"A Woman Nearly Died and All I Got Was This Lousy Warning"
I was all bundled up when I headed out for the bus. I'm sure I looked like I was ready to conquer Everest. Koreans don't seem to bundle like I do. I have no idea why. They must be freezing. I still get darn cold just walking to school--even when I am bundled.
As I crossed the street toward the bus stop, traffic continued to flow past. This happens in Korea. People seem to drive with the philosophy "if I CAN go, I SHOULD go." I was under the impression that Korea had no traffic laws for quite some time.
The traffic flowing past was pretty heavy this time, though; so heavy that a police officer standing at the corner stepped out and waved them off to allow people to cross the crosswalk. A few seconds after he waved traffic off, a truck similar to a pick-up truck (though there are no actual pick-ups in Korea) came barreling though anyway. He came so close to a woman now crossing the crosswalk that she actually jumped away and tried to protect herself with her arms.
For the first time since I've been in Korea, I was a cop actually take action. Most times police are content to stand by and watch at almost anything (including, as I once observed, a bar fight). I suppose that happens when you live in a country with little to no crime.
Anyway, the cop stepped out in front of the truck and motioned him over to the side of the road. By this time, I was walking up to the bus stop. The officer talked to the man for what must have been a minute and then waved him on his way. It seems as though he got off with nothing more than a verbal warning. I had observed the whole fury of the Korean police force.
I got on my bus and hoped that I'd never have to cross the street again.
R
posted by RPShep @ 11:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Hey Ryan - this is so much fun; very articulate and interesting. Our son Ben is right now at Camp Korea
http://www.ck.co.kr/campalbum/bestphoto.asp
before heading down to Pusan to teach there again. We visited him in Pusan last Christmas and just love Korea, including the food and beer!
Cool pictures by the way - Ben always got excited when we sent him copies of The New Yorker.
Geez! What a story, I love to read your take on things that happen! As I have told you 1,000 times before. I hope the lady was okay. When I was in the Buhamas I tell you they drove the same way. I actually was frighten for my life there too! But I was only there one day so I didn't have to deal with it long. G.R.
Wow, Worth. I had no idea your son was here. Small world. Anyway, that camp looks interesting, but I can't read Korean well enough to understand what really happens there. Do you mind posting what the camp is all about?
Your son is lucky to be staying in Busan. From what I hear, it a beautiful city (I hope to make it down there soon). Is he down there teaching? Is so, what age group?
Luckily, most of the New Yorker is online now :).
Anyway, thanks for the comment. Feel free to write more. I'd love to see how your son's perception of Korea meshes with mine.
Ryan
Hey Ryan: To answer a question or two, Camp Korea is an intensive Jan. term dorm camp, 24 by 7, where the instructors engage the kids around the clock in all kinds of traditional activities plus learning English. Lots of singing, dancing, crafts, sledding, hiking, drama, etc., and lots of language classes. He reports he is earning lots of money, enjoys the kids, and has some time off on the weekend to go out with the staff. I'm sure it's a litte tiring, tho.
When he gets back to Busan (he's somewhere an hour or two east and north of Seoul right now), he'll either work again for English 2020, where he spent the past two years, or he'll take up another offer which outbid 2020.
We know he likes Korea a lot, because he left a good staff job at AU in DC to return to teaching in Korea. Frankly I think he just likes teaching, over office jobs, and sees this as a good route to stay in teaching while saving up enough money for grad school. Probably a lot like you are doing.
I probably can't speak for him about his impressions, but I know my wife and I met a lot of his Korean friends when we were over there a year ago and we sure had a good, gracious time with them. We loved everything we saw, and the people, though I'm sure it has its downsides. Our favorite thing was to go to the baths as often as possible. Ben belonged to a club, with a huge weight room and gym on one floor, and the baths on another. That was way cool. We actually spent the night in one our first night in Seoul, just off the long dreadful flight from Chicago - felt like our life was restored! (just wish they were nude coed like they were in Germany when we lived there is the early 70s!)
I'm really enjoying your blog. Thanks for doing it. When I get back to my home computer I'll send you his e-mail: maybe you can hook up with him in Pusan sometime.
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