Self Titled

Here we go! This is the long awaited first post. All the pressure. I finally have some pictures to put up. Once I either fix my broken camera, or buy a new one, the stories will start pouring in. I figured for the first post, I should start with how I named the blog. It was the first very unusual thing I noticed about Korea. I found out, very quickly, that in South Korea it is very common to have the shower and bathroom as ONE room. There is no separate area for the shower. That's right. The area under the door is elevated, and there is a drain on the floor. There is a little metal flap to partially cover the toilet paper from getting drenched. There is a metal-springy-hose thing attached to the faucet which has a shower head. I could literally take a dump while showering, and it technically wouldn't be that gross. I haven't done it yet, but it is sooo tempting. Also, that means that throughout the day, if you shower in the morning, you still have to be aware of a wet toilet seat, and a wet floor. Make sure your shorts don't touch. One last comforting note, while your standing in a small amount of draining water, there is an uncovered electrical socket in my 5' X 5' bathroom shower. Since living here, I have developed a good system. I take my hanging towel, and put it outside the shower. I pull my hand towel down on the towel rack to cover the toilet paper better. After I shower, I turn the shower head to face the wall. Unfortunately, I learned that trick the hard way after forgetting to push the valve to make the water go into the sink. I also lift the toilet seat up after I shower to help it dry off faster. Sorry ladies. And to think, you did such a good job training me to put the lid down when I'm done.

So there you go... my title: Poopin' in the Shower. I have heard it is very common in South Korea to have bathroom/showers like this (not to poop in the shower). I'm guessing it is to save space. South Korea has a population of 48.2 million people! That is incredible for a relatively small peninsula. Because of this huge population, Korea has major problems with pollution, garbage, and housing. My whole city is nothing but tall condo style housing. I have not seen one single house anywhere near the major cities. Only far out in the very small towns have I seen some single resident housing. So, we are all piled up on top of each other. Forget about privacy. I can see into several apartments from my windows, and vice versa. The only thing that separates us is those fuzzy glass windows.

My Crib
Small, small, small! A rectangle about 20 ft by 11 ft. No sunlight. But hey, it's my own. Actually, it is the first time I've lived by myself in all my 32 years. Pretty sad. I have a mini fridge with a freezer that can barely fit two ice trays, a toaster oven, a small T.V. with 3 Korean channels, a toaster oven, a 2 burner gas stove, a washing machine, a gas water heater/floor heater for winter, a computer speaker system that the school teacher that lived in the place before me left behind, and a computer desk, but no dining table. My school just recently gave me a microwave, which I am extremely happy about.
For plates and utensils I have no fork (they use chopsticks in these parts), and my plates are this really flimsy plastic that are barely a step above paper plates. I will put up some pictures of my place as soon as I can. I have very hard, and undrinkable water. Since I have to hang my clothes to dry, and the water is so terrible, My clothes are wrinkled to hell and stiff as a board. I would buy fabric softener, only I can't read the labels to see if that's what it is (Korean, you know). I have met some Korean friends recently. Maybe I'll get them to show me, or I could just take a guess.

By the way, I suppose you CAN drink the water. You just may end up being in the shower all day.

Feel free to comment on the blog; what I wrote about, font, or look. I will be working on the overall design of it. It is not a big priority just yet. I'll get some stories up, work on getting some more pictures, and eventually make the blog look cooler, or poopier.