(19) 90 in 90: You're Waiting for a Train Part 1

Everything in Korea is about efficiency and running on time. From trains to subways to buses, Korea is dependent on getting to places on time and on schedule. Sure trains are a little late every now and then, but its never anything to get worried about. Outliers aside, if you're traveling in Korea, you can expect to get there in a quick and timely manner.

Except for this weekend, when everything efficient and scheduled broke down and the main system used to travel around Korea came to a screeching halt. Delays and cancellations were now in places of reliable schedules. Chaos erupted in train train stations across Korea as time tables were rendered useless, passengers had no idea when their train would arrive and Korail employees were clueless on when the problem would resolve itself.

I was (un)lucky enough to be a part of the carnage and witness the chaos as it unfolded around me. While at the time it seemed like an incredibly unpleasant experience of confusion and uncertainty on where to go and what to do.

The situation began on Saturday when a KTX train collided with a Mungungwha train on the rails. Luckily, no one was seriously injured during the collision. However the accident ended up causing massive delays for the other trains running along the same tracks and caused delays and cancellations across the country.

I first heard about the train crash through mutual friends on facebook while I was with my girlfriend in Seoul. It was during the middle of the afternoon at this time so I really didn't think too much of it. Some people were saying that the delays were only temporary and that the trains would be running by the evening and the situation would be completely fixed by tomorrow morning. I kept this in mind as I continued to enjoy my day, still sticking with my original plan of leaving at a later time in the evening.

When I arrived at the station, I saw something I had never seen before. Lines. Long lines. I wasn't new to the concept of lines at Seoul Station or any train station for that matter, however the lines that were forming when I arrived were beyond ridiculous.From the front of the ticket counter to the very back of the station stood people of all ages. As I continued to walk through the station I noticed that the schedule time table was looking different from what I was used to. Instead of a list of the various trains running in the next couple of hours, warning and cancellation lists quickly streamed across the board. At this time it finally hit me, something was still wrong.

Line at Seoul Station

I made my way to the massive line of the people waiting at the information counter. As the line slowly moved forward I could hear people's voices becoming more frantic and louder. A man in front of me was shouting loudly at the clerk behind the desk. His hands were raised and his voice became increasingly angrier as the clerk kept trying to calm him down.  Old ladies began pushing their way to the front of the line, only to quickly leave again, the look on their face telling me that they did not like the information they were told.

Once I finally got to the front, I handed my ticket to the clerk and asked if there were any delays on my train. She looked at me with a worried face and simply said that my train would come after a "very long time" and that no one at the station had any idea how long it would take for any of the trains to come.

I went next to the announcement board and waited. I wasn't exactly sure what to do or where to go. It didn't help that the messages were rapidly flashing by in Korea, making slow reading impossible. 

After waiting for nearly an hour, I noticed a large group of people running past me and towards the train tracks. I looked up at the board and saw that saw that a train was leaving in just a few minutes. It was a few minutes later than my original train but I figured that if it was going in the same direction, I could at least ask if it was the correct train.

I walked to the platform, still noticing that people were quickly running past and and getting on the train in front of me. I noticed an older man wearing a Korail uniform speaking quickly to people as they got on board. I asked him if my ticket was the matching one that I needed to get on board. He quickly looked at it and gently shoved me towards the train.

"Everyone go," he said to me. "Everyone go on now."

Taking it as a sign, I quickly boarded and noticed how crowded the train was. I have traveled during peak travel times before so a crowded train was usually no big deal to me. However on this train, it seemed much more congested and full than normal. I looked at my ticket, car 8 seat 30 and made my way towards the car.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that there was no car 8, with the train only going up to car 7. I stood dumbfounded that a train was missing an entire car that it needed and stood in place, frozen as the car got progressively more crowded. 

I began to make my way back to the door. I now had my self doubts that I was on the right train and thought about getting off before it left. Making my way through provided to be a challenge worthy of Olympic sport as the car was filled with people sitting or standing in nearly every free space the car had.

By the time I reached the exit, the doors had already closed. The train hadn't started moving yet but I knew at this point it was too late to get off. I was going to be stuck on this train for a very long time.

Travel Journal: Feb-Mar 2013

The purpose of post like these is to make a list of locations that I have traveled to and experienced during my time in Korea for the 2013 year. It's meant to reflect and remember the interesting and unique places I went to and to serve as a way to track my travels and where I want to go next.


