Since we got here, I noticed that everyone walks on the left side. They do it in the hallways at school, getting out of the elevator, on the sidewalk, and public places. Just after we were talking about this, we noticed one week everything had switched. They changed the escalators going in and out of the subways. The government has also come up with this huge awareness campaign about how Korea, or just Seoul for now, will all start walking on the right side. The correct side. There are arrows directing people in the subways, on sidewalks, and up and down stairs. They have big posters explaining the switch and getting the word out. In really busy places, there were even people hired to direct people to the right side while walking.
Basically all it has done is created mass confusion. Places like sidewalks and subway stations are already extremely crowded. Some people are walking on the right and some haven’t changed yet. So coming and going has become a crazy fight of everyone walking towards each other in the wrong direction. We’re not sure if we should walk with the locals on the left side with the flow of traffic, or join the recently converted on the right side. It’s a crazy entanglement of people on all sides.
is this for real?!?! could you imagine if the Canadian gov't spent money and hired people to convert all Canadians to walk on the left side? hahahaha wow. cultural difference at its best!!
ReplyDeleteThat's crazy!! I wonder if it will ever work out. I think you should help out the Korean gov't and walk on the right side...that must be habit anyway! haha.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic.It is a culture shock for me when i just came back to Malaysia.Even now,sometimes i'm still confuse which side should i stand on the escalator.Right or left?!hihi...
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