When Anger Becomes an Ally: Meet Scarlet
By Erva Ozkan || Scarlet was always there, though I never wanted her to be. She was never a friend to me. Whatever she said, I dismissed. I believed she … Read More
By Erva Ozkan || Scarlet was always there, though I never wanted her to be. She was never a friend to me. Whatever she said, I dismissed. I believed she … Read More
As you may have noticed, Gwangju exhibits an extremely high level of permissiveness when it comes to allowing people to park on sidewalks. Apps that encourage citizens to snitch on such terribly parked cars do nothing. The police and tow truck drivers, it seems, are both powerless to fix this problem. In what seems like a hopeless situation, a lone hero has emerged to fight this chaos and lawlessness: a tall orange parking cone that is bolted into the ground. Truly, a tall orange parking cone that is bolted into the ground is the hero Gwangju needs but does not deserve.
Far above the streets and suspended in midair like a guardian angel, there lies a timeless piece of technology that acts as a focal point between psychology, physics, and electrical engineering. Often disregarded or outright ignored by the populous at large, this silent sentinel does not judge, does not get tired, and asks for nothing in return while keeping a watchful eye over all of us like a fearless eagle protecting its young.
The simplest and most convenient place to park is, obviously, in the middle of a road, but doing so creates a dangerous problem. Other cars that are moving quickly (sometimes as fast as 50 km/h!), risk colliding into the non-moving car. Even in the best-case scenario, a car that parks on a road can prevent other cars from driving on the road.
The people of Gwangju have spoken and this past month I felt a renewed sense of purpose in my quest to continue and expand my research into the blatant and egregious misuse of turn signals in our fair city. So, here we go again.
“What if I am driving a BMW, Mercedes, Audi, or some other imported and expensive luxury vehicle? Do I need to use my turn signal?”
“Find ways to excel with your abilities, improve your skills, and remember that we will be students forever, so let’s choose our methods of learning early.”
As a foreigner/expat/immigrant here in Korea, there is perhaps a no more terrifying experience than getting your hair cut.