Public transportation is the only way to travel here in Korea. Korea is one of the safest countries in the world apparently, as long as you don't drive! I could not imagine driving here, the roads are crazy all the time. Nevertheless, taking public transportation is not without its own set of adventures. Generally, the subway is calm and not crowded, and taxis are cheap and fast, but taking the bus is another story. Jon and I take the bus the most of all, because we are on very good routes and it is very cheap. It is certainly an adventure though!
Today for instance, I was taking the bus home from downtown after Jon went to the school. It was raining out really hard so everyone and their MANY umbrellas were dripping wet and the whole lot of us smelt slightly like wet poodle. On top of that, it was incredibly hot and humid inside the bus, and very crowded. It felt like being in a giant moving steamroom with a bunch of fully clothed people. The crowd was impressive. All the seats were full and those of us standing were three deep. There is no room for personal space issues on the bus. Basically, you work together with everyone else to stay standing. That means leaning on whoever is behind and beside you as you accelerate and turn.
The thing that always adds to the adventure of the bus, especially when you are standing, is the fact that all the busses here are manual transmissions. Manual transmissions generally driven badly. No matter how skilled you have become at leaning into the turns and balancing during the acceleration and deceleration, nothing prepares you for the clutch pop. At least once a ride, the bus driver pops the clutch and everyone looses their balance. Today on the bus it was a pop clutch while going over a speed bump, right before turning. You simply do not have a hope!
So the wet poodles in a steam room, falling all over each other when the clutch pops is always quite a sight to see, but it is an endearing part of daily life here in our new home!
Stay tuned for more anecdotes from our life in this crazy and marvelous place!
signing off for now, Emily Reesor
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Hey guys, Jonathon willis here. I had a dream last night that Jon was around the area and not being sure whether it was just a dream or a push from God to drop a line of encouragement I figured...Encouragement is good no matter what. So, I just wanted to tell you two that I love you very much, and if you are impacting the lives of people there as much as you two impacted my life then the blessing those people have in you is immeasureable. May God Bless and keep the both of you as you do His work. Again, I love you guys soooo much. Jonathon
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