Week 2 - some more bits

Well, week 2 eh? I'm starting to adapt to this place. And I've even made a couple of friends (though I haven't been out drinking yet).

This week has been pretty cool. I went to the kindergarten my dad works for a rehearsal on Friday, and on Saturday there was a special event day for the students and their parents. I was a guest English teacher.

It was really funny on Friday, one of the little girls stroked the fur on my arms - which is slightly disconcerting, being treated like an pet (it has happened before), but then she did something really unexpected and sniffed the hair! she obviously didn't like it because she screwed up her face and went back to her seat! What a strange child. I think she is about six years old. Another funny thing about the kids here is that randomly one will just fall of his/her chair. For no reason. You'll just be doing whatever and you'll here a PLONK as someone hits the dirt. Or you'll actually see it happening and still have no idea why it's happening. So hard not to laugh. Also you have to wear slippers in the school. Shoes left at the door.

The actual event went really well, I think our class probably had the most boring activity, I mean, what kid really wants to make soap? I think that's why they had Lucy Teacher and me on it. Anyway, it was great experience, I think everyone had a good time. And I met someone that might have a job for me so here's hoping!

So what else is there... you'll see a few strange sights here. I have to say the scooter riders are daredevils, and there are old people that can fit anything on a mobility scooter. You'll see cart type wagons being wheeled around with all kinds of goods on them, but mainly recycling. Dad tells me that the life expectancy is really high here, even though you see a lot of old people struggling around on walkers or with walking sticks. We think it's due to a combination of family and having to do normal things by themselves. Family seems to be a very important support structure for the elderly here. I think he also said something about the food here, which I am not so sure about. But it is quite hard sometimes watching these old people struggle through the streets. Nobody generally helps but the other day I saw a young man get out of his car and help a little old lady with Parkinson's to the other side of the street.

One other thing you'll notice about here is the footpaths. Almost all footpaths have some kind of guard rail on them to stop you crossing the road in the wrong spot. But more interestingly they are all incredibly uneven and you really have to watch where you're going. Sometimes the curbs just stick out between the road and path for no logical reason. Mind you no-one seems to fall over. Not even me... ok once on the stairs to the train but that's got nothing to do with footpaths! You might also notice that all the city workers are older people, no really young people work on the roads and paths like back home. They also only seem to have half the people, and there are minimal road cones. I actually jumped over a hole while a digger was still digging the other day because that's what all the other pedestrians were doing. Safety standards seem to be quite lax, but more importantly, I have not seen anyone get hurt yet. I think when it comes down to it, NZ overdoes it and treats it's citizens like children. I mean there isn't even an ACC type set up here. If you want medical treatment you either have to have insurance or pay for it yourself. Everyone seems very aware of what everyone else is doing, on the road, on the footpaths, in shops, and there are just too many people to sweat the small stuff.

Also on another note, the police here are quite funny. I'm not sure what he was doing, but this one cop had his lights on on Friday night, was going at a normal speed, and wasn't seeming to be pulling anyone over, I was following him on the bus. I think he was just letting people know that he was around. Not sure. People are really interesting with the road rules here too, it's very much like there are rules, but little ones seem to get broken a lot - like scooters on the footpaths, or slipping through a red light just because it's clear, or stopping on double lines, not wearing helmets on your bike or scooter, or jay walking, or old ladies walking up the road the wrong way with an empty shopping trolley??? What is really interesting is the lack of apparent crime. I haven't seen one incident of violence, nor have I seen any drug addicts. It's really weird. I have been walking through all kinds of neighbourhoods at all times of the day and night and I haven't seen anything or smelled anything dodgy (apart from the food) at all. I think if there are drugs it might be confined to certain clubs - or is really underground. It's not anywhere near as prolific as NZ. Though I am pretty sure drinking, especially among older people, is a problem.






I made it out to Suwon (a small city outside of Seoul -population 1million) the other night for dinner which was a massive train ride via the subway (almost 2 hours), but my friend at the other end recommended I take the KTX back. The KTX is a bullet train with a max speed of over 300km/hr. So it was fair to say I should have taken that there at only 30 mins each way (for only $3!). Oh! I almost forgot!!!! There are these ad's on the trains screens. They advertise funny things like which side of the footpath to walk on (the right side - it's already a habit) and walking around buried in your cell phone is also advertised quite hilariously as well. Also, if you are on the bus you must give up your seat for children or the elderly or pregnant women (normal right?), the children thing was a bit weird when dad first hopped up, but if you think about it the way the bus drivers drive, you want that kid safely in a seat.

Look at the look that guy is giving the camera! Thats part of Suwon but I really should have taken a picture of the train station. Enourmous.

 

 Yes, that is a chunk of bread with a butter and coconut sauce through it and a dollop of ice cream on the top. Plumb sauce on the side. Only $8. Just foud this picture and thought I better put it on.

Also I'm watching the TV right now and there is some kind of re-enactment happening with probably the worst white actors I've ever seen. I think becoming an actor here if you're western is easy. I haven't seen much TV here, but from what I can see it's ok. Like home. There are even a few English channels which is cool.

Oh, and one last thing, sometimes without warning everyone will hop off the train. There's usually a warning over the intercom, but if you miss it and you just notice everyone has gone, and people at the doors beckoning you to get off, and can hear the driver getting quite angry in Korean over the comms, it's probably best not to dispute it and just get off. Everything runs on a tight schedule here and you cant spend a minute trying to figure out why everyone is telling you to get off. Just do it. There's not always going to be a friendly German there to explain why you're being a noob.

Ok, back to it!