A Place Called Home

See, my rolling stone days have been plentiful (if that word exists), moving from res to apartment to apartment during my varsity years. At my mother's house, I've had countless debates with my sisters about why I deserve to still have a room I can call my own in my mother's house. But I mean, I'm never home, so it's fair to say that none of the rooms should belong to me, exclusively.

'Papa was a rolling stone- wherever he laid his head, was his home...'

I'm papa. Well, almost. I'm half way across the world, for a whole year. I've never been further from home, but I've gotta make myself feel it if i plan on making it through this year without feeling that disease they call 'home sick'. Well, I figure if I make myself feel home here, the nostalgia or yearning for the town where cows and donkeys roam randomly in the suburban streets, will be somewhat minimal.

So... Welcome to my Korean abode.

Location

I'd call it the Hatfield of Daegu (my city). I'm a 2minute walk from the Kyungpook National University's north gate, which means bars, restaurants, small clothing stores, coffee shops (collectively, more than all the coffee shops in Pretoria, let alone Hatfield, I swear!), make up stores and more. All of these places are so close, I could possibly find myself shopping in my sleep, if I were the sleep-walking type. It's reeeeally close.

The apartment block

A newly-built, student-targeted place. Smart Leader, the name translates to. In Korean (or Konglish), the place is called Si-Ma-tha Li-duh (I kid you not!). Four floors high, with 4 apartments on each floor. It's really modern and cute, and kinda reminds me of the place I lived at in my second year of varsity.

Sih Mah Tih Lih Dih (Smart Leader) hahahahaha

Agent Keke, code accepted>>

I just enter a secret code to get into the block, and then get a robot voice welcome (I'm assuming). Walk up two flights of stairs.

Then I put in the code for my room (I don't ever have to worry about locking myself out).

Please don't stalk me now

Agent Keke>>> Enter

My Space

I take off my shoes as I enter. This is how the Koreans do it. Everywhere. It's apparently about not bringing the dirt from outside into the living space. When in Rome... Also, there's usually a storage place close to the door where you can keep your shoes. So my actual wardrobe has no shoes innit, coz that would mean I'm cheating and putting my shoes on inside the room. My shoe cupboard thing is a bright orange:)

My place is really small, but it's just right for me. Some of my friends have mansions! I can just visit them if I feel like having somersaulting space. My kitchen is cute. Two-plate stove tops are common in smaller apartments, and I never thought I'd be grateful for the year I lived in a flat that had a similar set up! At least then I had a microwave though. The cupboards are white and deep red with bring bring flower detail. How can I not smile, and feel like I'm living my teenage dream?

I'm a hazard to myself... Kettle wire stretching over the gas stove.

My wallpaper... It was seeing this that opened my eyes to the realisation that everything in Korean revolves around Cute. Cute if you're male, cute if you're female. Cute if you're 5 and cute if you're 35. My whole place has baby blue wallpaper with white cloud detail. Rather that than Hello Kitty wallpaper (it's possible in Korea!)

I had to get purple linen to match the wallpaper. And of course, I tried to calm it down with a grey pillow, but (welcome to Korea!) the scatter cushion thing HAD to have flowers and bring bring (bling bling). Shiiiine!

I love old-school, light wood of my desk and bookshelf. The chair is also super comfy. Beacuse of the Korean climate, it's normal to have air con and floor heating systems. So my place didn't miss out on the mandatory. That really came in handy coz it was freeeeeezing when I arrived. I didn't have to buy a blanket. I just used my comforter and kept the heating on overnight,

This isn't MTV Cribz, I can't pretend my place is always tidy. Sorry, mates!

"Wood' floors in the new apartment"

Inspiration for what to wear?!

I get a cute washing machine with the place too. The laundry room is literally behind my headboard. Really close, but that doesn't bother me, coz I'm never sleeping while I do the laundry.

Also used as my storage space. Efficient, aren't we!?

