A vicious rain ensued this morning as I walked from Koaroo Apartments (where my host family lives) to the academy. The compact umbrella that Harrison had given me the day before rattled and buckled under the wind as I pressed northward up the road. By the time I arrived, just ten minutes later, my pants legs and shoes were sopping, and I gratefully took cover under the steel awning as I waited for Maggie and Tahira to meet me. Minutes later, two umbrellas emerged around the corner, and I was greeted by two familiar faces. The girls were off to do a little last-minute shopping before Maggie left for the U.S. in the morning. I, on the other hand, had other plans... I was about to receive the set of keys for my apartment and the school, and see my new home for the first time!
I excitedly walked up the hill and turned the corner to the row of boxy, concrete buildings lining the road. You wouldn't guess by looking that this is any more than a communist compound... it's not exactly aesthetic. Most Korean buildings, I've noticed, are (1) boxy and (2) concrete. I stepped inside, turned the key in the lock, and slowly pulled open the steel door. I was prepared for a bit of a mess (the apartment had just been re-wallpapered), and I was prepared for "small"... but I felt my nose wrinkling up as I scanned my new living space (or should I say, lack thereof)? All of the furniture had been pushed into the middle of the room in a hodgepodge of cords, tables, and other odds and ends. I felt my heart sink a little. This was... my new home?
Well, as I usually do when I sense chaos and disorder, my inner Zen kicked in and I found myself sizing up the wardrobe, desk, and bedframe for configuration possibilities. I rolled up my sleeves and started pushing furniture all over the place, stepping back every few minutes to get a sense of the feng shui vibe. I was just in the middle of my little renovation project when Harrison stopped by to give me a "tour," as he called it, of how to "survive" in my apartment. Necessary stuff, you know, like turning on/off the gas line for the stove, turning on/off the hot water line for laundry, using the washing machine, adjusting the thermostat, and turning on the A/C, fan, TV, and satellite. You'd think it would all be more or less self-explanatory, but trust me, at this point in time, Korean is more or less heiroglyphics to me! (Maybe you can see in the picture, Harrison labeled the remote controls me!)
Even every-day stuff like what to do with the garbage is a bit different. You use a special kind of green bag for refuse, recycled shopping bags for recylable paper and plastics, and a little plastic bucket for any food waste. Koreans are big into recycling, which is great... it's a personal weakness of mine not to care more about sorting out my trash. So I guess I'll get some practice while I'm here. Mom, that's gotta make you happy :)By the time I left the apartment, I was feeling much better about the state of affairs of my apartment, though still a bit shell-shocked about the small space. (Measurements I took later confirmed that the room is 10 x 16 feet, which is not exactly spacious for a bedroom + kitchen + living room + entertainment area... yikes!). Tomorrow is "moving day" -- Harrison and I will bring all my luggage here from my host family's place, and I'll finally begin settling in!
A vicious rain ensued this morning as I walked from Koaroo Apartments (where my host family lives) to the academy. The compact umbrella that Harrison had given me the day before rattled and buckled under the wind as I pressed northward up the road. By the time I arrived, just ten minutes later, my pants legs and shoes were sopping, and I gratefully took cover under the steel awning as I waited for Maggie and Tahira to meet me. Minutes later, two umbrellas emerged around the corner, and I was greeted by two familiar faces. The girls were off to do a little last-minute shopping before Maggie left for the U.S. in the morning. I, on the other hand, had other plans... I was about to receive the set of keys for my apartment and the school, and see my new home for the first time!
I excitedly walked up the hill and turned the corner to the row of boxy, concrete buildings lining the road. You wouldn't guess by looking that this is any more than a communist compound... it's not exactly aesthetic. Most Korean buildings, I've noticed, are (1) boxy and (2) concrete. I stepped inside, turned the key in the lock, and slowly pulled open the steel door. I was prepared for a bit of a mess (the apartment had just been re-wallpapered), and I was prepared for "small"... but I felt my nose wrinkling up as I scanned my new living space (or should I say, lack thereof)? All of the furniture had been pushed into the middle of the room in a hodgepodge of cords, tables, and other odds and ends. I felt my heart sink a little. This was... my new home?
Well, as I usually do when I sense chaos and disorder, my inner Zen kicked in and I found myself sizing up the wardrobe, desk, and bedframe for configuration possibilities. I rolled up my sleeves and started pushing furniture all over the place, stepping back every few minutes to get a sense of the feng shui vibe. I was just in the middle of my little renovation project when Harrison stopped by to give me a "tour," as he called it, of how to "survive" in my apartment. Necessary stuff, you know, like turning on/off the gas line for the stove, turning on/off the hot water line for laundry, using the washing machine, adjusting the thermostat, and turning on the A/C, fan, TV, and satellite. You'd think it would all be more or less self-explanatory, but trust me, at this point in time, Korean is more or less heiroglyphics to me! (Maybe you can see in the picture, Harrison labeled the remote controls me!)
Even every-day stuff like what to do with the garbage is a bit different. You use a special kind of green bag for refuse, recycled shopping bags for recylable paper and plastics, and a little plastic bucket for any food waste. Koreans are big into recycling, which is great... it's a personal weakness of mine not to care more about sorting out my trash. So I guess I'll get some practice while I'm here. Mom, that's gotta make you happy :)By the time I left the apartment, I was feeling much better about the state of affairs of my apartment, though still a bit shell-shocked about the small space. (Measurements I took later confirmed that the room is 10 x 16 feet, which is not exactly spacious for a bedroom + kitchen + living room + entertainment area... yikes!). Tomorrow is "moving day" -- Harrison and I will bring all my luggage here from my host family's place, and I'll finally begin settling in!
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