Korean Job Discussion Forums

[teachingld2004]

Most of us living here in Korea have apartments provided by our schools. Most of the time the apartments do not have in them the things that we need (or want)

Yes, some apartments do, but I am talking about the ones that do not.

So, we go out and buy what we want and need. Microwaves, toaster ovens, towels.......what ever.

After awhile, we have our own things,. and we take them with us when we change jobs.

Some people just buy things for the sake of buying them; things are cute, funny, what ever reason. Some people just like to buy things period.

Well, I have this job now that was a real bad choice, and an apartment that is so dark and tiny..... As people know, some times it is hard to get out of contracts. Some jobs look good when we see them, but when we actually start working, we see that we made a bad mistake. But, that is another story.

I have all this stuff and I have no place for it. Pillows, blankets, towels, book cases suitcases, shoes, microwave (this apartment has one) dishes, etc etc.

I hope to be out of this job and apartment soon, but in the mean time, I am tripping and falling over stuff I will need (perhaps), but have no room for now. This place is so small I can not have more them 3 people in here. That is 3, including me. No place for anyone to sit.

I don't want to get rid of anything, but I have managed to get rid of some things.

Question is, has any one taken a job and moved into a real tiny apartment? And for those of you who have a real tiny apartment, how do you live there and stay sane? And where do u put things?

Beside this apartment being tiny, it is SO dark. It has one window that faces a wall, and the window is frosted, so no light comes in at all. As soon as I get up all the lights in the apartment have to be turned on. I can not walk any place because there is hardly any floor space, so I am tripping.

I am just starting on month number 4.

Does anyone have any ideas for me how I can stay semi-sane and not cry all the time for getting myself into this mess?

[xCustomx]

Talk to your boss and see if you can get a housing allowance instead of the current housing now. Then you can go out to some 부동산들 and find your own place. A situation like yours is exactly why I don't want to live in Seoul. Good luck

[teachingld2004]

I have talked to him. A few times. He said he knows the apartment is small, that he may look for a larger apartment. I have told him the next month that I am getting claustrophobia, he said he will see. I spoke to him again, and he got angry and told me not to mention it again. I told him that no natural light and a place that is like a closet is not healthy.

Point is, I am stuck here, I am falling cause I have stuff all over the place, and I have no where to put things. The good news is that I would have more stuff around here, but one of the teachers has a storage area and I have a lot of stuff there.

Thanks for the sympathy, but before I crack up I need some advice on how to keep myself sane.

[xtchr]

These are just off the top of my head, maybe they'll help.
What's your bed like? Is it possible to prop it up a few feet (or more) using stuff like bricks or something. It's amazing how much stuff you can cram in under a bed.
And hooks/nails hammered in up as high as possible around the walls to hang as much stuff as you can. Don't know if you're tall or not, but I'm short, and find I don't notice stuff if it's above my head.
Best of luck.

[teachingld2004]

I do not like a bed. One of the korean teachers took it apart, and it is against the wall. I sleep on yo's that I fold up in the morning. (I have a bad back and love to sleep on the floor.

I have hooks, and have things hang. I am also short.

truth is, there really is no space. table and chairs (mine). There is a small table here, and I have the computer on that. The 2 chairs that were in the apartment for the table are out of here, I brought them inot the school. when the yo's are on the flor there is hardly any floor space. There is a kitchen area, and that is where the window is. But there is no natural light cause the window is frosted.

I am just trying to get some ideas on how to stay sane in a tiny dark space.

thanks for suggesting things under the bed, but as I said, the bed is on its side, and thats good cause there are things behind it, so it acts like a half wall. I can't figure out how to put a digital picture on here.

[OiGirl]

Can you resurrect the bed as a platform for your yo? Really, anything you can do to take advantage of vertical space. Do you have a closet or wardrobe? In the building where I live, everyone has things piled to the ceiling on top of wardrobes and kitchen cabinets. People have also made use of outside space--I hate it because it looks trashy, but is there some space outside you can appropriate? In a stairwell, on top of a door overhang, on the roof?

[UMPhilthy]

Get some silver material (like the stuff they make mylar balloons out of. Drape it all over the ceiling and then run large outdoor clear (not frosted) xmas bulbes around with a staple gun. I did this in the horrible dorm room they provided me in college. It provides for excellent ambiance.

