Cabin Fever and Commuting

Brendan has promised to update in the near future. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. Perhaps if I fill this post with misinformation he will feel the need to post and correct what I write again.

My students are currently taking mid-term exams, so I don't have to teach this week or next. Unfortunately, I still have to show up to work. This results in me sitting in the office all day surfing the internet. There are other people in my office as well, 10 to be exact, but they mostly just speak Korean. So, I just surf all day and almost never speak. Therefore, when people do actually talk to me, I get very excited and end up sounding like a moron. Luckily, Koreans can't detect (Moronity?) I have however, conducted a very awkward conversation with one of my (American) neighbors and written all of my emails in pirate language today.

Tomorrow I am going to some useless 2-day training seminar on how to work with your co-teachers. It is useless for 2 reasons: 1. I already have awesome co-teachers. 2. The people running the seminar are the same boneheads that ran our orientation, and I will never get that week of my life back. Oh well, at least i'm not teaching. 

Well, Fate has proven me wrong. Brendan just emailed me a post.

The public is clamoring; so here it is folks, Brendan’s 2^nd post:

 

I take the bus to work everyday. Awesome, I know. I love the 10-20 high school students who get on the stop before I get off in the morning, and then proceed to block the doorway and do their best from letting me leave the vehicle. Oh so many elbows have been thrown into the arms, chests, and heads of little bastard kids and wicked adjumas (old Korean hags).

 

Also, apparently it’s extremely difficult to get a job driving a bus. You have to be able to scream obscenities while riding the tail of someone who cut you off, only to slam on the brakes and send everyone skyrocketing to the front of the bus. And everything is a race, so you have to be flooring it the entire time. Luke should apply. (Lol...This is kelly)

 

Additionally, bus drivers cannot be intimidated by something as inconsequential as a red light, or pedestrians crossing immediately in front of the bus. I cannot count the number of times a bus I’ve been traveling on has just cruised through a red at 30-40 mph. And I’m not talking about “not going to make it before yellow turns, but not braking, either” red light running. No, “it’s been red for a minute, some stupid crosswalk has the right of way, but I’m racing bus #2211, and I can’t give him the chance of catching up.”

 

Two busses run the same route, at least before splitting up right after my school stop. I get on at the last/first stop in that direction, and #3 & #2211 race out of the gates, refusing to wait for people at that pickup. Whoever is behind will tend to skip the 2^nd stop, where the leader is idling, instead deciding to cross over the double yellow for the chance to make their move, oncoming traffic and school children be damned. This defensive-style driving continues until I leap out of the bus, which doesn’t have enough time to completely stop while letting me off.