Korea is a country which is difficult to pin down in writing. It is contradicting in a way that can make your head spin.
First, there's the mind-blowing technology alongside a paddy-field mentality. 300km per hour bullet trains leaving everyone still on"African time" in the dust...
But to maintain this slick, synchronized technological marvel demands a few extreme measures. At the bottom of the public transport pyramid is the bus that takes us plebs from Mokcheon into Cheonan City (for the necessities like groceries, Starbucks coffee and intelligent conversation!) Because of my regular need of these three things, I've thrown in my lot with a dubious (if cheap, and regular) form of pubic transportation.
1) Confucius say: the bus is never full.
There is always place for one more. "Standing room only" is a misleading term, as you will probably find yourself supported by the knees, legs and heads of various passengers. Koreans have no sense of personal space, so when the final 10 pm bus comes past..everyone and his geriatric grandmother has to be on it. Korea has a large population and on some Sunday nights, I believe that they are all sharing a bus with me.
2) Ride the roller coaster on your way.
As the bus races around precipitous turns at the speed it needs to to be on time at the next stop, you start feeling the floor shifting under you. When it turns right, you are thrown right, when it turns left, you are thrown left (generally into many other people!) and when it stops passengers skid forward out of their chairs and into the standing passengers or across the floor. Foreigners fare much worse than locals, who have generally learnt how to "surf the bus" since they were in elementary school. It helps to put your arms out and pretend the bus is going over waves - but I still find myself wondering "should the floor be moving this much?"
3) Oedipus complex in bus drivers.
Bus drivers have a low status position in Korea. But they set the tone on the road. They have the biggest er.... vehicles. With this they are able to exert their authority on the minions who travel by foot and by car. Korean drivers hoot as their birthright and it doesn't matter who has right of way. This is definitely a "mine is bigger than yours" economy.
4) We are the rudder.
When the bus is very full, Korean bus drivers often shout at their passengers as they are driving along. I image its something like "lean to the left" or "lean to the right" as we go around sharp curves. I suspect that this is the motion that stops our bulging bus from falling over, but I would prefer if this remains an untested theory.
5) All's well that ends well.
Despite all this, I am happy to be in a country where there is public transport, where you don't have to carry a knife on the train and where a single girl like me has the independence of being able to take myself almost anywhere on my own. So I salute you, the humble bus, long may you continue to provide me with unmitigated adventures...
First, there's the mind-blowing technology alongside a paddy-field mentality. 300km per hour bullet trains leaving everyone still on"African time" in the dust...
But to maintain this slick, synchronized technological marvel demands a few extreme measures. At the bottom of the public transport pyramid is the bus that takes us plebs from Mokcheon into Cheonan City (for the necessities like groceries, Starbucks coffee and intelligent conversation!) Because of my regular need of these three things, I've thrown in my lot with a dubious (if cheap, and regular) form of pubic transportation.
1) Confucius say: the bus is never full.
There is always place for one more. "Standing room only" is a misleading term, as you will probably find yourself supported by the knees, legs and heads of various passengers. Koreans have no sense of personal space, so when the final 10 pm bus comes past..everyone and his geriatric grandmother has to be on it. Korea has a large population and on some Sunday nights, I believe that they are all sharing a bus with me.
2) Ride the roller coaster on your way.
As the bus races around precipitous turns at the speed it needs to to be on time at the next stop, you start feeling the floor shifting under you. When it turns right, you are thrown right, when it turns left, you are thrown left (generally into many other people!) and when it stops passengers skid forward out of their chairs and into the standing passengers or across the floor. Foreigners fare much worse than locals, who have generally learnt how to "surf the bus" since they were in elementary school. It helps to put your arms out and pretend the bus is going over waves - but I still find myself wondering "should the floor be moving this much?"
3) Oedipus complex in bus drivers.
Bus drivers have a low status position in Korea. But they set the tone on the road. They have the biggest er.... vehicles. With this they are able to exert their authority on the minions who travel by foot and by car. Korean drivers hoot as their birthright and it doesn't matter who has right of way. This is definitely a "mine is bigger than yours" economy.
4) We are the rudder.
When the bus is very full, Korean bus drivers often shout at their passengers as they are driving along. I image its something like "lean to the left" or "lean to the right" as we go around sharp curves. I suspect that this is the motion that stops our bulging bus from falling over, but I would prefer if this remains an untested theory.
5) All's well that ends well.
Despite all this, I am happy to be in a country where there is public transport, where you don't have to carry a knife on the train and where a single girl like me has the independence of being able to take myself almost anywhere on my own. So I salute you, the humble bus, long may you continue to provide me with unmitigated adventures...
2 comments:
Hey Jen!
Yay! You are officially a part of the Bloggers Community--Cheonan chapter! How exciting to get to read your writing and catch up with you through the week! I promise to be a faithful reader from this time forward!
I LOVED your post about the bus! Very funny, especially the part about 'surfing' the bus and passengers falling out of their seats into the others when the bus comes to a stop. Ha ha! Too true! It's amazing the shear force of that much weight coming to such a decided stop from such a fast speed. There's no 'slow down' only two speeds: Fast! And Stop! Har har! I say that with a little bitterness mixed in with the laughter!
Well, now you can read my blog now! Just click on my name!
Cara
So true... you can't do it justice in writing... you have to experience it!
Post a Comment