ok, so in korea, especially in cities like seoul, public transportation -whether it is a bus, a taxi, or the subway - is the most convenient form of getting places. as you all know, this isn't really common where i am from. it is more common for people to drive their tractor to town that to take a taxi. thus, i am not all that familiar with the...er...*joys* of things such as riding on a subway. so, i would like to spend a few moments sharing the grand experiences i have had so far journeying on the metro in seoul.
my first time taking the metro was a little confusing. people explained it to me, but it was like they were trying to explain it in korean or something...oh, wait...anyway, the first time i road the metro, i got the pleasure of learning how all the drunk old men in the country apparently will always be on the same train as you. first, they stare...then they wave - i think to check to make sure you are alive and not an illusion - then...they love to come up and invade every tiny inch of personal space you can claim on the metro and speak gibberish which is apparently their best attempt at english, bless their hearts. and, no matter how hard you try to convey the fact that you don't understand, after about ten minutes of smiling and nodding politely, they continue to insist on carrying on a conversation with you. my favorite part about this is that they don't really understand the western concept of personal space. my first time on the metro, this crazy old drunk guy was trying to talk to me and he actually started feeling my hair. needless to say, i was very creeped out...
the most important lesson i learned about public transportation i learned today during a trip into seoul. i got an urge to get some english books and so i learned about a huge bookstore with a wide selection of books in english. the place is called kyobo and it is in gwanghwamun. so, jenny, turk, and i set out on our weekend excursion to find this place. we got to gwanghwamun and decided it would be best to stop at a foreign tourist information kiosk where they explained to us that the bookstore was underground (btw, that is really common here) in the basement of the large building with the flowers painted across it. we then found the place easily and we all happily purchased these children's workbooks on learning hongul so we can work on our korean. it is kind of humorous if you think about it. i am a 24 year old working on a workbook that is basically meant for a 5 year old. how much dorkier can i get, right? anyway, i also purchased a copy of le petite prince and another french book for my french class to translate.
after we had all made our purchases, we decided to go to youngsan, where there is a huge mall (i-mall) and electronics store. as we headed into the subway, we realized the train was about to leave so jenny, turk, and i rush towards the closing doors rather than wait for the next train to arrive...bad move in retrospect! jenny and turk made it through the doors, but the moment i pop in, the doors close on me and i got stuck! it was rediculous! jenny and turk frantically try pulling me through and after a few seconds i was free...or so i thought! my bag was caught in the door! after a few seconds of pulling, turk jerked my bag free, but by this time everyone in the car is staring at me and jenny and i are laughing hysterically at the fact that the subway tried to eat me! in my head, the scene looked even more rediculous because i pictured the doors painted with teeth and the windows painted with eyes so it really did look like the train monster was eating me - insert *nom nom* noises here...
so, what did we learn? always wait for the next train...otherwise, you the subway will eat you. seriously.
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