Traffic Lights

As stated at the start of this mini-series on traffic, red lights are a suggestion. The further you are from a city the less seriously traffic lights are taken. I work in the country, and I cross a four lane highway daily. It is unusual to see cars stop, and the biggest stoppers are always using rental cars. If the driver sees a pedestrian waiting at a designated cross then they may stop for a red light, but there is no guarantee.

In the video attached you see the rotary below our house, and how drivers pay lip service to the red light.

Thanks for reading

Seatbelts

One of my co-teachers studied in the United States for a few months, so I asked her what she thought the strangest thing was. She quickly said she didn’t understand why people in the back seat wear  seatbelts. Since I asked her opinion I decided not to go on a diatribe about how seatbelts save lives.

Seatbelts are neither a legal matter nor popular in Korea. Babies sit on laps or crawl around the car as they please. Once I saw a car seat in the front; it was facing forward and the baby wasn’t strapped in. I’ve been in many cars where I fished the seatbelt out of the seat. Often in taxi’s they block the use of seatbelts by sealing the buckle with tape or tying back the belt. It’s one thing to choose not to wear a seatbelt, but to inhibit the use is mind boggling. Seatbelt use has been so ingrained in me that I feel really insecure when I’m not wearing one. 

There are arguments, particularly from those raised prior to “click it or ticket”, that seat belts should be a personal choice and that the government is infringing on individual rights to self determine how important safety is. It's a reasonable concern whenever government is suspected of going too far, but it also seems that it would have taken a long time to convince most people to wear seatbelts without a legal incentive. As a fully indoctrinated seatbelt wearer, I just can’t muster up the energy to protest this overstep of government authority. Perhaps this complacency paves the way for further government infringement on individual affairs, but what can I say? I like seatbelts, so I comfort myself with the belief that seatbelts are a public health issue and that auto accident fatalities are expensive.

I also found a few interesting statistics. According to the US Department of Transportation on p 142 of a report, the United States had 33,808 auto fatalities in 2009. Whereas the Education Institute of Transportation in Korea listed 342,233 fatalities in 2005 on p 2 of a report. Considering that Korea has a much smaller population, these numbers show a lot. There are many ways that I could illustrate with numbers, such as crashes per 100,000 people, percent of crashes with fatalities, percentage of fatalities wearing seatbelts, etc but I’m only a casual blogger. In short, wear your seatbelt! 

Taxis

Second in the roadway hierarchy are taxis. Taxis are more aggressive and agile than a bus, but they rank second due to size. When I first came to Korea, I tried to avoid riding in taxis as often as possible. Initially when forced to catch a cab I would spend the entire ride clutching the seat while intently watching the traffic.

Eventually I became desensitized to the perils of riding in a taxi. I reasoned that taxis were a prime opportunity to accept situations beyond my control. Once I made a decision to get in a taxi, almost nothing else was in my control. I couldn’t control poor driving by the cabbie or the fellow motorists so I would actively try to remain calm even while the occasional driver watched TV in his car instead of looking at the road. 

Taxis are abundant and affordable on Jeju. If you’re going somewhere within 15 minutes with one or two friends it is often cheaper and definitely more convenient to share a cab than to take a bus. A 50 minute taxi ride over the mountain and across the island is the equivalent of $30. This makes for a reasonable night out when you’re sharing the cab and the bill with your favorite dancing buddies.

Buses

Bus drivers on Jeju drive as if they are the only ones of any significance on the road. Passing on a narrow two lane road happens multiple times on every ride. Oncoming traffic politely pulls to the side when a bus initiates a game of chicken. I usually sleep to avoid worrying about all the risky driving that I have no control over. Still, often I’m awoken abruptly from the force of flying up in my seat as the bus races over speed bumps.  

The buses don’t have kneeling hydraulics to accommodate the elderly and injured. As soon as the passenger is on the driver slams the door, and punches the gas. Hunched little old ladies cling to bars and seats while they struggle to hoist themselves into a spot. Once I saw a Grandma hit the ground because she was knocked off balance by the force of the bus speeding away.  

Despite all the reckless driving only one of my friends has been in a bus accident and she wasn’t even injured. To give the bus system some credit, it keeps an admirably rigorous schedule. Buses run normal hours every single day regardless of storms, Sundays, or holidays. 

