On transportation...

I will start this off by saying I have not been a product of public transportation in my past. I've only had a few run-ins with the London Underground, the NYC subway system and the San Francisco buses. After spending a limited amount of time on them I feel it prepared me for my time on the subways and buses of Korea. The Seoul subway system is pronominal. Being one of the largest in the world with 9 different lines and over 300 stops it is enough to scare the average off from using it and trying to get a cab. Once you spend some time on one line (I've become best friends with the Incheon line- for obvious reasons) it doesn't seem as daunting a task. This past weekend going to the Lantern festival was a great way to practice my knowledge and for the most part it's not too hard to get to where you want to go. You just need to keep a map on you, don't be afraid to stop and pull it out and with all the signs being in Hangul and English you should have no issues getting to your destination! Now for the fun part and the main reason that sparked its own blog topic. The public buses of Korea. I will say these too are easy- once you know which buses you need to be taking to your specific destination. My first day with my co-teacher she had to go to a meeting and threw me on a bus. Needless to say I was panicked, but once I heard the announcements in English and Korean I was okay. My one biggest complaint is that the bus drivers here are maniacs! If you do not get a seat to sit down in- brace yourself! They use the break very quickly and very often. One day I saw a young girl (middle school aged) get on the bus, didn't get a seat and decided she wanted to get on her cell phone (very common) instead of hanging on. She didn't fall over, but was on her way to- thankfully her reflexes were strong! If you don't hold on for dear life, be prepared to be THAT person that fell on the bus! Today especially was my favorite trip. The bus driver was honking his horn like crazy at cars maybe even people. At one point, he even managed to put the bus in park at a stop light, get out and proceed to have his smoke break while waiting. Right before I stepped off the bus two young girls got on and we're holding on to each other as if they were on a roller-coaster. Needless to say, if it wasn't for my music and my excessive sleepiness I would be calling my doctor back in the states for a giant prescription of anxiety meds to get me through this year!