So, the wonder of all architecture, is the bathroom. Perfectly modern in every aspect, except the shower. It's what I like to call 'The After-Thought'. You know how, in the South African bath-tubs we have that little shower head thing with the flexi pipe for optional showering?? Well, it's just that. So imagine your bath-tub as my whole bathroom- lowered from the rest of the room, so the water doesn't mess. A drain in the corner, and anything else in the bathroom, getting a shower, whether or not it wishes so. I also use plastic slippers in the bathroom (hygiene, again). That might prevent my getting athletes foot from the non-athlete in me.

The Infamous After Thought

I've learned to love this shower of mine. Really. Just not when I'm fully clothed, wearing socks, and I realise I forgot something in he bathroom after I've taken a shower...

"I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself."
Maya Angelou

So there you have it, folks- more than just a peep into where all my dreams happen. Cloud 9 :)





Can you spell Angel in Korean?

It sucks that I've been here for two months, and I'm still writing about how I got here. Tisk Tisk. African time at its best, I tell ya. But I figure it's good I cover the basics, so we're on (somewhat) the same page when I type and you read.

After orientation, we each got onto a bus headed to a school in our district where we would be met and welcomed by our new partners in crime- our co-teachers.

So the bus ride there was nothing but a little nap, since we were out til the res doors closed for curfew the night before. You know when you're driving long distance, and you're fast asleep, but as soon as you feel the car slowing down, or stopping, you wake up?? Yeah. Exactly that. After some time on the highway, the first halt at a traffic light alerted my subconscious that we were probably nearing our destination. I drink what's left of my water, and say a prayer. After all the orientation lectures, I now knew the importance of the role my co-teacher would play in my life for the year, so my prayer now was quite specific: a young, spontaneous, but mature female; someone that I wouldn't be afraid to ask for help when and I needed it.

So we all, nervously, walk into this school's hall and there are a bunch of people holding up large papers with our names on them. Just like the airport scene in the movies. It takes me a while to spot the person holding my name up. Another back to front, left to right pan, and before I see my name, the clothing addict in me drools over this gorgeously lumo coat that some one's wearing. Then our eyes meet. A smile. She's holding my name. "Great! She has style- that's a good start!". I walk towards her, and we exchange a heart-felt, 'nice to meet you'.

Her name is Hye Min Lee. For the westerners (yes, I fall in there now) she goes by the name Jasmine. She is proof that God's angels are located everywhere we go, and anywhere we need them.

On the first day, Jasmine literally made it her duty to make me comfortable, without ever suggesting that I was being a burden. She took me to the school to meet the staff that were there preparing for the new school year (Vice Principals, admin staff and Head Teacher), drove me to the immigration office to register for my Alien Registration Card (ARC), showed me my spanking new place, took me to get all the things I'd need for the first week or two (that took us about 2 hours to do!) and still insisted that she'd pay and let me re-imburse her as soon as the school gave me my settlement allowance.

From the get-go, I could just sense that she's a genuinely good-hearted person. That she's get down on all fours top help me wipe my dusty floors, make my bed, take me out for food, and worry about my potential loneliness on night 1, really assured me that I had scored big here. Her kindness reminded me so much of my Mother. Just phenomenal.

2 months in, and Jasmine's goodness has not yet worn out. If anything, she's become my big sister, my little sister (sometimes), my mommy, my teacher, and my friend. I am so blessed.

For your info: With the programme I'm with, part of the deal is that you get a co-teacher. This is the person that is responsible for making sure you are comfortable in your new place, and this person is also the Korean teacher at your school and handles translation, discipline etc in the classroom. Most people's relationships with their co-teachers end when 16:30 comes. A here-and-there conversation to help you read this and that and just to check you're okay. This is all great already, which is why I'm so happy to have more than that in Jasmine.

The coat that got me! this is my Jasmine

...and we still get the work done.

We certainly don't leave play time to the kids alone either.

So can I spell Angel in Korean? Yes.

Jay. Ay. Es. Em. Eye. En. Ee.

Jasmine