Wheels at last!

I am now the proud owner of a 1997 Hyundai Sonata 3. The car has been inspected three times, we visited the auto dealership four times and not once did we drive the car off the lot, and I signed a lot of forms that were written in Korean (and took them elsewhere to be stamped and signed again). I provided more proof of my identity and right to live in this country than I showed to the organization that gave me thousands of dollars in cash to pay for a home. I still can't drive the car on base, since the vehicle ID office keeps odd hours. Nonetheless, I feel sixteen again.

My jubilation at having a new car was cut short when I first tried to drive it around. Korean drivers are impatient and inconsiderate, which I guess could have more to do with living in a big city than Korea. I can't drive slowly or hesitate before making a turn unless I want someone to honk at me. If I want to enter a road, I have to hold my breath and assume the person approaching me will slow down. I may know where I want to go, but I will probably encounter a few turns I can't take or instances where I have to turn rather than go straight. Finally, there are cameras everywhere, and I have been assured that I will receive a ticket or two in the mail with my picture over a large price tag. There is no traffic court in Korea. As a matter of fact, if I'm traveling some distance and I pass through toll gates too quickly, I get a ticket.

I will try to find a road map the next time I go on base, since even Google maps can't help me with Daegu. Friends have assured us that the best way to find our way around is to get lost a few times, which is how we learned Charlotte. Many of the roads don't really have names. Street addresses are new to Korea, and people still give directions by landmark.

For now, we're sticking around Namgu, our neighborhood, and taking the subway if we can. It's still the best way to be sure you get where you want to go. It snowed today, as though Daegu knew that I was missing the snow in North Carolina. Happy snow day, everyone.