This blog will be short because I don't want to dwell on the negative aspects of Korea. Korea and I are still in the honeymoon period and I don't want to taint this wonderful relationship. But at the same time, I feel I should make others aware of my experiences, including the not-so-good ones.
My two-block, five-minute slow walk to work takes me past some of the most foul smells in the Eastern Hemisphere. (Hopefully. I'd hate to experience worse!) Yet my trip on the subway Tuesday night was very pleasant. In the states, things would be reversed.
Things here are a little backwards compared to the USA. Drinking in the streets is allowed and often encouraged, and relieving one's self in the streets is just a byproduct. And the foul smells aren't the entire way, or even half of the way to work. I'll be walking along just fine and all of a sudden I'm overwhelmed by the smell of urine. Two steps later the smell is gone and I don't smell it again for maybe another 500-1000 feet. But the subway station and subway cars are almost spotless. The E-Mart is much cleaner than a Wal-Mart. (E-Mart is part walmart in that they have a lot of stuff, but it's offered department-store style, so also part Macy's.) The taxi cabs are like riding in a new car.
I've hit on trash dumping in previous blogs, but I'll say again (because I just can't get over it) that disposal of your trash in bags on the street is not just normal, it's what you do with your trash. I can't get over it so much that I have yet to 'take out' my trash. I almost want someone to do it with me so when my American visions of a cop coming up and giving me a littering ticket actually happens, I can say, "But they told me to do it!"
No comments:
Post a Comment