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My Apartment in Busan, South Korea

My apartment history is an interesting one.  The first apartment I had left a lot of room for improvement.  It was on the third floor and the stairs leading up to that floor were very small, only about half of my foot fit on each step.  I actually had to turn sideways to go up and down the stairs.  The apartment itself was ok.  It was definitely old and in need of some fixes and upgrades, but definitely livable for 12 months.  The bathroom was really small – I mean really small.  Toilette, sink, and washing machine (you’ll see in the video).  There was no real area for showering.  Just stand in front of the sink.  I wasn’t exactly pleased, but like I said it was only for 12 months.  The real problem with the bathroom was that it leaked out onto the kitchen floor.  Not just a little bit either.  There would be a large puddle when I opened the door that was supposed to block the water.  I had to mop each time unless I somehow angled the water just right, but then it was difficult to shower properly.

At that time, there was a new rule with EPIK that teachers had to put down a security deposit on their apartments.  The amount was 500,000 won at the time and it is refundable upon completion of your contract.  I guess they had enough of foreigners coming into town and not taking care of the free units they were being given.  Before I gave my money though, I told my school that there was an issue with the bathroom leaking large amounts of water.  I told them it really needed to be fixed or I wouldn’t provide the security deposit.  That night the landlord came by.  He took a look at the door frame between the bathroom and kitchen and made a phone call.  Then he came up to me and said, “teacher…come…”

He walked me down and through all these back streets at breakneck speed.  I guess he wasn’t happy that he had to face upgrading or fixing the old unit.  He took me to another of his buildings that was newly renovated.  Everything was new in the unit and I was happy.  So there I lived for 10 months.

Then the rainy season happened.

The area where you first come into the apartment to take off your shoes was leaking water very badly.  The ceiling molding (like crown molding) fell down as the moisture destroyed the glue.  Eventually the ceiling started to fall in and leave huge puddles in that little room.  Thankfully, none of it made it’s way into my apartment.  He brought me to another unit in the same building which was exactly the same.  I agreed it would be fine.

The great part was, because I have a great relationship with my school, they told the landlord he was responsible for moving my belongings and that everything needed to be put in it’s original place.  Amazingly, every last piece of everything was put where it was in the previous apartment.  I mean everything.  It was great.  I guess he didn’t want to risk losing the steady, dependable account with EPIK.  Smart man.
So now I’m happy in my third apartment.  No issues, no complaints.  Life is good!

This video was taken when I moved into the second unit.  My current one is identical except for colors.


Comments

  1. Avatar Frank Hom says:

    Glad to see that you now have an apartment that you could live in now. I once thought about teaching abroad after I got my secondary school credential. I think that Korean dramas are great as it stresses respect for family and elders. Hope to watch more of your Youtube videos. By the way, did you renew your teaching contract in Korea as it was up for renewal in 2015?

    • Thank you – yes my new apartment has made an immense difference in my life here. I’m really grateful for it. I did renew until February 2016.

  2. I was just looking for the best brand of electric blankets made in Korea and this came up so this may be late but it’s a cute studio type. ‘just a bit weird that your oven, microwave and ref is beside your closet. and maybe there’s a different logic behind the placement of your laundry machine in between the kitchen sink and the gas range but hey, whatever works, right?! 🙂

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