Similar to buses in the United States, at least one angsty teenager is blaring sharing their music. But on Jeju, the musical ambiance is completed by designer curtains. These curtains come in great colors and patterns, sometimes they have tassels. Here is an example of bus curtains; not the most outlandish I’ve seen, but it gives you a small idea anyway. Thanks for reading!

Road Rules

 This is the start of a mini series on traffic and various motor vehicles. I’ll start with what I’ve observed to be the most important rules of the road. Many of these rules will be elaborated upon in future blogs.


1.) There is a hierarchy of vehicles based on assertiveness. Buses are at the top of the food chain. Next in line are taxis. Finally there is everyone else.

2.) Checking your blind spot or merely looking before pulling out is completely optional. Assertive drivers will beep to indicate that they won’t stop for you. Passive drivers will slow down and move out of the way.

3.) While in Korea, I’ve heard the horn beep in every ride I’ve ever taken anywhere. Horns aren’t tools of road rage; they are communication tools to establish assertiveness. Horns are typically used by oncoming traffic to indicate that someone is or could be in the way. Despite all the horn beeping I’ve never seen any outward display of anger in the form of hand gestures or glares.

4.) Traffic lights only provide a suggestion to stop.

5.) Scooters and small motorcycles can drive anywhere they want.

6.) Seatbelts are optional.

Thanks for reading!

White Rice

There is a lot of Korean etiquette that foreigners are never aware of violating because it isn’t discussed. Koreans don’t often seem outwardly offended by our breaches of politeness. They just shrug it off and think, “foreigner.”

My co-teacher at Tosan, Mr. Yang, is often telling me interesting bits of history and customs in Korea. Today he began my education with a casual conversation starter, “Do you like bibimbap?” Mr. Yang must have known I’d say yes. I’ve never met a single person who doesn’t like this rice dish topped with vegetables and an egg. Before bibimbap is eaten, everything is stirred well and seasoned to taste with a spicy red sauce.

My co-teacher told me that he also likes bibimbap, but he always feels guilty when he eats it. Mr. Yang informed me that apart from bibimbap, it is traditional not to mix food in Korea out of respect for the cook. His grandfather used to hit my co-teacher on the head with a wooden spoon if he didn’t keep his rice white throughout the meal. We both laughed at each other.

Eight months into being here I find out that it is impolite to pinch my rice with my kimchi, seaweed, sesame leaf or other side dish. I wonder what else I don’t know. Some of my kids have looked at me, pointed, and giggled at the way I pinch kimchi with my rice. I didn’t think anything of it though because kids universally don’t like mixing their food, and the students are always laughing at me so nothing seemed unusual. I had noticed that the adults rarely pinch their rice with other food, but it never occurred to me that it was an etiquette issue.

Hello!!!

Nearly everyday some adorable kid walking down the street will say “Hello!” Sometimes it’s a kid on their own, other times a parent has encouraged forced their child to speak. In general, kids prefer to travel in packs. It’s from these small swarms of kids that I get the most hellos. I can see these kids from a block away. The whole pack sees me and gets visibly excited. I hear words in Korean like “foreigner, look, and American.” There are other words too, and I imagine that they are daring each other to speak to me.

Eventually the moment comes when we are actually passing each other and the bravest kid lets out a big “HELLO!” I always return the greeting at which point everyone giggles. Sometimes the rest of the pack is emboldened by the ‘hello initiator’ and a whole chorus of hellos follows the first.

If I’m standing next to a group of social kids at a cross walk or some such place, then I continue the conversation. I ask “What’s your name?” and say “Nice to meet you.” or “Have a good day!” Some kids look around in total panic as if they are thinking, “WHY? Why did I say hello?” A really confident kid might ask “Where are you from?” When I say, “I’m from the United States.” The pack of kids erupts with “Ah! USA, USA, migook!”

This is usually the furthest extent of a conversation with kids on the street. It always makes me laugh. Even though I don’t know them, I’m a little proud of the kids for taking the initiative to have a spontaneous interaction. I can also identify with their happy giggles. It’s exciting to speak a foreign language in an authentic situation for the first time. I’m always overcome with a feeling that I’ve pulled off a feat. “It works! These words actually work!” It’s like learning a password that everyone around me knows, and I’ve been let in on the secret.