Car Trouble

Today I received a harsh reminder that I am a stranger in a strange land.  Here's how it happened:

I was driving to work when a car hit my passenger side.  It was a minor wreck; I was cruising slowly down our street and the other car was pulling out of a parking deck.  When I got out of the car, a woman with a baby in an ergo popped out and apologized to me.  She made a phone call, and I did the same.  My insurance company had counseled me to leave my car where it was if a wreck was not my fault, so I left my car in the street.

While we waited for our insurance agents, a man drove up on a scooter and tried to intimidate me into moving my car.  He told me it was nothing, then I think he tried to pay me.  The only English word in the transaction was "dollar".  I don't know if he was a passerby or of some relation to the woman (probably not her husband; we live in a rich neighborhood), but I didn't take well to his aggressive attitude and eventually he left.

People from the neighborhood started gathering around.  I called Bobby and asked if he could come down because I wanted some support.  No one else tried to intimidate me, but I felt very intimidated.  In situations like this, at home and abroad, no one sides with the outsider.  When Bobby showed up with the baby, one man asked to see him.  Xenophobia rarely includes babies, which was another reason why I called Bobby over.

Our agents showed up, took pictures, spoke to each other, and left.  The woman tried to say something to me, and I directed her to the agent.  She got in her car and left, and I felt crappy about it.   She was probably trying to say goodbye.  Our car is a beater, and I don't want to cost her a bunch of money.  If I spoke Korean, I would gladly have taken some money for repairs rather than going through insurance.  Also, she was driving with a baby strapped to her chest.  The baby appeared to be okay, but I'm sorry I didn't ask.  I wish she would spend her money on a car seat, not my repairs.

The insurance company told me I have to send the car to one of their mechanics, and they picked it up this morning.  I later found out that Korean law faults both drivers if both are in motion, so I will have to pay at least 20%.  I don't doubt that they will make the car look pretty, which means we will both pay for cosmetic work on a 15 year old car.  If we could communicate with the mechanic, we would have asked for them to fix the passenger door, which won't open, and nothing else.  

At least no one was hurt.  If she had been going full speed, that baby would have been.