Some things for this small-town American in a big city are completely amazing to me!
In Uijeongbu, instead of a subway system, the city uses a monorail type train or “Light Rail” system to provided transport around the city. This train is about two or three stories above ground and it weaves its way through the city. To get up to the train you must take the elevator—if you are old, injured, pregnant, or lazy (which is bad), or you can take the escalator—when it is working, or you can climb the stairs. For the last several weeks, I have been climbing the stairs because the many escalators I passed where not moving. So, I would trudge up and down the stairs each time I go on or off the train.
“They are broken” I thought. “Every time I pass these escalators, they are broken. Why can’t they just fix them.”
Then the moment of truth happened.
I watched as a lady walked confidently toward the escalator. “What is she going to do? Is she going to walk up a broken escalator?”
Then it began to move. Amazingly, the escalator lifted her to the next floor, just like it is designed to do.
It wasn’t broken, it was motion activated. Soon, I saw several other people follow suit. And there I was, the small-town American watching in amazement this miracle of technology, the escalator.
I was completely amazed and completely embarrassed at the same time.