My Anyang Apartment

Today would have been my first day at work but it is a holiday, so I'm taking the opportunity to settle into my apartment and neighborhood. I really, really, really like my apartment. It's much larger and far better equipped than I had imagined. It took ages to get the place the way I wanted - and when I say ages I mean, like, two and a half hours, but still - but I finally finished and here are the photos to prove it.

Starting at the beginning, this is the threshold of my apartment. No shoes may pass!

The entire corridor here is lined with closets. More than I could ever use. Here's one - I have eight - open:

Now that the formalities are out of the way, this my favorite place in the apartment - my desk.

Behind this area, parallel to the entrance hallway, is my kitchen. Nothing too exciting, but it is a marvel of space-saving design. Check out the washing machine below the stove!

See also my new best friend: Cuchen the Rice Cooker. I have no idea what the buttons say, but I used it this morning and - to my delight - it is idiot-proof.

So far as I can tell, in the land of one-pot cooking I have one burner extra (rather than two too few). Maybe the second, smaller, one which you cannot see is for tea?

Que sorpresa! The former occupant of this apartment left me all manner of surprises. Indeed, in addition to the art above and the books below, he left me a hand-drawn map of the neighborhood!

A close up of the books. It's mostly classic literature and fantasy, but I'll take any port in the storm!

One of my few packing excesses, the Cafe Bustelo can is already doing double duty. Not only does it hold all my small coins but, being the only metal object in my apartment, holds another packing excess - my Mardi Gras magnet.

These two desktop stalwarts are pictured together because the Zohar, given to me by Jenny in order to foster good luck, already has begun working wonders: e.g., the all-important Survival Korean textbook which was left for my by my predecessor.

Between my desk and the kitchen are these two chairs, which I've taken to calling The Thrones. They are even more comfortable than they look.

I'm not exactly sure what this is, to be honest. Given than the apartment already has a desk and I'm currently using the studio's traditional Korean table as a TV stand, I have a feeling it will be little more than a beautiful eccentricity.

Lastly, my bed, also known as the place where I spent 12 hours last night recovering from jetlag: