Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mack the knife]

I'm driving along and the light ahead turns from green to red and I'm about to make it through the intersection and some sandy-crotch ajuma comes darting across the crosswalk (which turned red like 5 minutes ago) with a *beep*-eating grin on her mug and I have to swerve to avoid her. This is my daily morning routine.

I remember reading that book Ugly Koreans, Ugly Americans and thinking to myself "Hmmm, all the ugly American traits are more or less productive", and one of the Korean traits was grinning from ear to ear when you screw up royally.

That's fine if they put too much garlic in the soup or whatever, but goddamit, it's NOT fine when they think it gives them the goddam right-of-way! How do they *beeping*survive? Truly, how do they do it?

[billybrobby]

what happened to you man? you used to be cool!


seriously...to me it seems like you have clearly hit your limit on korea

[mytime]

How do they *beeping* survive? Truly, how do they do it?

I think I figured out the system at work in the Korean traffic scheme...

Everyone only concern themselves with what is happening in front of them.

They don't take into account other people to the side of them or behind them but only those that are in front of them....this works perfectly if everyone has the same mindset (in other words, Koreans) but it doesnt take foreigners into account.

That's why Koreans blindly cross the street witout looking or change lanes without checking for what's behind them....they know that whoever is behind or to the side of them will act preventatively

[nautilus]

The smile you speak of is embarrasment more than shamelessness.

At least thats what they tell me.


To be honest, its the same with old folks and battleaxes in any country. They do ridiculously assertive stuff toshow you they still "have it" and deserve special treatment. Often it comes across as ill mannered though.

[tophatcat]

mytime,
That�s one of the best explanations I have ever heard. You�ve convinced me.

[jaganath69]

I'm astonished at the lack of road-safety awareness amongst kids here. I teach second grade at an elementary school and we are often out with the kids. The energy I put into stopping them from haring across roads without looking could power a third world country. In my neighborhood I see kids run out on the road all the time and have seen many close scrapes. I'd would have had my ass kicked for doing something similar at that age.

[mack the knife]

[mack the knife]

[Big_Crazy_Ape]

I know how you feel!
I thought my friend was joking when he told me that Koreans drive with their horns, but it couldn't be anything farther from the truth.
I think it's hillarious to see a taxi burning a red light at a 6 lane(3 lanes going both ways) intersection, all while honking his horn. Even my students say that taxi drivers are insane.
I don't know how Koreans do it... I've been marked with a permanent question mark since I got here...

[Ya-ta Boy]

[billybrobby]

yeah, i think mytime's assessment is pretty astute. people tend to say that koreans are bad drivers, but I think they are pretty excellent drivers, it's just that they are not at all safety-concious. the skill it takes for a man to weave in and out of korean car traffic on a bike is beyond me. i honestly stand in awe of it.


as far as mack the knife goes, I think your posts have taken a definite bitter turn. korea, like any country, has tons of flaws. huge, gaping, painfully obvious flaws. but i just think that lately you've been abandoning reason and fair judgement for blanket condemnations on all korean people. I don't think you're being fair to the country. I myself have always felt that Korea is a country with a definite "shelf life" and an "expiration date". Right now I'm having fun here and it's great living here, but I know that eventually the little problems will start adding up and I'll have to get the hell out of here. And I feel, and maybe this is just projection, that you've hit that point. I mean, as an example of the "expiration date" thing, I certainly don't want to raise some kids here. God bless the people who do, because they are going to really make this country an international place. But personally, I'd rather not have my kid be ridiculed mercilessly by a bunch of racist 10 year olds. And even besides Korea's flaws, I'd just like to travel the world a bit before settling down anywhere.

Korea's a great place and grating place. I feel like I've got the heart of an apologist and the mind of a whiner. Or maybe the other way around. At any rate, I can understand any amount of whining, but at the same time, I think people should at least be fair and do less blanket generalizations when it comes to criticizing Korea.

[Cerebroden]

blanket generalizations?

I'm missing something here cuz what happened to Mack happens to me EVERYDAY, not just to the point where it unnerves me, but to the point where I keep it from happening becuase I anticipate it enough and I have a really loud horn.

My advice?? Mack, you knew it was going to happen. Didn't you? I mean honestly. Get an air horn for your car, it will freeze them enough to where you can drive by.

Everything people complain about on this site is something I've come to hate but at the same time accept. It helps me to keep from getting an ulcer. But then again, about once a week I take it all out on a bottle of crown and I'm good. again

"fear the four hundred dollar car"

[MissSeoul]

[djsmnc]

After reading your thread about being a motorcycle GOD, I imagined a hairy beast that looked something like...
























THIS:








or this:















I would imagine that you'd spit a wad of chaw on an ajumma's windshield causing her to swerve into traffic and leave a flaming pile of cars, twisted metal, and mangled bodies behind.



























Now I imagine this:

[Col.Brandon]

Thanks for making me have to scroll this thread to the right. I appreciate it.