Shower In The Dark?

First off, I have to start by saying that I am very thankful to have my own (free) apartment in Korea.  My school provides me with an apartment and cellphone as a part of my contract! Woohoo!

That being said, I am still learning to love my bathroom.  My bathroom would be considered a 'half bath' back home as it's just a little room with a toilet and sink.  But hold on, what's that connected to the sink? That's right, it's my shower head!  When I want to shower I just have to turn a little knob so that the water comes out of the shower head instead of the sink and voila - a full bathroom.  I am trying to adjust to my new bathroom.

Tip #1 : Always remember to hide the toilet paper away in the cupboard before a shower or you will end up with paper mush.

Bathroom slippers!

Tip #2 : The faucets are very sensitive!  Turning the faucet one degree usually results in second degree burns (-;    I have yet to master this skill.

Tip #3: ALWAYS remember to turn the shower knob back to it's original place or the next time you try to wash your hands or brush your teeth, you get a cold shower.  You would think I'd have learned after the first time.  Of course not!  Four times and counting.  Old dog, new tricks?

Oh, I almost forgot the best part.  The light in my bathroom is completely broken, as in the fixture is hanging from the ceiling and the wall paper is scorched.  I heard tell that the bathroom light bulb actually exploded on the last teacher that lived here.  I should probably have someone from my school look at that.  Until then, morning showers it is!  

Welcome to my Korean "One-Room" Apartment!

Well, here it is, finally some pictures of my apartment.  As you have probably guessed, a 원룸 or a "one-room" means that I have one main room for sleeping and living.  In addition, there is a tiny kitchenette and bathroom.  Excuse the clutter, I was still unpacking and organizing when I took the picture.  Voila:

Cozy apartment, but the walls are so bare!

You may notice that I have a nice desk against the right wall.  The only problem is that the accompanying chair is completely broken.  It's currently hiding in the closet.  Instead, I do most of my work at the floor table with my warm and comfy floor cushion. More about that later!

L to R: Kitchenette, wardrobe, bathroom, washing machine/storage

What are some of the differences I've noticed so far, you may ask?  Heating systems, for starters, are very different in Korea than in the States.  Instead of using a central air system to control the temperature, Korean apartments and homes are often heated through the floor.  This is called Ondol heating.  Long ago fires/coal were actually used to circulate heat beneath the floors.  Nowadays, hot water pumps though water coils instead.  It's so nice and toasty!  Plus, heat rises, so I think this a pretty clever system.  No wonder some Korean people still sleep on the floor with thick blankets instead of using a Western style bed.  While working on lesson plans I am sometimes tempted to just curl up and nap on the floor instead. (=

One of the first hurdles I had to tackle in my new apartment was controlling the water thermostat.  All hot water is controlled by this little guy (below).  Whenever I want to use hot water for any reason (washing dishes, or a shower) I have to make sure the water heater is on and ready to go.  Cold showers are not fun!  The system is very efficient in terms of conserving energy and keeps the heating bill down.  However, I still like how back home all I have to do is turn the water faucet to the left and warm water comes out. (=  It's the little things.

Korean Thermostat - Ondol Heating

Thank you Google!

Thank goodness I can write and type in Korean because I just plugged all the labels into Google Translate and this is what I got :

Red Button = On/Off
Green Button = Warm water only
White and Grey Buttons = Set temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit
Blue Button = How often the heater runs (? )*

*I'm still not certain about the blue button. Youngeun - do you know what that means? lol

Anyways, it took me two days to completely figure out all the settings in my new apartment.  By then I was desperate for a hot shower.  But of course, I didn't have shampoo or conditioner yet. (planned on purchasing in Korea) For my first week, I washed my hair with body wash...weird, but it still got the job done.  hahaha. The body was left by the previous teacher.  The problem has since been rectified (=

It's dinner time - what to cook?

Walking Tour of Seoul

What an amazing weekend! I still can't believe that I am living in Korea, as a teacher, for an entire year!!! It doesn't seem real yet.

On Saturday afternoon, two of my co-teachers graciously offered to show all the new teachers around Seoul.  The weather was gorgeous. It had to be around 50 degrees for most of the day with bright blue skies.

Big Shopping Area

We did a walking tour of some of the popular sites in Seoul. We didn't spend much time at each place, but now I know how to get around by bus and subway by myself.  Some of the places we visited included: Myeongdong, Insadong, Itaewon, a Buddhist temple and the Palace! For now, I'll post some pictures on Facebook.  When I go back to spend more time at each location I'll tell more about it (=

This is only one wall - it's huge!

I think you will be surprised how heavily influenced Korea is by American culture.  I swear there are more Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, and 7 Eleven's in Korea than I've ever seen in the States.  Would you believe that there are Taco Bells, Burger Kings and Pizza Huts as well?  There was a TGI Fridays in the supermarket near my apartment in Suji, for goodness sakes!  Korea is so dynamic I learn something new everyday.  Hopefully I'll stay on top of this blogging thing so I can share it with you all too!

Me in front of King Sejong and the palace in the background!

The city itself seems never ending. Just like the Energizer Bunny, it keeps going and going!  The Seoul metropolitan area has a population of almost 25 MILLION people!  To help put that into perspective, the Twin Cities metro area is home to only 5 MILLION.   Below is a photo a pretty stream that runs through the heart of the city.  One of coolest things about my tour is that I've seen a lot of these sites in Korean dramas before - but now I get to see them up close in person!!

Another fun fact, and don't you know I love to dish those out, the land area of North and South Korea combined is roughly the same size as Minnesota.

Quickly, I just have to say that I am loving the food here.  I'm am really enjoying myself despite my aversion to seafood. I suspect Korean food will do wonders for my figure as well (-; For lunch we stopped to have Dak Kalbi (spicy chicken),a stirfry-like dish.  Its was sooo yummy.  Here are two of my co-teachers Tristan and Rachel:

Next, I promise to share some pics and stories about my apartment !

LCI Kids Club in Suji

Just some quick info for those who are curious:

I am teaching at LCI Kids Club in Suji, South Korea this year.
Here is the website if you're curious.
http://www.lcisuji.com/

Be warned almost everything on the website is in Korean.  Let's see what Google Images has to say...I found a random picture of the hallways.

And here is the location on Google Maps if you want to play around and see how far away from Seoul it is, etc.   My apartment is about a 10 minute walk from school and all the teachers live in the same block.  

View Larger Map

Never Ending Journey

Hello friends and family!

What a week it's been!  Last Friday I finally left Minnesota and made my way to South Korea.  After two sleepless days of packing and flying I just wanted to get to my new apartment and make myself at home. But, as luck would have it, my apartment wasn't ready yet.  Instead, myself and three other new teachers ended up in a motel for four days. This really wasn't the end of the world, but living out of a suitcase (or in my case three of them) isn't the most comfortable situation.

Last Minute Packing

The funny part is, that in Korea, some motels/hotels are a bit different than the states.  I think the best way to describe where I stayed is a "love motel".  Let me try to explain.  When Korean couples (unmarried) want to spend the night together they have to go a motel.  My understanding is that sex before marriage is a big no-no and most people live with their parents until they get married.  I think you can figure out the rest (-; Anyways, it was really funny (and awkward) to see random couples on their way in or out of the motel if you catch my drift. The parking lots are even indoors and placards are available to cover car license plates for privacy.  Here is a picture of my room. Fancy pants!

Love Motel <3

Now it's Friday again and I am finally in my very own apartment. I am appreciating it all the more!!!  More details to follow.