Mail Adventures!

Hey we got our first piece of mail in our apartment mail slot!

We were pretty excited to get mail!

But also a little confused.

Hopefully it isn't some sort of important apartment policies that we need to know. . .

Laundry room Adventures

So let me just preface this by saying that we live in a great apartment.  It is big, high tech, has luxurious features, and is in the “hip” spot according to all the locals.  We really do like it.  That being said, there are some very . . um. . “quirky” things about it. 

For example:  our laundry situation.  Now we had been told prior to coming to not ship over our American washer and dryer.  They would provide us with one over here that worked with the gas hookups, etc.  Also, we understood that traditional Korean washers and dryers were of the two in one variety and were much smaller than what we were used to.  Logically we assumed that also meant the laundry rooms would be much smaller.  After looking at several apartments, including the one we ended up renting, this was definitely the case.  We figured that was no problem though since we were going to be supplied with “Korean size” ones.

Well today our provided washer and dryer were delivered.  Imagine my surprise to find they were brand spanking new American style front loaders.  HUGE.  Well it was obviously going to be a tight fit but thank goodness they could be stacked right?  Wrong.  The Korean deliveryman looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to suggest it (my first thought was that my hand gestures explaining it weren’t translating well) and instead just shrugged and left seeming satisfied with the solution that they both fit in the room but the dryer would block the laundry room door from closing.  Not to mention the dryer was perched awkwardly on a little ledge and looked as if it would come flying off and crush me at the first hint of a tumble dry.  Needless to say I wasn’t too thrilled.

Then a few hours later another man showed up to hook it up.  To his credit he was at least distressed about the inability to shut the laundry room door but seemed flustered as how to correct it.  Again I tried to explain the stacking concept and was again given a look of confusion.  I ended up resorting to calling my realtor to act as an over –the- phone interpreter.  We came to an agreement that he would come back later that evening when the Hubs was home from work to help him rearrange the appliances.   I assumed that meant stacking them.  Once again I was wrong. He proceed to have Hubs help him juggle the washer and dryer through a complicated movement process (incidentally was very humerus to watch unfold since they didn’t speak the same language).  End result?  Dryer is now stuck BEHIND the door.  Yes, it does give me the ability to shut the laundry door but it also turns changing laundry from the washer to the dryer into a 6 step process and a low grade acrobatic performance (okay I’m exaggerating but it really is ridiculous).   Oh, and it is still balanced on the ledge.  Although he did take the time to build us a nice little wooden brace to make it a little more stable so the chance of it falling on me is now reduced from 110% to maybe 60%.  And he made sure to wrap the laundry door knob thoroughly with bubble wrap since it smacks into the dryer every time the door is opened.  Lovely. 

   Our assessment is that since they just aren’t familiar with American washer and dryers here that the concept of stacking was foreign to them.  In any rate, thanks to Ebay we have a stacking kit on order.   Now, for the real kicker.  Let me show you the end result of “hooking the dryer up”:

Yes, you are seeing that right.  Apparently Korean dryers don’t have the same type of exhaust mechanism that American dryers do so there was no exhaust hole to hook it up to.  So the "solution" was to build a nice little wire hook to hold the dryer vent out the window while it is in use.

More to follow on that later once I find some other Americans who live here who can confirm or deny if this is in fact considered normal here. . .

Exploring Adventures

Last night we ventured out to do a bit of exploring in our new city.  We are only a short 15 minute walk from the train station which also doubles as a shopping center so we decided to start there.  It was so much fun!  There is a huge grocery store in the basement complete with some things we recognized and lots of things we didn't!  Our favorites were the whole squid and octopus tentacles all packaged up with clear wrapping over it like we are used to seeing hamburger meat.  Also, there were attendants EVERYWHERE.  Every little food island had their own attendant.  For example, one for the tomatoes, one for the broccoli, one for the nuts, one for the rice. . . . it was unbelievable.  I made sure to say hello to each one.  Or maybe I said thank you?  Hmm. . .

The next four or so floors have clothes, sporting equipment, kitchen supplies, and furniture.  The prices and quality were similar to what you would find in a nice department store back in the states.  There are a few other stores that I have heard are comparable to Target and Walmart that we hope to check out later this weekend.

One of the top floors has lots of delicious smelling restaurants.  Some of them even had picture menus which made us comfortable enough to take the plunge for our first authentic Korean meal out.  It was fabulous!  Mark ordered something called the " Teriyaki set" and I had some sort of tuna bowl thing.  The food came out on a little tray for each of us and included soup, salad, and some other side dish things.  SO much food only around 7,000 wan (a little less than $7) for each of us.

We didn't know what it all was but we tried everything and it for the most part it was all super yummy!

Here is a shot of me outside the train station/shopping center.  The tall tower all the way in the back (just behind the building with the yellow banner and black writing) is where we live!  It comes in pretty handy that it is the tallest building around since it is a helpful reference point when I get lost (which may or may not happen pretty much every day. . .).

Home Away from Home Adventures

We have a new home!!!

Now if only we could figure out how to use the toilet. . . .

Arrival Adventures

The Hubs and I are coming up on two weeks since we touched ground here in South Korea! I would like to tell you all about our adventures trying the food and learning the language thus far but that would make for a very short post. Also it would be a lie.

In reality I still only know the two Korean words I retained from my previous trip here seven or so years ago: "hello and thank you". Although when it comes right down to it I don't even really know those two words that well since I am continually getting them confused in my head and greeting the people on the street with a hearty "Thank you!" and nodding a cheerful "Hello!" to shop owners as we leave their stores.

As far as food, we have been sleeping off our jet lag in the American style hotel on our Army base and have resorted to the convenience of the American food court and grocery store nearby. It is pretty ironic that I have had more Burger King and frozen TV dinners in the last week while here in Korea than the entire last year living in the US. I think it is my subconscious way of rebelling against the culture shock: "You can take me out of America, but you can't make me stop eating American junk!”. 

BUT despite our lack of communication and *adventurous eating, we have managed to make a good amount of progress towards settling in. We have an AMAZING apartment that we will be moving into in just a few days, a not so amazing but cute little used Korean car, a couple cell phones, and some job prospects (for me. . Mark obviously already has a job hence us being here in the first place. . .).

We were able to venture out to do a little bit of initial exploring in a nearby shopping area.  As you can see below, I was enthralled by their little McDelivery scooters for some reason.   (what is with me and fast food references today?!  I swear I usually don’t touch the stuff!).  Delivery scooters like this are pretty common to see on the roads here.  Lots of them darting in and out of traffic just add to the adventure of driving here.  Remind me to tell you more about that craziness some other time!

Also, don't you think my handsome Hubs does a great impersonation of a touristy angry statue thing?  (I'm sure there is a more culturally correct name for them but that is all I've got for now. . )  

  

*although frozen TV dinners could very well be classified as adventurous eating. Have you TASTED some of them recently? GAG! I can't believe they are allowed to market them as actual food products. But I digress. . .