One giant box of giant peaches later and I have quit my Korean lessons. I get myself out of a stress making situation and yet I still find myself in the middle of one. It’s been a never-ending saga with my crap hole of an apartment and being woken up early everyday for the last two months by the building work outside and inside my apartment is driving me crazy. In my last post I said I wanted to avoid posting when I am in a bad mood-but I am tired and cranky, and in need of a good nights sleep, so I guess I will have to let that rule slide. Besides, there is a maintenance man behind me singing very badly in Korean, so I am allowed to be in a crappy mood.
When I arrived in Korea, I was told that my apartment wasn’t ready yet. Obviously my arrival date was a complete shock to the hagwon, what with my signed contract and all. So the first night was spent in a hotel, and the next day I was taken to my apartment. The hagwon kindly provided lots of household items, and after a good clean (the previous occupant had left behind a lifetime supply of dust and hair) I liked my apartment and its close proximity to the hagwon. It took a month to get connected to the internet and the shower leaked but it was “home” for the next year so I just accepted the flaws by occasionally moaning about them to my friends and family. Plus, I had air con, so at least on that side of things I was happy.
Then the problems started. My boiler broke down three times in as many months. In fact my first night in my apartment was one without hot water-my boiler made such a loud noise I honestly thought I was going to blow the building up. A new building is being constructed next to my block, and there seems to be no need for noise control or awareness of time. The slip road next to my block has been dug up many times now-normally at 7am with jack hammers that make the entire building vibrate. Before I went to Thailand, a gas pipe was installed running the length of my apartment. It wasn’t connected to anything until last week, over a month later. But I kept expecting my landlord to hammer on my door and finish the job. When the job was “finished” I was left with my old gas pipe and stove and an ugly crack in the wall. My television stopped getting a signal the same time they started installing the gas pipe, but when I showed my landlord he pretty much ignored me. I would tell someone at the hagwon, but to be honest I can’t be arsed with it at the moment. Besides, there are only so many times I can watch Narnia without wanting throw the TV out the window.
This week they have been replacing all the boilers in my apartment block. Obviously, with the temperament of my old boiler I welcome this, but the way in which it has been done borders on ridiculous. For starters, I had absolutely no idea this was going to happen. By now the landlord must be aware that my grasp on the Korean language is very limited (and yes I know that’s my fault not his) but a quick conversation with the hagwon, who could have passed a message on to me, would save a lot of time, confusion and frustration for all. For the last three days he has tried to let himself into my apartment and has been stumped by the fact I don’t leave my door wide open for him. Almost like a married couple, we have had the same morning chat for three mornings now.
Landlord (inspecting the door handle as though it’s some mythical creature) “Key, key……….Gas boiler……no key.”
Me (resigned tones, still asleep because it’s 7.30am and I don’t start work until 2pm): “Ok, ok…..”
So I get woken up a stupid o’clock in the morning. I wouldn’t mind this but the actual work they are doing doesn’t start until around three to five hours after I have been woken up. Plus it seems the work is done by a wide variety of different people, none of which can work together at the same time. Day one saw the old boiler removed. In fact all the boilers in the block were removed. On day two the new boiler was attached to the wall but not actually connected to any pipes. So far on day three the area around the boiler has been painted by the previously mentioned singing maintenance man. Surely, just hire the three workers to work at the same time, working a couple of apartments at a time.
Perhaps it’s irrational, but I can’t help but think that when my apartment was leased to the hagwon the amount of work that was planned should have been made known. I know that I am getting accommodation rent free, but a tired and cranky Jo does not a good Jo Teacher make.
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