Computers:
Still no Internet at home yet, and yesterday's attempt to go to the public internet cafe ("PC Bang," or "PC Room") failed in the face of the entire middle school age population of Korea taking up all-day residence in the bang to play World of Warcraft. We also don't have internet at the school, because some quirk of the wireless routers means they won't talk to our foreign computers. Until they get a software patch, we're limping along on vintage laptops (still about three operating systems more advanced than my Navy desktop) with an entirely Korean-language interface. You know those little "Y/N" popups you get all the time as you log in and out of things? I think I just gave Gmail my firstborn child.
Washer/Dryer
A partial victory here, inasmuch as our laundry is washed but not even bordering on dry. The dryer cycle here consists of a few limp clockwise turns, a complete halt, a few limp counterclockwise turns, halt, and repeat. We have tried about every combination of buttons we can think of but it always seems to end the same way, tumbling impotently along. I think it knows that if it performs poorly enough, we'll just give up and buy a drying rack and it will never have to work again.
Stove
We have a set of gas burners, but no idea how to operate them. There is no obvious pilot light, and when you twist the dials, you get an ominous hissing sound which does not lead you to want to experiment with finding it. Fortunately, as Justin has noted, we live upstairs from about fifty restaurants in which we can eat for little to no money, so we haven't had to force the issue. And as long as Justin doesn't get tired of cold spicy fruit noodle soup, we'll be able to muddle along.
Air Conditioner
"Air Con" in Korean. Justin has mastered it. I just push buttons until the air sounds and feels like it's doing what I hoped for. My primary role is to do the math to translate the Celcius temperatures into Fahrenheit. It's a great air conditioner - a long, rectangular wall unit that can transform the room in under ten minutes. When we lived in Washington, it was cheaper to leave the AC on at a low level all day than to try to run it just at night when we were home. We may end up programming the AC here to maintain the temperature instead of to run constantly (a feature way beyond the capacity of our early-1990s era DC unit) but since the low level will cool the place off pretty well and the insulation is good, we may just leave it off all day. No idea what utilities will cost here.
The Bathroom
a haiku
Eight shower nozzles
should spray me, but I think that
the toilet should not.
We have two fantastic full bathrooms. The one off the master bedroom (ah, the luxury of multiple rooms!) has a great shower head, a hand unit, and a set of six water jets that look kind of like udders. And the controls are very self-explanatory: hot is red, cold is blue, the picture of the hand unit controls how much water goes to the hand unit, same with the shower head and udders. All in all, it provides a very intuitive and relaxing hygiene experience.
And then there's the toilet.
We have a Samsung toilet seat that PLUGS IN because it has all sort of electronically controlled water jet functions, which I cannot describe here because I can't begin to determine what they are. They really need to be seen to be believed, and I promise that of all the things we could photograph here in Korea, we will prioritize sharing this toilet with you. The warning labels alone have led me to just leave it unplugged and hope I never make it mad.
Justin may write a post on the temple and museums that we visited or the trip to Itaewon (kind of the foreigners' district) or the many significant and profound experiences we have been having, but you can get cultural information a lot of places. When it comes to techno-toilets and dryers practicing game theory, remember, you heard it here first.
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6 comments:
You have no idea how glad I am that you linked your blog to facebook. I will now look forward *immensely* to reading these posts every day. It's so much better than personal jurisdiction and de novo reviews. You have added such a sparkle to my day -- all by talking about your toilet. Love you both! Lil.
I love your blog! I am very excited and a little bit proud that you two have decided to undertake such an adventure. I'm planning on reading your blog religiously.
I love the bathroom haiku. Here is my own, which expresses what went through my head when I read the word "wife" in Justin's earlier post:
Justin and Nana
Are MARRIED??!!! TO EACH OTHER?!!!
Oh wait...I was there.....
Try turning the burner up as high as it will go for a couple of seconds, then slightly down and see if it ignites. If it won't light, your pilot light may be out, which means gas is leaking! So it's not something you want to ignore : ) good luck you guys! We are excited to read all your news!
Love
Jackie
What an excellent way for y'all to start your life together.
From my experience living in China, laundry is pretty much always dried on giant bamboo poles that stick out the window/porch. Do you have a weird boxy frame thing outside your window/porch? Because that's what it's for. It's pretty bizarre. Even the swankiest high rises in China look a little shabby with people's laundry drying outside.
As for the stove, my grandparents always lit theirs with matches. No pilot lights in China.
Hello Nana and Justin,
Having been there just two weeks ago, I've been in Korea withdrawal, but your posts bring a smile to my face! I'm glad the DC buffet experiences made the actual trek less daunting.
As for the stove, your friend Jackie has it right. Try turning it to the max, hold it for a couple of seconds, and then see if it lights up. Gas stoves usually take a few seconds to catch. Also see if the gas valve is closed - you may need to open and close it whenever you use the stove.
I was laughing out loud about the dryer. The ones in Korea truly do seem like they don't want to work. Most of my relatives just air dry 'em. I think by the end of your first year, the bi-deh on the toilet will have become a necessity rather than a threat :) I've seen many a person fall for it, although I'm a bit scared of it myself still. By the way, for fried chicken - try gyochon. Also try to get some patbingsoo before the summer ends over there when you get a chance!
You guys are hilarious!
One thing: I think Russian gas stoves don't have pilot lights, and you just have to light them with a match every time you want to use them. I don't know for sure, though, because I had an electric stove. Relatedly, one of my friends almost accidentally asphyxiated himself and the entire floor of his apartment building because he didn't understand how the stove worked. So, uh, be careful, I guess.
Anyway, maybe Korean gas stoves are the same way?
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