Tim Burton Exhibit- Seoul- February 

The Tim Burton Exhibit was a celebration of Tim Burton's work showing props, drawings and artistic work from his movies and early days as a film school student. It was really interesting to get a peak at some of the props and illustrations that made him famous. I was particularly fond of the Batman and Pee Wee's Funhouse props while my girlfriend was particularly drawn towards his concept work and props from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

They were also showing some of his short films in the "Stain Boy" series. Short, and slightly disturbing, they were a great companion to the other forms of weirdness on display.

House Party- Gumi- March

Living in Korea leaves one with few opportunities to go to an actual house part as most people (or foreigners) in this case tend to live in apartments. In March I was lucky enough to attend a part held at a house in Gumi. One of my friends was leaving to go back home to the US and we both thought it would be nice to meet up at a place to chat. The girl who lived in the house worked at a hagwon and after her two roommates left, was able to keep the house to herself. The weather was perfect that day, as it was about 80 degrees outside with a gentle breeze, a pleasant surprise for the early month of March. I had a great, laid back time as I chatted with people outside on the house porch as others started a bonfire and barbecue a few feet away. The smell of cooking meat, burning wood and beer permeated the warm air. For a few hours that night, it was a fantastic time, and despite the location, made me miss the summers back home in Indiana.


Orientation Class Meetup- Daegu- March

I actually do not go to Daegu as much as I would like to. It's only a short 45 minutes away from my city and yet I usually find myself heading up North to visit Seoul and Incheon. The past weekend I spent some time catching up with some old friends from my orientation class.

The thing I like the most about Daegu is its big city feel combined with its sense of intimacy. The streets are all close together and often mix with the walking areas. The sidewalks are usually kept clean and tidy with trees, running water and other ornate decorations to stand out as  a contrast against the grey backgrounds. I love how little shops are in between towering sky scrappers. I love how the air smells fresh despite the abundance of  cars everywhere. I love that only a short distance from the station is a huge stage area that usually has some kind of show on display with plenty of people around to keep it lively.

If Daegu has any flaws in my eyes, its that it can sometimes be confusing to navigate the streets due to the lack of signs or identifiable buildings. I'm sure a few more visits will rectify that problem however, as experience eventually solves everything.

I notice that I never make plans when going to Daegu as it usually turns into an entertaining adventure in itself to simply walk around with good company and explore. When I spent the day with my friends, I didn't worry myself with going to a specific place at a specific time. We went where we wanted and had a blast doing it. Daegu may be the most laid back big city in Korea, and for that I love it.


Future Plans:

March- Everland
March- Possibly Strawberry Festival in Nonsan or The Cherry Blossom Festival in Seoul

May- Caribbean Bay
May- Damyang Bamboo Festival

July- Japan Trip

Eventually- DMZ
Eventually- Jeju Island 
  

Parties are a reminder to have fun

I rarely stay out all night with people. I usually become bored or tired by the time the 1 AM mark comes around, wanting more than anything to go home to my quiet apartment rather than spend another minute in some smokey bar where obnoxious, loud music would be my only lullaby for the night. I'm picky like that with my socialization, it has to be the right people and the right place in order for me to feel comfortable and able to forget the hours passing rather than count them down until the first train back home. Maybe it's because I'm getting older. Maybe it's because I'm selfish and a bad friend. Maybe I just hate partying. The answers and their solutions could be endless, more than I have the time to investigate or care about.

Last Saturday was a special day, the birthday celebration of one of my friends, one of the first English teachers I met last year, and fellow film enthusiast. From the very beginning it was clear that her party was not intended to be an ordinary gathering of friends, booze and headaches in the morning. There would be plenty of that, but she wanted the party to be something special. Something that not only celebrated her day of entrance into our world, but also her favorite past time as well: the celebration of film and the moving picture.

Together with a few other friends, we planned her party and the details behind it. She wanted it to be a costume party, a party where guests came to dinner in costume, character or both and enjoyed each other's personalities come alive. After having her friends vote on each person and their respective character, we had time to assemble our costumes and characters before the party. Out of all the people, I was picked to be Christopher Walken. Personally, I would have loved to have been Harold Raimas from Ghostbusters, but if people wanted me to be The Walken, than damn it, I was Walken for a night.

Once the day came, we gathered at a restaurant large enough to fit a sizable group of people and not too long after the final guest showed up, the rediculousness began. I sat next to Aaron Johnson from Kick Ass, a shy introverted young man who dreamed of becoming a super hero. Across from me sat The Dude from the Big Lebowski, calm and laid back as in the movie, not quite understanding why Erin Brockovich was getting so upset next to him.

