Can you ride a Bike?
Another more pertinent reason could be everything is paved over in the cities. Motorists go anywhere and do not obey traffic laws making it very dangerous for cyclists. Honestly, if I didn’t live near a park I wouldn’t allow children to bike around either.
I can still remember the first time I rode a bike. I got on my older sister’s electric blue two-wheeler with the banana seat and accompanying Harley Davidson handle bars. It was the iconic image of a father teaching his child to ride a bike. He held on to the back of the seat while I found my equilibrium. After a few wobbly tries, off I went in my faded cut-off jean shorts. One of my sweetest childhood memories.
I was quite surprised when my very quiet colleague invited me to go scuba diving. Although a very nice girl, she would say very little at work and even less outside of it. But a group of scuba diving instructors certified with PADI she was diving with were having a promotion for foreigners for a mere 20,000 won.
Although we asked all the foreigners in the office, it seems that many people from Asian countries don’t know how to swim. Come to think of it, lots of Koreans don’t know how to bike either.
The first time I heard that I was quite shocked. There are a few kids I remember who never learned to swim back in Canada but there wasn’t anyone I knew who couldn’t bike.
One of the reasons Koreans don’t learn to bicycle is that financially it is considered superfluous. While in the west we consider it a rite of passage and a staple of childhood, Korean children grew up moving themselves around on their own power. They would play games learned from their parents and are passed on from generation to generation.
As adults you will see young Koreans continue to play a less active version of these games, most will consist of guessing or singing games. These games are especially popular with the college crowd. When going out in a small or larger drinking party, people will sit around a table and slap or wave their hands as they sing in unison. It would be comparable to the type of games we’d play at camp.
Although we asked all the foreigners in the office, it seems that many people from Asian countries don’t know how to swim. Come to think of it, lots of Koreans don’t know how to bike either.
The first time I heard that I was quite shocked. There are a few kids I remember who never learned to swim back in Canada but there wasn’t anyone I knew who couldn’t bike.
One of the reasons Koreans don’t learn to bicycle is that financially it is considered superfluous. While in the west we consider it a rite of passage and a staple of childhood, Korean children grew up moving themselves around on their own power. They would play games learned from their parents and are passed on from generation to generation.
As adults you will see young Koreans continue to play a less active version of these games, most will consist of guessing or singing games. These games are especially popular with the college crowd. When going out in a small or larger drinking party, people will sit around a table and slap or wave their hands as they sing in unison. It would be comparable to the type of games we’d play at camp.
Another more pertinent reason could be everything is paved over in the cities. Motorists go anywhere and do not obey traffic laws making it very dangerous for cyclists. Honestly, if I didn’t live near a park I wouldn’t allow children to bike around either.
I can still remember the first time I rode a bike. I got on my older sister’s electric blue two-wheeler with the banana seat and accompanying Harley Davidson handle bars. It was the iconic image of a father teaching his child to ride a bike. He held on to the back of the seat while I found my equilibrium. After a few wobbly tries, off I went in my faded cut-off jean shorts. One of my sweetest childhood memories.
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Please, please, explain the "I got you by cracky" statue?
ReplyDeleteIs Korea still producing all the milk for distribution in the Far East?
Hey,
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late reply just started working on this site again after long absence.
In Korea, that is a very common behaviour when you are trying to tease someone. There are no sexual elements. It's something akin to a "wet-willy."