Asian Drivers...It's all true.

It’s strange to describe a place that could only have ever existed in my imagination. I wouldn’t say that I have led an exceptionally sheltered life, but I will say that I am very naïve. I usually only studied what was required in classes and rarely stepped off my routine path of life. Spending everyday in a rhythmic schedule kept me stable. My jobs, family, friends…everything. It all had its place. Everything is different here and not just mildly different, but remarkably different. Let me make it clear first off, that different is not necessarily a bad thing, just a…different thing.

1. Driving- for the love of gawd, driving here is a death wish. We’re not talking about in Portland where blinkers are slightly optional. Here, Red lights are optional. Literally. Stop signs don’t seem to exist and speed limits are just suggested. I will never jaywalk in Korea unless I am making a suicide attempt. Even when the ‘green man’ pops up telling me to walk, one must be cautious. Cars will go to take a right turn without looking or stopping. If on a side street, find some form of curb or something to walk on. Cars will go just as fast in an alley as they would on free road. Think high speed police chase. Never do as I did on my first day and walk in the middle of an alley with headphones. Also, u-turns are permitted just about anywhere and in some cases, actually are the flow of traffic and the only way to get from one place to another. In short, being in a car in Korea is horrifying. Walking near a car here is horrifying and the thought of driving here would give me nightmares for at least a year. Jeff- your assumptions of Asian drivers hold true here. Not completely confirmed, but I’m investigating.

2. Samsung- They make everything here. My television. My washing machine. My phone. The car that parks out front of my apartment. SM5- Samsung Motors 5. Which by the way, all the cars here are Kia, Daewoo, Samsung, and Hyndai. The cars that get all ‘suped’ up actually put chevrolet logos on them to make them appear more western. Slightly hilarious and ridiculous. It’s like seeing a miata with a giant chrevolet sign. It’s obvious it doesn’t fit and makes the whole scene look hilarious. (Did I forget to mention some of these Chevrolet types put curtains on their windows? Like old school rapist vans but on a new sedan. It’s hilarious)

3. To end my ranting about cars in Korea, I’ll say that nearly every car has a television. We’re not just talking a mild distraction talking on the phone while in the car. We’re talking watching the news while texting on your cell phone while being a TAXI DRIVER! Yes, I’m paying this man to watch his soaps, text his wife, and somehow get me to point B in one piece. When I was on the bus from Seoul to Gumi, it wasn’t the glare of headlights that kept waking me up, it was every passing car and their damned televisions on their dash. Televisions in cars are apparently illegal here, but I don’t think I’ve seen a car without them. You push a button on the screen and it turns to a GPS system, another button and it’s back to watching the Simpsons in high definition. I didn’t even have cable in the states and here they even have it in their cars. Needless to say, I never miss the CSI shows I’ve begun to like. It’s the only American show they show here….NCIS, Bones, The Mentalist, etc. I will come out of Korea as a super sleuth for sure.

Oh and in case it isn’t completely apparent… I love it here. I’m really enjoying the change of pace my life has taken. Everyday there’s something new, something I’ve never seen before. I’m sure it’ll grow old quick and the reminder of how much I miss my friends and family will sink in, but for now, I’m pretty content. In 10 minutes I have my final class of the day, then a nap, then read another chapter in my book, then off to Daegu for a night out with a few foreigners and some locals. The bars don’t close until 6 AM and there’s always a cheap love motel to fall asleep at on any corner. It’s not just a walk of shame here, it’s a bus ride, a taxi ride, and then a walk. We’ll see if it’s worth it.