The Big Move

Tuesday morning I had planned on waking early in order to spend the majority of the morning repacking my stuff for our move up to Junggyedong. Despite my alarm going off at ten I managed to stay in bed until noon, knowing that I would be working until 10:30pm and then most likely have to move my stuff sometime after that. I finally hopped up around noon as I remembered we had to leave early for work today too in order to drop our keys off at DYB headquarters so that they could pick up our bags for us. . .oops!

Spent literally all morning (or early afternoon) trying to get everything I brought jammed back into the two suitcases I came with; both of which were filled to capacity and not easy to repack! I finished packing just as Nate showed up at my place to remind me that we needed to get going. I took my passport from my backpack and brought it in my school bag but otherwise left everything else I own here locked up in an apartment to which I was handing over the keys. . .scary!

Tuesday at work went as well as any day could. I only had two classes although each is still two hours long. For my middle two hours however, from 6:30-8:30, I have what is called Essay time; where I get to just sit in our Native Room and grade all the kids' essays. While the break from teaching is nice, it is not as easy to grade the essays as one might think.

The kids understand the concepts that they are asked to write about rather well. The only problem is that the majority of them have very poor grammar and it is very difficult to understand what they are trying to say. In turn, correcting their essays can be extremely exhausting as it requires first deciphering their intended meaning and then helping to convey how and why it should be different. Working as quickly as possible I just barely finished grading the 42 essays I was given by 8:30. . .just in time for my next class!

At 10:30pm we were finally done with work and Joseph, whose official position we figured out is Senior Clerk, told us to wait until 11 when he got off and would be able to show us to our room. I say room because, if you recall, DYB decided that it was time for Nate and I to move despite only one room being ready that we were asked to share until the second became available!

Not ready to hang around school for an extra half 'n hour, Nate and I took off for downstairs to grab a quick bite at the Gimbapchunggook across the street. Sitting down at a table we were handed a menu, all in Korean and with no pictures. With only a few minutes before we had to be back upstairs to meet Joseph, we decided to just tough it out and order whatever we could.

Using the LP 'Eating' section, I was able to ask the server/hostess/cook for a recommendation. She asked if I liked noodles with cheese which sounded as good to me as anything. Somehow she also managed to recommend to Nate a pork cutlet with bbq sauce, corn and rice; a dish that has quickly become his favorite and he has almost learned how to pronounce/recognize in Korean. . .almost! Turns out my 'cheese noodles' was a cup of ramon (known here as ramyeon) noodles with a slice of American cheese on top. . .mmmmm! In all honesty is was rather good despite being both extremely spicy and hot (all food here seems to be served beyond piping hot, I know someone who would just love it!!).

We managed to order, eat and get back upstairs in about 15 minutes meeting Joseph just as he was getting off of work. Joseph then guided us back downstairs and out the back door of the DYB building. Walking straight for no more than a minute we hung a left into the OfficeTel, Building B. We took the elevator up to the fifth floor and Joseph handed us both room keys to B-505.

While my original expectation of living in an OfficeTel was a small apartment no larger or nicer than the one Nate has originally been living in (see earlier posts for pix), I was pleasantly surprised as we entered 505! The apartment is substantially larger than the ones that both Nate and I had been living in!

Upon entering the room there is a tall closet immediately to your left and of course a small 3'x3' step down where you are to leave your shoes before entering the real apartment. One stepping fully inside, a small kitchenette lines the wall just to the right. This kitchenette (if that) is composed of a 2'x2' counter top, a sink and a few cabinets. No fridge or stove for now although we've been promised that one is to arrive soon. The bathroom is directly across from the kitchenette with a toilet, sink and stand alone hand faucet for the shower, of course! There are also to other water hook ups on the opposite bathroom wall that we were informed are for the washing machine (in the bathroom?!). . .which should also becoming soon!

The main room is about 18'x24' and had no furniture other than a super single bed and another stand along dresser. The surprising part however is that there are stairs leading up to a second story loft! The loft is about half the size of the main room and had a large queen mattress on the floor along with a TV on a stand.

Joseph suggested we put the TV downstairs and helped us finagle it down the narrow staircase! He then got it plugged in and working for us as without internet it is our only form of in room entertainment!

We managed to get to sleep soon after moving in despite a lack of pillows and the a/c not working! This wasn't that big of a problem until the sun came up in the morning and the temperature in the room swelled to easily 90 degrees, immediately sweating us out of bed!

Still using only a washcloth a piece to dry off, Nate and I hit the streets searching for towels to purchase. We first picked a way that looked like it had a number of shops and what not up the street. Having wandered until the commercial district ended, we turned around and ventured in another direction. This continued for the next few hours as we searched endlessly for any bit of fabric that looked like it could absorb water and was larger than a used undershirt!

It was finally time to get ready for school and we were again without towels. . . oh well! Joseph ended up taking Nate to Lotte Mart, the Korean Wal-Mart, during his 6 hour essay period, to pick us up towels!! Finally, almost two weeks and 10,000won later, we are able to dry off like normal human beings!! Too bad the hot water still isn't working in 505!

Oh well, almost time for school again, our second Friday, how exciting! Not sure what we have in store for the weekend but supposedly I'll be moving in to the second room this evening! Hopefully my room comes a bit more furnished as it is really annoying having an extremely large room with nothing in it. My last place was a very cozy size and was equipped with a comfortable reading chair, a high backed desk chair, a desk and cooking utensils. . . so far all we have is a bed and we're not quite sure who to talk to about anything more; or if that's even possible!

I really would rather not spend a load of money (that I don't have yet) furnishing a place that I don't plan on staying in for longer than a year. Also, not having any cooking utensils really deters me from going out and buying anything to cook as it's pretty easy to eat for less than five dollars a meal. . .so, hopefully we'll be provided with a bit more than the very bare essentials we have now. . .but. . .I'm not holding my breath. . . .

Hopefully once I get settled in a little bit I can start getting more pictures up, sorry for the blandness! Haven't had internet for a while so it's difficult to update all the time which means I'm more likely to just rush through posting when I do!

Thanks for your continued comments/questions! I'll get to the part about gifts soon, I promise! Hopefully from the comfort of a desk and chair rather than sitting on a bed. . .but unlikely!