[Student Voices] Taking the Subway from New York to Seoul
Published: 20 May. 2024, 09:38
Updated: 20 May. 2024, 09:56
Jihoon Choi (North London Collegiate School Jeju, Year 5)
“The next stop is Grand Central,” the speaker rattled. I exited the cramped subway car to find myself in a dark, boiling corridor. The homeless littered the floor as busy New Yorkers click-clacked around them in heels and work shoes. The walkway seemed to squeeze smaller and smaller as all kinds of people, tall, short, tattoo-covered, mini-skirted, bushy-bearded, black, white, bumped past me—some smelling like expensive perfume, others like drugs that would get them tossed behind bars in Korea. The train doors closed and it lurched away, exposing walls and metal pillars peeling off or rusting away, weathered with decades of serving Americans quickly but uncomfortably to their destinations. It wasn’t the “grand” golden station that I had imagined. It was a grave.
The NY subway is famed for its tendency to unveil danger at any moment. The latest attacks on the subway include shootings, stabbings, and people being pushed onto the tracks. I remember it as an unsettling labyrinth filled with trash, the homeless, and strange people.
Last summer, when my mom and I were visiting Manhattan, we came across a twentyish woman shouting at her phone as if it was a devil that had murdered her family. Tears were streaming down her face like miniature waterfalls as she shouted “Betrayer!” over and over again. People exchanged glances with one another, but no one did anything. No one’s expressions showed the level of shock, concern, and discomfort that mine did—this was just a regular Thursday on the NY subway.
As we continued exploring the city, it was hard not to be annoyed by the subway announcements. Unlike the clear, robotic announcements in Korea, the NY subway conductors personally voice what’s waiting on the other side of the subway doors. Once, we were heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and were told by Google Maps that the subway was the easiest way to get there. Google was right and we had a quick and painless 10-minute trip! No. Definitely not. This time, the conductor didn’t even give the announcement. Maybe he hadn’t had enough coffee that morning? We ended up getting off at 125th Street, five stops away from the museum. Another time, the conductor was kind enough to give the announcement, but it was inaudible. The distorted and heavily accented voice crackled, “Arrawergh.”
The NY subway might seem unwelcoming at first. But getting used to it opens the door to experiencing the lives of regular New Yorkers. Although some are terrifying or strange, others are friendly. They’re chill while chatting on the subway about recent Broadway shows or where to stop for dinner. They are themselves: tough—terrific—cool—New Yorkers. In the tunnels of the NY subway, they’re the light in the darkness.
***
“The next stop is Seoul Station,” the speaker pronounced.
I love our subway.
Have I always felt this way? Not exactly. Only after taking a month-long subway ride through New York did I realize the Korean subway is a gift. Look around at our safe, clean, beautiful subway. These days, I try to slow down and read the poems on the glass safety doors or admire the mosaics of the Seoul cityscape. I try not to dive into the train to grab the best seat. I try not to glare at the lady who got there first. Now, as I look back at all the troubling subway situations I experienced, I feel that, instead of complaining when touching the idea of riding the subway, we should appreciate, and enjoy, the pleasure of riding one like ours.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)