Riding Coat Tails

Wow, scary to think it's been so long since my last post. So many things have happened over the past 12 months I'd be hard pressed to talk about it all; taking command of a Forward Support Company in an Aviation Battalion, Vanessa finally getting stationed out here with me and having the dogs along with us, traveling; DmZ/JSA tours, JeJu Island, Hawaii to visit friends and to Thailand to play softball where I subsequently broke my finger making it difficult to type this as it is still in a cast, learning to speak/read Hongul (can read it but my lack of vocab keeps me from knowing what I'm saying), finally celebrating a Christmas with Vanessa but still away from friends and family for a third straight time, all the while learning more and more about the incredible culture I find myself imersed in. So much has happened and so much to be thankful for. 

Instead of writing a long posting about all of those things I thought I would wrap up the year with a few lists....

Things I've learned about South Korea:

1) Commercials here are not 30 second blips, they're nearly as long and as annoying as infomercials in the States

2) Koreans are into fitness with trails everywhere going alongside roads, up mountains etc all with stations along the way like miniture gyms to workout at

3) They cultivate any plot of land with everything from peppers to corn to onions. Land is not wasted, anywhere grass can grow, there is a farmer planting crops....and I mean ANYWHERE

4) Korean beds might as well be concrete blocks with sheets on them....crazy hard and very uncomfortable

5) Snowboarding/skiing is a family event, regardless of the age of their kids. Also regardless of their age parents take them to black diamond runs and watch them 'pizza' their way down the slope reaking havoc on more experienced riders dodging and weaving their way around them

6) Driving in Korea has been....interesting. Generally speaking they do follow the rules but there are some modifications the typical driving will observe; 

     a. If there is a no traffic crossing at a red light, they will roll through it (I've adopted this, it makes perfect sense)

     b. Speed cameras are posted all over so at that point simply go the limit everywhere else do what you want

     c. Staying in one lane is optional and one can find other cars consistantly merging with you quite unintentionally

     d. If going through an uncontrolled intersection (which there are many) and there is traffic coming from all directions simply ride the coat tails of the vehicle in front of you when everyone stops for it

     e. Cars coming from side streets will stick their nose out and appear that they won't stop.....and won't if you do.....

7) Truck stops are awesome. Great food from random vendors, things to buy at small shops, always interesting beverages to buy

Technological Advancements:

1) Bus lines all synced with GPS giving updates to riders of when the next bus will arrive at a stop

2) Recycling; this is law here. Recyclables include food waste.

3) Homes and apartments don't have keys for locks, instead individually programmed keypads on the door.

4) 4G networks have been around for a few years here, currently working on 5G (one of the most wireless countries in the world)

5) Public transportation is all linked (bus, subway, taxi) and can be paid for through a pre-paid card that works for each

Behind the Times:

1) Clothing. Seems they are stuck in the late 80s and into the 90s. Crazy hairdos, skinny jeans, large coke bottle glasses, color schemes such as red and yellow....

2) Music. Could be what drives their clothing style but K-Pop (Korean Pop) is a mash between 90s pop culture and that awkward guy in the corner at a High School dance trying to do Mr Roboto. Children were picked at a young age to become part of a group and are either 100% male or 100% female. Reminds me of the Spice Girls, New Kids on the Block and 98*.

3) Narrow roads. Maybe it's because of their rapid expanion over the last 50 years but if you're not on a highway you're struggling to make it out of a roadway that seems eerily similar to a small fishbowl overfilled with piranha. 

4) With limited space for much of anything in a country the size of Indiana and a population of 50 million, a lack of dedicated farm land is concerning. Many locals have created subsistance farming and survive by selling in the markets....