Overcoming My Fear of Driving in Songpa
Honestly, I have to confess something.
My driver's license was just sitting in my wallet for 5 years. I was a perfect couch driver.
Living in Songpa, I can't express how frustrating it was not to be able to drive. Just thinking about the Jamshil Station intersection made me sigh.
"Songpa-daero is an 8-lane road, but the cars are so fast that I couldn't even think about merging in."
"On weekends, the tourist traffic to Lotte World Tower is so heavy that you can't move an inch."
"There are so many trucks near Garak Market from dawn, it's scary!"
These were all my experiences.
Living in Songpa, a tourist hotspot, is no easy feat.
People think Songpa is quiet because it's a residential area? That's a complete misconception!
Jamshil Station is a transfer station for Lines 2, 8, and 9, with a huge flow of people, while Lotte World Tower and Lotte World Mall attract tens of millions of visitors annually, turning weekends into a battlefield. Songpa-daero and Olympic-ro are wide roads with fast-moving vehicles, and Garak Market is the largest wholesale market for agricultural and marine products in the country, packed with large trucks from dawn. This area also connects to the Olympic Expressway and Gangbyeonbuk-ro, making highway merging essential.
So, basic skills weren't enough; I needed to develop a sense for merging onto highways and driving among large vehicles!
But now, I can even drive on the Olympic Expressway alone.
Can you believe it?
After taking a 4-day driving course in Songpa, I became a completely different person.
"I drove from Jamshil Station to Seokchon Station all by myself!" ✨
"Now I'm not afraid of the underground parking lot at Lotte World Mall!"
"I even drove to Yeouido on the Olympic Expressway! My husband was so surprised!"
Before my driving lessons in Songpa, my sister doubted me, saying, "You driving on that fast road?" But now, I take her to the cafes by Seokchon Lake!
The reason I avoided the wheel for 5 years wasn't due to lack of skill.
It was fear that held me back, like worrying about making a wrong turn at Jamshil Station or not being able to merge onto the Olympic Expressway.
But during the first lesson, the instructor said, "Everyone gets confused near Lotte World Tower at first. I once missed the exit at Seokchon Station and ended up in Bangi-dong!"
In that moment, I realized I wasn’t the only scaredy-cat, and I relaxed.
They didn’t scold me and patiently corrected my mistakes with a smile, making me look forward to the next driving lesson.
My 4-day training went like this:
Day 1 – Basic skills on back roads in Bangi-dong and Ogeum-dong.
Day 2 – Driving on Songpa-daero and Olympic-ro, practicing lane changes.
Day 3 – Focused practice in the underground parking lots of Lotte World Mall and Garden 5.
Day 4 – Real driving from Jamshil Station to Seokchon Lake, Olympic Park, Songpa IC, and the Olympic Expressway!
On the last day, when I drove home alone, I honestly felt tears welling up.
To anyone reading this: driving isn't an innate talent; it's a process of transforming fear into familiarity.
Before my lessons, I was terrified of Songpa-daero, but now it feels like just another familiar road in my neighborhood.
You can change too. I truly mean it.
Start with a visit to a driving school!
Source :https://blog.naver.com/cwbeside/224175362719
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