Taxicab Conversations

I've had a lot of unusual conversations since I moved to Korea and many of them have been in taxis. The fact that the stand-out conversation was with a guy who spoke flawless English because he came from the US should be telling. If that conversation was the weird one, what's normal?

One stand out "normal" conversation occurred when I returned from my Christmas break a few years ago, before I met my wife. It was December 31, and I arrived at the airport after the last bus had left. I took a taxi, and the driver listened intently to the radio which counted down to midnight. "In one minute," he explained, "Happy New Year." We counted down as he drove,and soon he turned to me and said "Happy New Year." I said it back, and hoped he didn't know about the tradition of kissing after the countdown. Thankfully, he either didn't know or pretended not to.

I thought of these conversations as I recently had another to add to the list. I was up early on a Saturday which either is a sin listed in the Bible or should be. I took a taxi, named my location, and we were on our way. The driver had a television which showed the news. As I tried to piece together what little Korean I knew to make sense, he helped with "Did you hear the breaking news?"

"No," I replied.

He nodded and continued to drive.

I continued to watch, but I read and hear Korean too slow and only saw boats in the ocean. The news switched to the weather, and curiosity got the better of me.

"What happened?" I asked.
"Last night, Korea, big problem."
I waited, but that was it. He watched the weather and continued on.
I waited as the news anchor came back, then the boats again. I ventured a guess.

"North Korea?"
"No," he shook his head. "Maybe."

Maybe?

I smiled and called it a day as far as my interview was concerned. I'd find out later.

Thanks to BBC news I later found out an explosion caused a South Korean boat to sink. Who or what caused the explosion remains to be seen. Hence the "No, maybe."

All this to say, when we get to the US, I have got to find a Korea town.