The NeW DiGs

So after one week of staying in a Love Motel*, I have finally settled into my new place. The apartment is on the first floor of a six story apartment complex in a small alley just off the main road.


My new casa is small, but cozy. Although a cleaning lady prepped my apartment prior to my arrival, I quickly discovered the place wasn’t quite as clean as it should be. As Ria and I began to rearrange furniture we found months of dust and dirt….yuck!!

In order to make my apartment my own; I needed to get a few things. Ria and I made the thirty minute walk to Kim’s Club. Kim’s Club is their equivalent to Wal Mart, however it is much bigger, much nicer, and much more crowded. Kim’s Club has various departments, is at least three stories tall, and comes complete with McDonald’s, Starbucks, Baskin Robins, and others (in case you become famished while shopping). My regular shopping trip to Kim’s Club was InSaNe!!!!! If you can imagine Wal-Mart or Target on the day after Thanksgiving-with people pushing and prodding through ridiculous crowds, snatching everything they want and need…..this is Kim’s Club on a Sunday afternoon in Seoul. It was bananas!! I’ve never been plowed over by so many grandmas, and never been brushed out of the way by so many soccer moms attempting to do their weekly grocery shopping. After getting what we needed, as well as some things we didn’t Ria and I taxied back to the apartments and I attempted to get things in order.

There are many things I’ll have to get used to as far as the new maison is concerned. I have much less space than I’m used to, but so far this has not posed any problems. I’ll have to be a bit savvy as far as storage and such is concerned, but I feel I’m up for the challenge. In Korea, everyone removes their shoes at the door, in order to keep the hardwood clean-no problem- I love going barefoot!! Another difference I LOVE is that rather than having a heater that blows hot air into a room, Korean apartments are heated by hot water that circulates through pipes under the floor-the hot water heats the floor (so you never wake up to a cold floor), and then the warmth rises up-very efficient! I have a washer, but not a dryer-this means I have to hang dry my clothes and iron EVERYTHING!!! Instead of stepping into a shower and pulling the curtain closed, I will now step into my bathroom, pull the door close, and take my shower in the middle of the room. Everything in the bathroom gets wet (which should mean less cleaning), and the shower drains into the middle of the bathroom (this should allow for multitasking, but I haven’t yet tried it). My kitchen has a gas stove top (my favorite!), but unfortunately does not have an oven which means lasagna, cookies, and cakes are out of the question. (sad, but good for my diet!)

Over the weekend I met a Korean girl, Hiyojin who’s parents own a business in Seoul. Unfortunately for them; they had a tenant who did not pay rent for six months-this ended in a court battle and the tenants were kicked out. What does this have to do with the new digs?? – Hiyojin’s parents gave me a couch…for free!! I simply had to carry it down the street-it takes up some space, but is nice so that I am not restricted to my bed.

New Task: Make this apartment a home

*Love Motel: The Love Motel is a local phenomenon. These hotels cater to adulterous couples or young couples who simply want some privacy. The hotels have a parking garage that is partly screened and they offer a piece of wood to cover your license place to keep things as private as possible. My particular room had mood lighting, tinted windows, a Jacuzzi, plus His and Her slippers/His and Her robes. Apparently these hotels are particularly popular with business men who have affairs and want to keep it secret. I had no problem staying in one of these, it was clean, convenient, and I always had an extra pair of slippers or robes!