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rms2279
Joined: 28 Sep 2010
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 Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 2:39 am Post subject: . . . |
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. . .
Last edited by rms2279 on Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:04 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Hotpants
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 2:45 am Post subject: |
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I'd try and get this sorted yourself first.
Do you have an apartment adjossi who can come in and have a look? If your Korean is zilch, I'm sure that if you point and gesture when running water in front of him, he'll understand. If you can go with a co-teacher, or get a neighbor who can translate, all the better.
If your boss is the one who set you up in this accommodation, and is truly deliberately avoiding you to avoid dealing with this, then that sucks. When you get your problem fixed, ask him directly why he didn't want to help you out. |
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rms2279
Joined: 28 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 2:58 am Post subject: |
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. . .
Last edited by rms2279 on Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
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gossipgirlxoxo
Joined: 13 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 3:03 am Post subject: |
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I got the same run-around from my first ever employer in Korea. I was EVER so patient back then. In my case, the washing machine was broken, and I spent night after night at home waiting for a mysterius repairman who made all these "appointments" but never showed up. For about 2 weeks.
FINALLY I caught on that I was being screwed over by the boss, and told him I had run out of clean clothes and wouldn't be able to come to work anymore...
It was fixed immediately.
I suggest you start making demans - leave a note in his office if he doesn't want to talk to you. He'll get the hint when you either (a) come to work stinking, or (b) don't show up at all ... you might want to consider going to that "sauna" before work and getting "lost" on your way back. I bet the water gets fixed quick.
BTW: I saw on the news tonight this is happening to many homes at the moment - and as I hear every year, the service people are having trouble meeting demand. From your bosses reactions I'd say he's fibbing - but potential delays means you'd better get right on this! |
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gossipgirlxoxo
Joined: 13 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 3:08 am Post subject: |
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| Oh and don't try and defrost your pipes with a hairdryer! haha, somebody in Kangnam set their boiler on fire doing that today. |
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sulperman
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 3:44 am Post subject: |
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For tomorrow morning, get up early, go to the public bath. Once you get through the first 3 minutes of weirdness it is one of the best things that Korea has to offer. I've never met anybody who went and didn't end up enjoying it.
Then go to work and sit in your boss' office before school starts and explain that you really need it to be taken care of that day before you get home from work. Don't make threats or get angry, just calmly explain that you NEED it to be done TODAY. Ask again at lunch time, then later on in the afternoon. If it still isn't taken care of hang out in the boss' office again after school and and ask him to take you to a plumber. Smile and don't get angry, even though that may be hard.
Sounds pretty annoying. Good luck! |
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rms2279
Joined: 28 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 4:00 am Post subject: |
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. . .
Last edited by rms2279 on Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:07 am; edited 1 time in total |
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cyui
Joined: 10 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:12 am Post subject: |
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How much money do you have saved up? You probably need to wait it out for a few more months.
You could just move to your own apt or to a goshitel untill your contract is up or untill you can quit. Not pleasent, but at least you would have running water.
Have your clothes' dry-cleaned(they will usually dry them. too).
Last edited by cyui on Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:18 am; edited 3 times in total |
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chrisassd
Joined: 04 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:15 am Post subject: |
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| Here in Kimhae the whole city's water supply has been down for the past 48 hours due to a frozen water main. It's come back on now but it's still a bit weird. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Anyone have any decent ideas as to how to handle this? |
Just walk into the office with some food and something to do for 8 hours. Don't teach, don't go to your classroom, just sit there where "his" office is and don't leave until the situation is resolved.
You could confront him a few times so he gets the hint, but it seems like he already knows what is up. It won't amount to much. He's got to lock up at some time.
Right now I have "Korean" problem too. Last week a Korean student didn't do his homework. So, we started it together and ended class short so he could finish it. Then I tried to get the next student (also Korean and can speak decent English), but he wanted to wait until his scheduled time and took me to a computer with the schedule to "prove" his class time. As I was about to explain the situation to him, the owner's cousin who is Korean as well comes in and wants to take control of the situation but has no friggin clue about the change I wanted to make. He follows me to my classroom and we have bit of a stare down. Since then, he has also been avoiding me. The owner (American) didn't seem to have a problem when I explained it to him and said, "Yea, that's how we do it here."
Koreans have this edge/hangup they can't get rid of at times. When they are found to be at fault, they will go to great lengths to distance themselves from people involved in conflicts. If it were a bar room brawl I would understand, but this was just a simple change in schedule at a school that doesn't have fixed class times. |
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rms2279
Joined: 28 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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. . .
Last edited by rms2279 on Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:09 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Scamps
Joined: 01 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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Last winter something like this happened to me but luckily I told my landlord and he called a repairman and fixed it quickly.
What I learned is that when you go out you can't turn off your heat in winter like you can and supposed to shut off all other electrical things, lights, computer, TV, etc. If you shut off your heat the pipes can freeze and burst if you try to turn it on again. It's very dangerous and expensive to fix. I never did find out exactly what happened or what was the problem with my water but fortunately the pipes were not frozen but that could be a cause. Basically, you don't have to turn the heat on high, just to 18 C. |
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rms2279
Joined: 28 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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. . .
Last edited by rms2279 on Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:10 am; edited 1 time in total |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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| rms2279 wrote: |
| Scamps wrote: |
Last winter something like this happened to me but luckily I told my landlord and he called a repairman and fixed it quickly.
What I learned is that when you go out you can't turn off your heat in winter like you can and supposed to shut off all other electrical things, lights, computer, TV, etc. If you shut off your heat the pipes can freeze and burst if you try to turn it on again. It's very dangerous and expensive to fix. I never did find out exactly what happened or what was the problem with my water but fortunately the pipes were not frozen but that could be a cause. Basically, you don't have to turn the heat on high, just to 18 C. |
This is probably what happened (I was trying to save on heating oil), but it never dropped below freezing in my apartment when I was out even w/ the heat off. I guess my pipes froze b/c the building itself isn't insulated in any way which, again, doesn't make sense to me considering the severity of the winters in Korea.
Oh well. Learned one more useful thing -- the hard way, of course! |
Winters here generally ARE mild. The record breaking cold spell last week is a little colder than the average January low where I'm from (Omaha). Everyone here complains but for those of use from the Midwest US, this is nothing.
The temperature as to drop well below freezing for the pipes to freeze. First, if the water is moving, then it won't freeze until it drops a lot. Second, the only place the pipes freeze are outside, or near where the pipe enters the building.
Water mains don't freeze and burst either. The ground will freeze and swell which will cause a pipe to burst, and there is nothing you can do about that. It happens in the US all the time during the winter.
You can turn your heat off and the pipes will be fine. I've done it before, and I'm doing it right now. I'll get home and my apartment will be about 17 or 18 degrees, down from the 20 degrees it was this morning.
Seriously, where do you guys live where your pipes are bursting left and right, where you have to keep the temperature 18 degrees above the MINIMUM required to freeze? I live in a dump and have none of these problems... |
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Scamps
Joined: 01 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Seriously, where do you guys live where your pipes are bursting left and right, where you have to keep the temperature 18 degrees above the MINIMUM required to freeze? I live in a dump and have none of these problems... |
Well no one said our pipes are bursting just that we're having water problems. In my case I never found out why it happened because I never asked and frankly didn't care. I just wanted my water to be running again.
But before the repairman came my landlord asked me if I had shut off the heat for some time and I told him that I shut it off when I leave the house and he told me that I should NEVER EVER EVER do that!! When I leave I should turn it down to 18 C, that's the minimum the thermostate will go. So ever since that problem, I've been following his advice and haven't had any issues since. |
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