US and was no where near prepared for what I found in Korea. And of course coming on the heels of a fantastic summer in Italy didn't help the shock.

I live in Suwon. A bustling mini hub of technology and culture. Right outside of my apartment is the major train station and department store: AK Plaza. When I arrived the Christmas season was just kicking off. So I was sung to sleep every night by bad renditions of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" in Korean. Finally this stopped and now it's just general Korean music. The streets don't stop humming until roughly 12 am on weeknights and much later on weekends.

I teach at an Elementary School called Donghwa Elementary. The kids are really cute, but can be hard to handle sometimes. I have little to no understanding of Korean and I'm here to teach them English, while they (some) have little to no grasp of English. It can be quite a tug o'war.

Well that's enough introductions. I'll be back with more specific posts later! Adios. C~