Korean living daily tip #2

Disclaimer: all opinions expressed are my own and based entirely on my personal experience. Things may change depending on situations and just because it happens one way one place doesnt mean it will always be that way. Please keep this in mind when reading and/or commenting.

Now on to tip #2. There is no right of way for people who are walking. This is seen most in subway stations and on sidewalks. While the general "rule" is to stay to the right, hardly anyone follows the rule. There are arrows suggesting it and videos urging it (for people to stay right) but 95% of the time people ignore it and go where they want. This is most stressful and annoying when trying to go up or down stairs. A full wave of people will be coming down, stretched from one side to the other, and you will have to bob and weave to make your way up. That is if you can manage to even make space. Now, most people I know just push on through. This is generally how the Koreans do it too, this observation based on being someone they have repeatedly pushed past. Yet, I am a bit too timid, so I usually just have to be the bob-and-weaver or wait for the flow of people to lessen.

Also, and I am sorry this post ended up being more of a rant, watch out for people who will literally cross the length of space just to walk where you are. For instance, you are walking on the right and another person is on the walking toward you but on the left. There is a I chance that person on the left will cross the way and walk directly toward you expecting you to move. It becomes a game of chicken, and I always lose because I cave and move to let the person pass. Perhaps it is complete coincidence, but it happens too often for me to believe it.

Anyway, enough complaining from me today. It is not always bad, but it is something to keep in mind when you are in busier cities.

Korean living daily tip #1

I plan on trying to post short, often quirky, little tips now and again as I roam through various parts of Korea (mostly Seoul but hopefully other places too) since I never really manage to get longer more detailed posts finished. These will be tips (or info) that may help you know what to expect in daily life in Korea. These are from my viewpoint as living in Seoul, so they may not apply to everyone or every place. So on to my first one:

Sneaky escalators! Here, unlike in some other places I have been (mainly North America), the escalator may appear to be broken when infact it is really just sleeping. Way to go conserving energy, Korea. Seriously, if people arent using it, they often stop, but will usually start back up as you walk up to it. I am sure this happens in other countries too, but it was something I had never personally seen before. I would walk up saying, "awww that sucks," then it would start up as I got closer. It seems that a broken escalator will usually have a sign blocking it completely, so dont be too disappointed at first glance if you see a still escalator. It likely is just waiting for you to get closer before it starts.