Then, minimize again. I know you feel like you already have, but do it more. Remember that being a pack rat can save you money but it really is a hassle to move with things you use less than twice a year. I sold everything I owned to move here (and what was left was stolen out of storage back in the states), so I can tell you that I realized how much stuff you gather and don't really need.

Then, hang in there. Do you know how to teach debate? You can come work at my hogwan. Read a book on fungshue or something. I would go stir crazy in a small place like that. I admire your strength.

[ella]

Can you get a sunrise clock? How about some full-spectrum light bulbs?

[Delirium's Brother]

I agree with everyone above. I'd add the following:

• To make this work you are going to have to change some things about your approach.
  1. Walk, a lot. Spend as much time outside your place as possible. Be outside where you can get the sunlight that you need to keep your mood positive.
  2. And change your activity pattern. Visit people. Do your teaching prep in a coffee shop. Do chores and pleasure activities outside your place. You need to organize your activities so that your apartment is your home base, not your cage.
  3. And what ever you do, don't talk about your home as though it were a cage, cave, prison cell, etc., even in jest. Don't even think it to yourself, either. If your home is a prison cell then you are the prisoner. So, stop that right now, or you will hate the place forever. This is your home. Remember that. This will dramatically affect your personal relationship with the space. Your home is a part of your bodily hexis, so treat it with the same respect that you would treat yourself with.

Ask if you can store some stuff at your school.

Store as much of your non-essential stuff as you can in your desk at work or your office if you have one. Hopefully they both lock.

Get rid of everything that you haven't touched/used in six months. Be cruel with yourself. If it isn't a family heirloom then get rid of it. If you are saving things for projects that you might start down the road, get rid of them. If you have two or more of something, get rid of the extra. Give it away, sell it, trash it, what ever you have to do.

Search the net for sites with the key words: simple AND living; small AND space AND living. Some of them have good ideas for leaving a small footprint (and living in one too!)

ella and UMPhilthy are right on the money. You need to relight this place so that when you are there it is comfortable not cavey. This should be your first priority.

Trade your desktop for a laptop.

Don't buy anything in bulk...ever. It doesn't matter if its cheaper if it is an encumbrance.

Learn to live with less. It sounds trite, but it is a total stress reliever. Free yourself from your stuff. You won't regret it.

Don't ever bring any packaging into your small space. Leave it in the recycling before you enter your small space.

Keep everthing as clean and organized as you can possibly manage. Clutter in a small space is much more disconcerting than in a large space. Put everthing away when you are done with it, right away.

Say no to the overwhelming consumer message. Yes, I know this is tough. It is for me too.

Don't ever save anything, like documents or photos, in paper form; unless you are sure that it has to be returned to someone else. Otherwise, scan it and store it on your computer. Make regular back-ups of your stored files, etc. and save them in a different place. The net is a good idea, you can buy private storage space. Check out a private ftp site like Aruba.it

Repaint your place. Some people say white (because it reflects more light), some people say bright colour (because it adds to a cheerful mood). Do some research and choose what you think will work best for your psychological needs.

I wish you luck...I'm in a similar situation, sort of.

[ChopChaeJoe]

Throw all of that junk out.

[teachingld2004]

Thanks all.
There is no available outside space.
Things are piled on top of the closet with no room to spare.
The computer is a flat screen and the tower is very slim. It is pretty new and works great.
I have lots of things stored in a friends storage space.

The bed is vertical, and it works cause there are things stored behind it and it acts like a half wall, It works.
A korean friend helped me fix it here, and one thing about Koreans, they can figure out how to use every inch of space. Before she fixed it in here, it was much worse.

I have thought of hanging mirrors, but I can not even hang my long one, there is no wall space except over the area I sleep, and I will not sleep under glass.

The walls are white.
On a positive note, it is super clean, no bugs. Only ants but they are gone. It is nice and quiet on this street, and you know how some areas are so noisy.
Bookcases are stacked on top of eachother, and thre are only 2 of the shelfs used for books. The books got sold and donated
.
There is NO natural light, and I mean none. When I wake up in the morning I do not know if it is 8am or 10pm. Really.
There is no place to go that is close by, except those chicken and beer places,that I do not want to go into.

