#9. Public Transportation

I apologize that this post is a little late. It's been a really busy weekend for me and I didn't even have enough time to finish all the things I was supposed to do to prep for classes, let alone the things I wanted to do. Thank god its a short week--Children's Day is Thursday, which is a national holiday, and then my school has given us off Friday as well, just because they're so kind. A couple friends and I are taking advantage of this weekend to head down south to Busan for a few days. Should be a good (and relatively inexpensive) trip.

#9. Public Transportation

I can't sing praises high enough for the public transportation in Korea. Everywhere you could possibly want to go is accessible either by bus or metro or train--sometimes all three. In Seoul, of course, there are English announcements in all the subway cars and buses, but out here in Bundang it gets a little more tricky. Still, once you learn the basic sounds and how to pronounce the name of the place where you're going, its pretty much a breeze to get anywhere.

Take, for example, my weekly tutoring sessions which require me to go to northern Seoul. There are three different buses I can take to get to Seoul itself depending on how long I feel like waiting for the bus and whether or not I care if I get a seat. All three buses will drop me off at the same place in Seoul, where I can either transfer to the subway (if I'm running late) or take my choice of another three buses that will take me the rest of the way. And I know that on my way home, I'm better off going to Seoul station and transferring from subway to because because of afternoon traffic and an the increase in afternoon fares. I can get easily from my house to three different grocery stores, I know the best way to get from Sunae station to my house depending on the time of day, and I have only been lost once since coming to Korea (and since on that occasion I was following someone else, I don't think it even counts).

Personally, I couldn't even imagine driving here, and part of that is because the public transportation is just so convenient that it makes driving seem impractical. When I compare the buses and subways in Korea to what I have experienced in the US, it almost makes me want to cry. Sure, Washington D.C. isn't too bad, and some places are getting better all the time, but when I'm back in Texas sitting on the 35 and wishing for death, it will be the Korean bus lane that I'm thinking of.