MyeongHee started driving school today. In order to get a license in Korea, one must attend driver education. She’s never driven a car, which is a testament to the public transportation system in Korea. But, having recently bought the new car, she’s now motivated to learn.  We went down on Friday to sign her up and she plunked down around $500 for a month-long class of 2-4 hours daily.  Today, classes began and we left the house early at the ungodly hour of 7:50am. I’ve gotten used to a more leisurely pace and have been taking her to work at around 9:30 or 10 everyday. The traffic isn’t too bad then, but early mornings are wicked bad.

Above is their training course. God only knows what they teach in this class, for Koreans are among the worst drivers imaginable. For a long time, I thought I might be exaggerating that. My own experience is limited to just 14 countries, but my fears were well founded. Recent news proves it.  It could just be that the training course has room for only one car and they are on it alone. That would explain the Korean mentality of driving, which, from my perspective, is to A) turn/change lanes/pull into traffic because no one else could possibly be there and then B) look to see who’s honking. A full-up dashboard/steering wheel in front of a computer graphics simulation of a crowded roadway full of idiots might be a more realistic training course.

When she finally takes the wheel and drives off to work on her own, I’ll be as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.