The closest dunkin donuts is also about 1/2 hr walk, and it is a real tiny one. Also, I am on a diet and the smell of the donuts does nothing other then make me eat, and when I eat crap I am more depressed cause I do not loose, but gain weight.

The department stores are about a 25 minute walk, and to sit in an area where the kids are running around and screaming is not going to help me any. And they are so hot! Sunday I went to "Home Plus" and could not wait to get out of there, I felt like I was in a sauna

I do not have an office. I have a classroom. I have lots of things stored in the school. As a matter of fact I just took home my winter clothes and brought back my summer ones.

Yes, I do have to stop thinking of this place as a prison, but it is hard. I cry when I wake up, and cry when I come home. I know it will not be forever, but its hard. My teaching is starting to suffer.

When I have all the lights on it is quite bright, and I do not want more lights, and no more cords.
If this would be some one else, I would be the first person to tell them to try and break the contarct and leave. I am sure people have left jobs because of bad apartments.

The good news is that my contract states that in January we will have a review, and if both parties agree the contract will be extended. He said he would give me a release letter if I wanted to go, but my visa is till the end of August. The teacher before me, who was in this apartment, also had a problem, (I heard) He told her he would give her a release letter, but then he decided not to. She just left and went back home because she was not free to get a new job. But, tht is not going to help me.
On another note, the other teachers are happy here because they all have larger apartments. I was the last one hired, and that is why I am stuck here.

There are other problems, and Ido not like htis job, but it would be bearable if I was out of this apartment.

Thanks all who answered so fast, Sorry to bother you guys. Just was letting off steam.

[riley]

Geez, I'm sorry. See if when other teachers leave, move into their place. The microwave that came with the place, give it to a coworker, bring it to work, sell it. Do something with it. Are you willing to get a new window? See if you or your boss will pay for a new window without frosted glass and then put up curtains. Maybe it's the time of the year with the holiday season upon us. Is your depression a new thing or have you had it the whole time? I know that weather change can really affect us. Try to find something to hope for and look forward to.

[OiGirl]

Could you use your own money to get the tiniest, crappiest goshiwon ever and either store your stuff there or sleep there?

[teachingld2004]

The tiniest goshwon would not be any better then this apartment, and it may be worse, and I would have to pay for it. and think about it, the cheapest one would cost 400 a month, and that times 3 is 1200,000 and for that price I can get new things! Also I would have to pay bus fare to get to work Now I get to work with a 5 minute walk.

This apartment is in a clean building, and it is free.

I can not pay for a new unfrosted window, because I am looking to leave this job, and I am sure (I think) I will get a release letter. But, if I thought the unfrosted window would help alot, I would THINK about it. But this building is in the shade and it looks at a wall, so there would not be much more light.

This just means I will have to stay here till March 1, and I am just looking for some ideas how to cope.

We have 7 foreign teachers at this school and they are all happy except me. The director is a smart person, and I am sure he would not want to keep a teacher who complained al the time.

I just am concerned about what to say to another boss. Is it OK to say that I had to leave this job because of housing?

Sorry about the rant, I am just having a lot of mental strain.

And I am a very positive person. If I was the one giving advice I would say "get out".

thanks all.

The best suggestion I guess is to get some more lights, even though that means more cords.

[rocklee]

Man I felt your pain. My first few months here wasn't good, but luckily it all happened during the summer when the weather was still bearable. I too was once stuck with an apartment I didn't like, space was not a problem but lighting and cleanliness was. The darkness depressed me and I didn't know it until I realised how moody I had become. To make matters worst, I accumulated a lot of "stuff" that I bought along the way and wasn't ready to give them up for free if I can still use them. Moving places was a bitch, but
luckily for me, I was able to transfer to another place that was not only brighter with plenty of sunlight, but also warmer. I don't even have to use the ondol (floor heating). Blessed I was indeed and in time for this miserable cold weather.

As the others have said, if you cannot move to another place or change job then you will have to find some way to compromise with your current one. Make use of your bed by actually trying to use it (maybe put something harder on the bed?). You can make use of the space under the bed to store stuff there.

Try to keep work related stuff at work instead of bringing them home. Do your lesson planning elsewhere that is more comfortable. I know home is where the we lay our hats, but Korea to some is not our home. Find another place where you could spend more time, be a guest at a family's home, frequent the library or even the school. Do whatever to avoid spending all your waking hours at home.