I must admit that I have lived a sheltered but low life. Looking back I have never lived in any home, apartment or even dorm that was higher than the second floor. That being said I now live on the 18th floor and I have yet to get a nose bleed.
So what is an apartment in Korea like? If I was limited to one word, I would have to say comfortable. We moved in with my mother-in-law and father-in-law. They have 3 bedrooms and two full bathrooms . One interesting fact about Korean homes is that they are heated through the floor. Yes, the floor is heated and the air above it warms up. There are many large windows which make the need for lights in the day very limited. ***IMPORTANT*** Just make sure that you take off your shoes before you enter. Most homes have a sort of walk-in room as you enter that you need to leave your shoes at.(So please do not wear old, worn out socks to a Korean home.
All the normal appliances can be found here. Form the TV to the toaster. However, you will see a few new ones like the kimchi refrigerator, rice maker, and kitchen radio that also says announcements from the apartment community and rings when someone is at the door.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the door. It has a lock that has a mind of its own. The key is just a watch battery shaped object and it also takes a password. The main problem is once you are inside. I believe that any foreigner should be made to take a class about how to lock the door. There are buttons, levers and even green and red indicators. I can say that I feel safe.
Just make sure that you know when, where and which container the garbage goes. There is a couple of different kinds of recycling and other places for different kinds of trash. To be honest I really am not quite sure what to do and still need to ask where each item goes. I will report back when I have mastered taking out the trash.
So how is the world from 18 stories up? The view is great and life is good.
