Seoul Subway

The public transit system in Seoul is FANTASTIC!! All the signs and maps are in Hangul (Koran), Mandarin, Japanese, and English (in that order). The loudspeakers even come on in the train to tell passengers the name of the stop and what side the doors are opening on. The fares are pretty cheap and you can go as far as about 1 hour outside of Seoul proper to suburban satellite cities by subway.

All the subway cars and stations that I've been in are extremely clean. Like ridiculously clutter-free. I have noticed elderly aged men and women walking through the subway cars picking up newspapers left behind and/or picking up trash. I'm not sure how the system works, but I have also noticed that a rider will stop reading his newspaper and hand it to one of these house elf-esk collectors. I wonder what that's all about.

The subway etiquette is also very interesting. In a metropolitan area that serves 29.5 million people, riders are shockingly polite. It really shows how Seoulites are conscious of their neighbors. Except for the usual push or nudge from an ajima (or older married Korean woman) I have found: riders keep their headphones at a reasonable volume, they cover their mouthes and lower their volume when talking on the phone, board and de-board the sleek subway cars in a rushed yet orderly fashion, and during rush hours, they pack themselves in little lines between the seats; similar to sardines. Another thing I've noticed is the amount of riders who are watching TV on there phones. Usually they have a small needle like antenna projecting out receiving a signal. Although they are watching TV, I have never been bothered by their screens, volume, or antenna. I can just say that I would NEVER observe any of this behavior in the US!!

The only complaint I have is the schedule. The subway is up and running quite early, but....they stop running at midnight Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday the last train is usually at 11:30pm. This schedule really makes no sense at all because there are bars, clubs, and restaurants that stay open until 2am or 3am or even until 10am! Kind of counterintuitive, but I guess it's an excuse to stay out partying until at least 5:30am.

Korea

So, I have finally settled in at my apartment in Seoul and have found some time to write a quick post.

The flight was a non stop shot from Dulles International Airport to Incheon International Airport. I was surprised to find that the fourteen hour adventure was painless. Korean Air is most definitely the way to fly!! Besides the two meals that are included in your ticket price (which I might add is ridiculously high, oh well....lucky for me my job paid for it) they bring you hot towels, lots of snacks, you have access to fairly recent movies on a small screen in front of you, they give you complementary access to headphones and a blanket. After I arrived, I had to pass Immigration and then claim my luggage downstairs. The carousel took forever, but eventually my bags rolled out of the conveyor's mouth. Unfortunately, one of my rum bottles had shattered soaking my bag and bathing it in an alcoholic cologne. Luckily the dogs standing by Customs didn't react, or else I would have had some explaining to do....jeje.

After passing through the glass and metal box that is Incheon International Airport, I had to buy a bus ticket and call my boss. That was much easier than I thought. I just had to ask at information where I bought tickets and when the next bus was leaving. The guy told me everything in perfect English. I was lucky enough to mention to my aisle-mate, on the plane, that I had to call my boss and he gave me some change to use a public pay phone. It was a great introduction to how friendly Koreans are when you ask for help. After calling my boss and informing her that I was on my way, I stood outside with four overly packed bags. The baggage handlers teased me about my bag smelling like "wine".

Anywho....the bus ride turned into a 2 hour long crawl through rush hour. Bringing my grand total to 24 hours awake. My boss and the school's manager brought me to my motel (the teacher I replaced was still moving out). It was actually a very clean and put together place, except that I later found out it was a "Love Motel". These wonderfully discrete establishments provide refugee to cheating spouses and their lovers or unwed couples a place to share some time in private. Now don't get me wrong, the place was great!! I was under the impression that walls were supposed to be thicker once I moved out of off campus housing.

That's it for now, it's very late in Seoul.