Where we live

Greetings!

I’ve decided to change the colour of my entries because I don’t find purple to be harmonious with the overall look of the blog.

View from front entryway.

I think it’s time to give you a virtual tour of our accommodations here in Busan. One thing Gavin and I were both worried about before we got here was the size of our apartment. We knew it was going to be a one-room setup, and that the school was willing to bump up our salaries in exchange for living there, so we were wary lest it turn out to be a closet. Luckily that is not the case and it’s actually a pretty big room- big enough to fit a queen size bed, kitchenette, couch, tv, mini-fridge, various shelving units and two tables. The bathroom is bigger than any I’ve had in Canadian apartments. 
         Although I very enjoyed my time on Charlotte St. Chez Asta, I have to admit that this place is nicer. The bathroom is sweet. You have no idea how nice it is to be able to walk in and out of the shower without worrying about getting water all over the floor. Plus the floor's heated in there.  That thing you see up by the ceiling, above the bed, is our air conditioner. Everywhere is air conditioned and they come standard with any apartment. At least that seems to be the case. It's a life saver. Most days going outside is like walking into a thin broth, a thin fish broth. It's not as unpleasant as it sounds, but I wouldn't want that to be my indoor life too.  

Bathroom, shower is hidden from view in the righthand corner.

            The two main differences between a Korean apartment and a Canadian apartment is that the Korean bathroom is basically a giant shower. The water runs directly onto the floor, which is tile and has a drain in the middle. Ours has a tiny glass partition, but many don’t. I get the sense that baths aren’t really a thing here. The other difference is that they don’t use radiators but rather rooms are heated through the floor.

A large part of our place.

            









The building we live in is pretty standard in Korea. It’s eight stories with commercial space on the lower seven and residences on the eighth. There is a convenience store and a Baskin Robbins on the main floor, then a variety of schools (Taekwondo, music etc.) on the others. The street we’re on is one-way and so relatively quiet. We’re close to a busy street, but you can’t hear the traffic at all from our place. Overall, the area has a very neighbourhoodly feel to it.

            There are also tonnes of highrises all around where I think the majority of people live. There’s a complex going up near us that has more than 5,000 units. You get the sense that the city is only getting bigger, and fast.

 Our apartment window looks out onto a rooftop terrace (sounds swanky, but it’s basically an outdoor gym/play area for the students, although it doesn’t get used much). The bonus is that they’ve planted a big garden along the edge, so we’ve got greenery close at hand. The ladies who cook lunch for the kids are often out there picking peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and corn to use. From the shot on the terrace you can see one of the many mountains poking up from behind the highrises. If you're at ground level you'd never know that you were in a three sided bowl created by the mountains and a river to the west. The view is obscured 90% of the time by the 8+ floor buildings and their hundreds of neon signs. It's cool when you see catch  glimpse of the lush mountainside reminding you that you can get away from the busy street level in just a few minutes if you need/want to.

Our window is on the far end.

            We’ve figured out a lot of the Korean domestic ways, but not all of them. The washing machine is still a mystery, but garbage and recycling has been explained (you can only use specific garbage bags that are very expensive- nearly $1.00 each, I guess to encourage recycling). 

            All in all we’re settled in and are happy with the place. I wouldn’t want to spend my life living in a single room, but one year is certainly doable. 

Me, squinting, next to the garden. You can see high rises going up
in the background and a mountain behind them.

The eighth floor (dingy) hall.

Gavin on the roof.