Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rookieglobetrotter]

Today, I have a cold because the temp in my cave dwelling (an uninsulated attic of a bar) reads 8 degrees Celsius although I cranked the thermostat to 30 degrees Celsius. It is literally so cold that it hurts to think or even stand up. I imagine it'll be this way till my contract is up in March.

Non teaching days are spent covered in blankets hovering over the ondol floor. To make matters worse, I can't complain because the landlord is an extremely generous elderly couple who get their main source of income from this school apartment's rent. Not to mention the teaching/school is terrible. I only find joy in the bottle. fml.

[Draz]

Space. Heater.

!!!!!!!

[rookieglobetrotter]

I do have a small heater, but my apt is just like camping outside since the windows/walls/roof are thin and uninsulated. I also have little money to spend on larger expensive heat contraptions (that will leak out the window anyway) since I am paying off massive debts back home. I guess the only thing left to do is to light myself on fire.

Anyone else in similar situations share your Korean fml stories while I try to revive the sluggish fluids in my internal vital organs.

[Draz]

Get the kind you can just huddle in front of (radiant), but don't sit too close or you really will start on fire. Almost lit my chair up yesterday.

Oh yeah, and it was 17C in my place when I woke up this morning, which is pretty bad, but nothing compared to your situation.

[wormholes101]

More layers of clothes man.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Build a tent/fort. It will be easy to heat and defend from attack. I can heat mine just by the radiant heat put out from a laptop exhaust and external hard drive.

[janafromfrance]

[yingwenlaoshi]

Don't put up with it. Demand to have heat or be moved to somewhere suitable with heat.

[Old Gil]

[caribmon]

dude, build a tent. Get two of those $15 heavy quilts at Emart. go to the park and collect sticks. get some packing tape and tape them together to make a frame. Tape the quilts onto the sticks. It will be strong, sticks and tape is just as strong as the sticks themselves if you brace it good.

I built a barbeque using sticks and tape with a small grill cover $5 at Emart. It goes over the regular gas stove in my apartment. I cook flatbread on it.

I made weight sets. I went to the recycle bin and I got 16 2l water bottles. I got a bar at emart. I taped everything together. The bar and bottles with water weight 70 pounds, just right for curls, doing shoulders and triceps.

I made my own insulation by taking two old quilts, some string and strong paper clips to cover my windows.

Lots of things you can do for free in Korea.

[Rusty Shackleford]

[blackjack]

[janafromfrance]

[PRagic]

OP, formally to complain to your boss. You need to move in under one week or you will stop coming to work. Take pics of your place, including the thermometer reading.

After one week passes and they haven't found you a new place (and they won't), simply stop going to work. Stop. Cold.

Why? It's too cold to sleep at night, so you have to sleep during the day when at least the sun provides enough heat so that you can uncurl from your fetal position.

No new place, no work. Period. Done. No consessions.

As for the old couple, not your problem. Just ask your boss, 'Would YOU let your kid live here?'

Hate this type of situation. Really pisses me off.

[CentralCali]

There's the possibility that there's a problem with the ondol pipes. Call your building manager or have your boss call to get the thing fixed. My ondol wasn't working last week and I called the building manager. When I got home that evening, the repair man arrived at the same time and it took him about 30 minutes to fix the thing.