snow, snow, go away

12Feb10

So, just when I thought Suwon was on its way to Spring, I awoke this morning to be proven wrong. It had snowed yet again.

The snowfall has continued all day. And though not much has accumulated on the ground, it’s another reminder that this year’s winter season isn’t ready to leave us just yet.

Since late December, the country’s uncharacteristically snowy season has caused quite a stir. The white stuff is making an appearance everywhere. It’s all over the news. It’s in everyone’s conversations. And when central Korea was hit with a record snowfall of nearly 26 cm. in early January, the natives went nuts. “Ann, have you ever seen so much snow?!” they exclaimed. (Although I, in fact, have, witnessing a seasonal high of more than 100 in. two years ago in Madison, I pretended to be just as astounded as they were.)  ”Korea has such a strong winter, don’t you think?!” the vice principal asked me at school one day, after half of my English camp kids had failed to show up for class. (And though I remember snow days to be a seasonal regularity in my elementary and middle school days, I smiled and nodded with enthusiasm.) “Such craziness!” my Korean co-teacher beamed. (I didn’t think it was that crazy, but agreed anyway.)

But in some ways it is crazy. As a native Wisconsinite, quite accustomed to heavy snowfall, it’s crazy to see how Korea handles, or rather, doesn’t handle, the snow. On that record-breaking day in early January, I saw buses stall, cars stall, and people, unable to figure out what to do, stall, too. Roadways looked like ski trails. Unable to see the road lines, drivers were going every which way, some sideways, some backwards. And without a single plow in sight, the snow just kept accumulating higher and higher. Bus schedules were obliterated. My route to school, which normally takes just 10 minutes, ended up taking an hour and a half. Cars were getting stuck in snowbanks, while turning corners, while going up hills, while doing just about anything. And flustered drivers, who had never before experienced such snowy road conditions, weren’t able to do anything but dig themselves deeper into the mess. Every man, woman and child was flummoxed. And I watched as the entire city of Suwon succumbed to mass confusion and chaos.

My first winter in Korea witnessed little snow, maybe three or four light snowfalls at the most. This winter was one of the snowiest in the country’s history. I’m not sure what the next winter holds in store. But if weather patterns continue to follow this season’s trend, I’d suggest that Korea invest in the development of some snow removal procedures! In the meantime, though, I’m just hoping the snow stops and winter is on its way out.

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