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I have been having difficulties getting into my blog for a couple of weeks now, but the problem appears to have mysteriously resolved itself. Hmm...
I am now getting used to my new neighborhood, although there are things that are definately less-than-thrilling about it. This photo is of my "backyard." Enough said.
The noise pollution is ridiculous, especially the fighter jets every twelve minutes, starting at 7:30am. The planes are so low flying that one can see all the details of the plane's underbelly. My neighbor said that if you go up to the roof, you can actually wave at the pilots as they go by... We appear to be on the direct flight path to a small airbase in Seryu, the next subway stop over.
The planes appear to use the major road that runs parallel to the train station for navigation purposes. If I stand in my parking lot, the planes go symetrically in between the two buildings in the complex, which parallels the main road. Even at the University of Suwon(as pictured, left) you can see the fighter jets.
The neighborhood is very busy during peak times (early morning/late evening)but there is a certain stillness in the afternoon. In the morning, the farmers send out their trucks and go to the fields. They live in the "human filing cabinets" (highrises) on the edge of town. In this sense, tradition has died, and only run-down relics of traditional housing remain. Warehouses are intermixed with residential areas, causing much bustle and confusion with the traffic.
The traffic has its own peculiarities - I can safely say that Korea has reinvented the concept of "gridlock." They are the Scotsmen of Asia in that they will pinch a penny until it screams, especially in matters of public transportation. There are very nice traffic lights and street lights in Byeongjeom (the name of the town) but they appear to me to be unutilized. I asked someone about this, and was told that it was because the "city" (haha!) did not want to pay the money to keep them running. This presents an interesting problem. The major intersections of Byeongjeom are only controlled by blinking yellow lights. The traffic signals have the redlight/greenlight equipment, but these functions are never turned on.
Now picture, if you will, a typical country town. Roads are not generally laid out in an organized way; they just run helter skelter, "as needed," like spokes on a wheel. In the center of this wheel is downtown. Take away the definitive lights, throw in a discretionary yellow in a country of people who like "boundaries" and what do you get? A traffic standstill. I sat in the center of the intersection for TEN MINUTES while drivers sat there just hopelessly staring at each other.
The non-functional streetlights are a subject of concern for me because I live in an area on the edge of the red light district. This is complicated by the fact that there is also a legitimate row of male-run Arab businesses on the same street. The business owners themselves are quite pleasant and speak English well, but some of their clients are a bit creepy. I am the lone single, white, youngish female in the village, and I do get approached by some of the shady characters around the "barbershops." I do not believe myself to be in danger, as there is also a police station nearby, but I am still very cautious...
My craziest experience so far, however, has got to be the bus ride to work. This is a daily occurence and each day is an adventure. The country buses, I have discovered, have no shocks, the drivers have no concern for safety (to put it mildly), and one must become a gymnast in order to stay upright. During rush hour, you must of course stand and grab onto a bar or handle. The handles are O shaped, like the Olympic rings; I quickly learned to jostle for position next to a support pole instead.
The road to the school is a remote and twisted country road with unexpected pull-offs, bumps, and occasional potholes. There are caution/drive slowly/danger signs every 50 meters or so, and the city has installed speed humps at strategic points along the way. The bus driver knows this, and accordingly, slams on the brakes right as he hits the hump. I have seen kids and old ladies literally go flying across the bus when he does this; we-who-are-left-standing cushion them with outstretched hands as best as we can. The bus drivers ride the asses of cars and other buses, blast their horns if they do not give way, and swerve around them if they stubbornly hold to their right-of-way. The old timers, who have probably driven this route since it WAS a dirt road, are the most dangerous drivers. I have learned to recognize one of the older drivers, and I will wait for the next bus and risk being late rather than ride with HIM...
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