My Byeongyeong-dong one-room

Welcome to my apartment.

When I first came to Ulsan, my co-teachers kept talking about when I’d be able to move into my ‘one-room.’ It took me a second to realize what they were talking about. But I think ‘one-room’ has a much better ring to it than ‘studio,’ really.

This is my square of wallpaper.

How do you like my shower?

This is the other part of my one-room, the kitchen:

The kitchen is lit by a green fluorescent light. Which makes everything I cook look incredibly appetizing, as I’m sure you can imagine.

Hope to add some pretty places from this side of the world soon!

I even have a mini laundry room! When I run the washer, the water runs across that tile floor to a drain on the other side of the room. This was quite a surprise the first time I did laundry.

Also, please note the sliding glass doors. I like them quite a bit.

The view from my room isn’t half bad:

I think those are chili peppers drying on the roof next door.

The best part is probably that I can get a decent view of the sunset…

…and at night the lack of stars from light pollution is almost made up for by the twinkling/flashing city lights below.

So, this is where I live. It’s my first place all to myself, and I like it quite a bit. As you can see, there is plenty of floor space. Should you ever find yourself in Ulsan and in need a place to crash, you’re more than welcome.

Byeongyeong-dong (병영) is my neighborhood. It’s a bit of a hike from the city center, but the neighborhood has more than enough character to make up for its less-than-stellar location. I live allllllllll the way down this market street that is packed with a motley mix of street food vendors, little old women selling little plastic buckets of vegetables and crabs/assorted seafood, trendy clothing stores, trendy-looking bars and restaurants, sterile-looking cell phone shops, and fish tanks full of squids and octopi and eels. It’s probably one of my favorite places I’ve come across in the city. But! I have yet to photograph it. So more to come on Byeongyeong-dong later.

Things I have found interesting about living in Korea:
– This country composts its food waste. Both individual households and bigger places – like the university where we had our orientation and my school’s cafeteria. I find this pretty awesome.
– The lock on my door and the door to my building are electronic! I don’t have to carry keys! Instead, I just put a code into the keypad. This is also very excellent.
– I also have a video intercom. If someone rings my doorbell, I can check to see who it is! Very fancy.
– Something I find less than excellent is that you’re not supposed to flush toilet paper here. For some reason, the toilets or the sewage system can’t handle it. I don’t know if this is an environmental thing, or some technological oversight in the construction of the sewage system, but I’m still not entirely comfortable with this.

The only differences I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get used to are the sounds of dogs crying/fighting that occasionally drift in through the window, and the slightly sewage-y smell that occasionally drifts up out of my bathroom drain.

Other than that, life in my apartment in Ulsan is mostly like life was in my apartment back in NYC. Except this place is 3 times bigger than anything I’d ever be able to afford in NYC. And it’s missing some awesome roommates. And everything that looks like it’s made of that cheap Ikea-type-wood is actually plastic, including the floor. Other than those things, I’d have to say I’ve found apartment-dwelling to be pretty much the same over here on the other side of the world.

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