Nov 2nd, 2000
My New Apartment
I would like to say that I spent my four-day vacation in a productive manner. I would like to say that I visited the parks, palaces, and museums in central Seoul, wandered through the crowded markets and department stores in Namdaemun and Dongdaemun, partied in the Night Clubs of Hongdae, but in reality I mostly stayed in the PC-Bang and played video games with Jake and Bill.
My vacation began in earnest on Saturday. Jake accompanied me to my new apartment in Sillim, only about fifteen minutes away from the school by subway. I lugged my large bags (with Jake’s help) through a winding maze of small alleys and side streets until we finally lit upon a nondescript apartment complex.
Ariana, an Iranian girl from Canada had been formerly occupying the apartment, but she was heading back to Canada to finish up her last semester at University. I was fortunate enough to procure her small boom box from her for the affordable price of 35,000 won.
The room was adequate. Like every other room in Korea, it had linoleum floors, which did a tremendous job of collecting hair. Although Ariana had been kind enough to sweep the floors before she left, she had neglected to sweep under the bed. Upon moving her bed later, I was a bit dismayed to find that her hair had accumulated to such a great extent that it made it seem as if there was a small dark lawn growing underneath the bed.
The accoutrements were Spartan: one single bed, a medium sized dresser, a small refrigerator, a small desk, one chair, one television, a gas stove, a small amount of kitchen ware, a small bathroom that contained a washing machine, sink, and showerhead. I was pleased to see that Ariana had left some rice, sausages, and eggs in the pantry and refrigerator.
To be honest, I had absolutely nothing to complain about for not only did I get a furnished apartment, I got the only single accommodation at my Institute. The one glaring fault in the room was that it contained only one window that was partially obstructed by metal siding. I soon found out that the apartment owners had placed the metal siding in front of the window to obscure the view, which was of a plain brick wall.
Essentially, there was a two-foot by 8-inch gap through which light could enter my room, and the sun was properly angled for about a two-hour span every day. Basically, the time that I spent at home was a fluorescent tinted limbo until I managed to find a small lamp at a nearby corner shop.
Despite the darkness of my confines, I was happy to be able to finally unpack my bags and have a place to call home. I rearranged the furniture for a little while, and then headed to meet Jake and Bill at the PC-Bang. I arrived there at about 4 in the afternoon, and with the exception of a thirty minute break in which we ate at the McDonalds across the street, I stayed at the PC-Bang until 9 at night, at which time I took the subway back to Sillim and watched old episodes of 3rd Planet from the Sun until I fell asleep.
