my apartment

I moved into my apartment about a week ago. It's in a 20-story building, and I'm on the 2nd floor. The apartment has outside entry (there are no inside hallways), and it's bigger than I expected. I was told that I would get a studio (in Milwaukee, those are literally one room), but my apartment here has an entry hallway, a bathroom, a laundry room (with a washer!), a kitcher/dining room combo, and a bedroom/living room combo. There is also a back porch, but it is completely enclosed (just screen windows). Some interesting/different things I've noticed:

Dryers aren't popular, so I have to air-dry my clothes...ugh. I still haven't figure out how to make them soft...

Shower curtains aren't used often either, because many Koreans don't mind getting water on the floor in the bathrooms. There are drains in the middle of the floor for that. I couldn't stand getting out of the shower and stepping in water, so I had to search for a shower curtain.

Their heating system (ondol) runs in pipes underneath the floor instead of through vents. Therefore, the floor is nice and toasty. This is why some Koreans eat sitting on the floor at low tables. It feels great on your butt! It's also more energy efficient.

My television has one english channel (without having cable). It's called AFN. It is here because American troops have been stationed in Seoul since the Korean war. It's nice because they play Good Morning America, Grey's Anatomy, Las Vegas (among others) and many movies. Also football.

Garbage: You must separate your garbage into 3 places: trash, recycling, and FOOD. Yuck. The garbage bins outside with only food in them are absolutely disgusting. I get nauseous just looking in them (not to mention the smell).

In spite of all these differences, I am pleasantly surprised with my apartment. It is not bad at all (for free!)