Home Sweet Home

Along the two and a half hour train ride from Seoul to Ulsan, I couldn't help but smile. The high-rise buildings of the concrete jungle became obscured by a more natural landscape: tall,  misty mountains, small lakes and rivers, green valleys dotted with tarpaulin to cover homemade gardens. This was the Korea I hoped to see, and although I was tired from training I managed to stay awake long enough to catch a glimpse of the tomato sun as it ducked behind a mountain. Everything felt right. I was heading home.

After a quick meet and greet (and bean sprout soup) with my superiors at school I arrived at my apartment. Prior to my departure I knew I would share an apartment with another teacher for a few days before she moved out. This was actually quite helpful! I knew I had a pillow and blanket waiting, along with pots and pans, silverware, dishware, etc, all of which new teachers usually purchase on their own. What did I not know, you ask? I did not know I was about to move into a shoebox. Seriously guys, I know people in the states who have a closet larger than my apartment. If any of you were familiar with my mini-apartment in Bloomington, cut that in half and add one washing machine. Here, let me give you the tour.

In Korea, most people remove their shoes before walking around their home. This is great! You stinky Americans might consider losing the sneakers before traipsing around your indoor environment, gosh. Aside from cleanliness, heated floors are the source of warmth in most buildings, including this one, so it's a little more important to keep the floor somewhat clean. 

Off to the right you can see a small tile pad used as shoe collection. Don't blink or you'll miss it! Obviously the entrance leads into a "kitchen." The "kitchen" is mainly some cabinets and sink, a two-burner stove top, and the smallest (most adorable) toaster oven I never knew was invented. I can make maybe four chocolate chip cookies in that useless thing. And to the right is a baby refrigerator not worth picturing. Atop the stove is my tea kettle. Oh, wait...that's just a pot. Yep.

The best part about the kitchen is the sliding door which separates the bedroom, so I can close the door, then close my eyes, and imagine the granite island and cherry cabinets that occupy the kitchen in my dreams! Ahhhh, beautiful. Damn! Too bad that door is made of glass. Oh well. On to the bedroom. Come on in!

A look right, see this:

The bedroom came furnished with a bed (plus a mattress on the floor since I'm sharing the shoebox), desk, and dresser. An upside to this room (HALLELUJAH, THERE'S AN UPSIDE!) is all of the natural sunlight. I'm like a wilted plant without sunshine, so at least here I can flourish and grow as big as my little pot, able to get plenty of water in the...

Bathroom! Although there's no bath. Shower-room! Well, there's not really a shower either. I know what you're thinking, and yes, I think it's weird too. But I have to live here for at least one year, so I figure there are two ways to look at this: I either have no shower OR I have one huge shower! Optimistic me is trying very hard to view it in the ladder sense, but once again, something to get used to. Hey, maybe it's every regular child's dream to get water all over the bathroom and make a huge mess, right?   "Look, Mom!" *sprays water all over the ceiling* But honestly, come this January, think of me while you soak in your luxurious bathtub or let the hot water shower over you after a long run (shout out to my runners!) I'll just be chillin' in my shower room. Literally. But I got you beat on those heated floor. BOOYAH!