Velma from Scooby Doo was there and not too far from her was Michael Cera from Superbad looking as awkward and personality-less as ever. His girlfriend, Rosemary from Rosemary's Baby looked to be in good spirits despite having a (fake) demon baby growing inside of her. At the head of the table, sat the birthday girl herself: Penelope Cruz from the film Vicky, Christina Barcelona. Full of spite about her failed relationships and her apparent lack of not existing, her bitter and spiteful personality was on full display, taking any opportunity to insult and belittle guests who dared to speak to her. As for myself, I acted as cool as I could because, Walken, as we all know, is always cool.

After the weird rogue's gallery of assorted movie characters finished their meal, we made our way from the restaurant to go from club to club until we found a suitable spot. Luckily, the weather was not too cold, making the trek from place to place pleasant and all the more jovial since we were in good company. 

The city of Daegu was one of my favorite metropolitan cities in Korea for its clean streets and the close proximity of small shops and restaurants. It was often difficult to navigate around the city due to the building's close proximity and lack of decipherable landmarks, however this just added to its charm. It was a small maze of bright lights and little coffee shops filled with people walking everywhere. In Seoul, you could often feel trapped by the massive concrete pillars looming over you. Here, It felt like a leisurely downtown stroll.

We finally settled on a small night club called Jeep. It was tiny, dark and smelled like a ash tray that should have been thrown out years ago. The music they played ranged from bad pop to enjoyable beats. The song choices and atmosphere mattered little as we started to dance not long after settling in. Good and bad songs. Hip hop and hits from yesterday. We danced and danced until the early dawn and the first train prepared to leave the city. It was exhausting. It filled out lungs with smoke and our bodies with alcohol, but we didn't mind. Everyone was laughing and dancing. They didn't care about any of this. We were with each other, the ones we spent the most time with, the ones we came to when we were in trouble and the ones we relied on whether we wanted to admit it or not.

As I rode the long train home, I talked to one of my friends sitting next to me about a topic that I had no real knowledge in, nor anything useful to contribute. I simply wanted to keep talking, to enjoy the positive energy and make the party last a little longer.

I was reminded about a lot that night. I remembered how the right people can always make an event fun, and sometimes even more fun than it initially seems. I reminded myself to enjoy these moments and remember them, for like all things in life they pass along too quickly. I also reconfirmed that I was a horrible dancer. I don't know how to dance at clubs. I will probably never learn and don't really want to. My friends danced like they didn't care who was watching and despite some curious onlookers who eventually joined us, they weren't there to show off or look good in front of a crowd, they wanted to dance.

So they danced.  

No one uploaded pictures from the party yet, so here is a birthday cake. Yep. Delicious birthday cake. 

This time tomorrow, where will I be?

It's been a whirlwind of  concerts, parties and now vacation time during my summer vacation days. The days have been packed with loads of new events, discovers and opportunities on a near daily basis that the next few days of backpacking will be a welcome change of pace.

It feels odd not having to go to work on a dear daily basis. As much as I enjoy waking up whenever I want and doing whatever I want during my break without worry of being on time, I kind of miss the routine and the structured schedule of showing up to work everyday and having a task set in front of me. It seems like forever since I last taught and even longer since I last set foot in my school.

The next few days will be spent backpacking and traveling around Korea. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to see Korea in a light that many people often don't get to see.

It will also be a welcome opportunity to rest my weary mind from all the thoughts that have been wracking my brain for the past few days. Lot's of events have been happening in my personal life, many of them requiring serious commitment or thought. Hopefully the next few days will present some moments of clarity and allow me to get my head back on straight again.

The lack of work combined with these thoughts of futures and relationships makes my brain scramble and feel like a slushy mess of inactivity and intense thoughts. It's easy to fall into this trap because its easy. It requires little effort and most of all, requires you to simply veg out and stagnant while your brain slowly fades away into oblivion.

While its till undetermined whether I will have the chance to write and update on my trip its almost certain that I will have something to say upon my return and the beginning of the second semester of my school. There were still some other events that didn't get the chance to mention including:

My first K pop Concert (2NE1)

A birthday weekend in Daegu

The outcome of a very important decision

Working for publications in Korea

Gagnam Style!



Don't let me forget about these when I come back, I have to keep up to date so don't let me forget.

That goes for everyone, even YOU.

A club in Daegu. Who is Bob? Why does he have a club? The mind boggles...