It is Korean custom to remove one's shoes before entering an apartment. Since it is also a custom NOT to clean an aparment before someone moves in, my shoes are still on the floor :) I have a lovely cabinet in which to store them, but it is low on my cleaning-priority list. Paper towels are also unheard of, so I'm using rags that must dry out before moving to other pieces of furniture... makes for a long cleaning process! Tidbit - my students change their shoes when entering the classroom, too!
This is a view from my front door. The bathroom is immediately to your right (after the shoe-spot), and you can see a towel on the floor in front of the door (more about that later). The kitchen is right around the corner on the right (after the small bit of white wall). You can also see the bed and the wall-unit on the wall opposite the bed. The floors are very nice - hardly any marks, since everyone has taken off their shoes! Apparently, the heating system is throughout the floor, so I will have toasty toes come wintertime!
My kitchen! I love it! The close-up on the pots and pans are what the school considers utensils! I am SO glad to have brought my peeler, wine-opener, spatula, etc! Above the sink, there are 2 cabinets for plates and dishes (PLENTY of room, since I was given 2 plates, 2 bowls, and 2 cups!). Below the bar, there are cabinets for food - should be plenty of room for just me. You can see the gas line coming down to the stove. This is due to having concrete walls. Also, there is a safety switch to stop gas from getting to the burners. As you can see, there is just a gas range. Very few people in Korea have ovens in which to bake. I'm not sure why this is. I've inherited a toaster oven from an old teacher, so I'll be set to melt things. Above the range, there is a part that pulls out to create an overhead light and fan. Quite space-saving! The cabinet above the range is a facade - the exhaust system lies behind the door. Under the range is a type of refrigerator used for Kimchi. I've been told I'm getting a regular fridge, but this one suits me fine. There are 2 crisper doors and a small space beneath them. It actually fits a vegan lifestyle quite well, since fruit and veggies are what I eat! The sink's faucet is great - it goes between a regular stream of water and a shower-like stream. Plus, the top pulls out (right off the faucet) to extend with a hose! I love it!
This is the living area of the apartment. I'm planning on getting several big pillows to put against the wall along the bed. This will create a more couch-like environement for watching TV and socializing. It seems pretty plain, but it works! There's more space between the bar and the bed than there looks (about 4 or 5 feet). The large white doors of the wall-unit are wardrobe areas. They're a little shallow, but with 2 of them it works. There is a place to hang clothes on the top, and then several shelves underneath. The rod for hanging actually wheels out a bit, making finding the right item pretty easy. I can't wait to get the shelves filled up. I only have a few books, my cds, and a couple knick-knacks (my red elephant pencil holder that I've had forever) on it right now. I'm sure the emptiness won't last long!
Finally, the bathroom. I actually have a great bathroom according to Korean standards. It's semi-western. In many Korean homes, the shower is simply a hose and nozzle attached to the sink. You have to flip a switch to go between sink and shower, and everything in the bathroom is able to get wet. This is a great space-saver, allowing for more living space, but it makes for an uncomfortable shower. As you can see, my shower is partially separated. I do have an area for the shower that is unique, but there is no complete separation from the rest of the bathroom. This means that I have to remember to remove the toilet paper (located on the wall opposite the toilet) before showering unless I want it to get soggy! I don't mind, though... it's kind of fun to get the entire place wet and not worry about it. However, I can't really keep anything in the bathroom (like clothes or a robe), nor is there a place to dry my feet. So, until I get a real mat, I have a towel outside the door, and I throw my clothes on the floor in front of the bathroom! I'm sure I'll develop another routine. I feel badly for a fellow teacher who doesn't have curtains, as anyone living in the building next door (about 5 feet away) would be able to see in! Yikes!That's it on the apartment front for now. I'll keep you updated if I add more pictures in the future!
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