Sunday, June 24, 2012

The Aparment (aka Come Visit Me Maybe)

So for my friends and family at home, this is what you'll get if you come to stay with me! As I said before, my living situation is extremely unusual. I am ridiculously lucky. I've been told by other teachers that their apartments are about the size of my living room...for anyone in Korea reading this...feel free to come hang out/ crash here whenever you want! 


I will note three drawbacks:

1) My apartment is a bit far from both the downtown and my school, so I've had to seriously start considering the option of buying a motor scooter or vespa...this would be great if I weren't aware of the fact that cab drivers watch TV while driving...no kidding. I won't just be looking both ways, but every which way.

2) The other day my co-teacher warned me that my elevator was dangerous, but I didn't really get what he meant, I thought maybe he just didn't like them (I don't either). But then today I was bringing up boxes of stuff that I bought and realized that the doors on the elevator don't have sensors!!! While trying to grab boxes they actually closed on me and didn't open after they hit me! Thankfully it didn't hurt too much, it's kind of a dinky elevator, but next time I think I'll just sweat it up the stairs.

3) I probably won't have an apartment this big or nice again...ever. 

Anyways, here it is! Starting from when you walk in:

There's a little weird little foyer when you enter.


I turned the closet in the entry way into my shoe closet.


The living room. That couch is not comfortable...at all.


Living room from the other side, the kitchen area is behind the glass.


The balcony for the living room and my room are connected.


Now you've got the 360. The hallway leads to the other two rooms.

The kitchen...come visit and I'll throw you a dinner party! I'm lucky to have a full stove and oven.

To the right behind the glass doors of the kitchen is a "second kitchen"! Really it's just some cabinets and two burners but it's crazy! Might be for cooking things with a strong aroma? Further to the left behind the glass is the washing machine but it's creepy so I didn't take a picture of it.

?

My room! It's to the right if you're facing the living room balcony, it's not in the hallway with the other two rooms.

From the other side...you can see the little hall in front of my bathroom.

 Bathroom...it's actually a sweet deal considering for most teachers in Korea the bathroom is the shower, there's no divider.

One of the other bedrooms. I'll take suggestions on what to do with it.

Second bathroom, even has a tub!











4 comments:

  1. Ahhhh looks so nice!! Miss you girl.

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  2. Second bedroom: trampoline floors, mattress ceiling.

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  3. How did you manage to land such a large apartment? I'm planning on teaching in Korea beginning May 2013 and this apartment is extremely different from the typical studio-style ones I see in the youtube videos.

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  4. There were a few factors but I'd say the biggest one was sheer luck. Part of the reason for my fortune is that I teach at a public school in a fairly rural area where rent is cheaper. I was also told by my co-teacher that the school provides this apartment to help attract teachers to the area. I am fortunate to work at a school that appreciates its English teachers and treats us very well. I don't say this to be a jerk but I don't want this post to give you any unrealistic expectations, my situation is extraordinarily unusual and I really lucked out. Even my recruiter told me that this is one of the biggest apartments they've ever seen from their clients. The chances of getting an apartment like this are slim, and if you want to teach in a big city like Seoul I'd say the chances are none. Most people I know live in studios with a small attached kitchen or dining area. And to tell the truth I really do envy them, my apartment is difficult to maintain by myself, I am not very close any public transportation, and my utility bills during the winter (which is long) have been so high I actually tried to move out (albeit unsuccessfully). While occasionally it's nice to host big gatherings at my place, I would much rather live in a smaller place with better access to public transportation. While having a slightly bigger place might be nice, I would definitely focus more on the location of your apartment when choosing a job. You will find that being close to public transportation, not having to constantly clean, and not groaning every time you see your utility bill sticking out of your mailbox are much more valuable than an extra room. Thanks for your comment and good luck with your job search!

    ReplyDelete

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