Traffic

Last night as I was eating my dumplings for dinner in my apartment, I tuned in to watch some Korean TV. THe progression of segments on TV is something quite comfusing and bemusing; because I don't understand the soundtrack, every program and clip that follows seems especially random to me. I was watching what I thought would be pop stars in some sort of game show, but then the program took a turn for the worse. There were about five story lines in a row that were staged skits about children not paying attention as they crossed the road. They all ended up bloody and on the pavement, presumably dead from getting hit by a car. The surprizing thing was that I found myself continuing to watch even after the first few grusome scenarios. Ugh.

But the warning is worthwhile, I think. Crossing the road certainly feels dangerous. Hardly anyone ever J walks, and perhaps this is for good measure more so than it is being a good citizen.

No one signals.

A short ride in a cab nearly makes you sick from the jerky stop and go motion.

It never seems that cars will stop in time when the lights change, but usually, they do.

Take for another example my walk home from school today. The signal showed a green man walking-a sign it was time to cross. We began to cross, even before a motorcycle came to a complete stop. He ended up just about a foot away from the lady in front of me when he finally ceased movement. Then, when I made my way across one part of the intersection and turned to wait for the signal to cross the other, the motorcycle came up behind us-now on the sidewalk-just as normally as could be. He was apparently waiting for the pedestrian signal to cross onto the other street and rejoin traffic! WTF? What i want to know is how he made it from the right hand side of the street all the way across (his left across both directions of traffic) to the sidewalk!?!!!!

Then of course, you have our director, who simply runs out in front of a speeding Audi, sticking out her arm, with her palm warning the car to stop! That's what the gesture means, so for her it is safe to trot into traffic. For me, I remain a little more wary. I've seen the bloody kids on TV.