Absolutely exhausted and badly in need of a good nights sleep I arrived at my apartment. Which is where my few days of Korea hell began!!

It wasn’t that the apartment was small, on the ground floor or lacking in practical firnature (no draws!). It was the heat, lack of windows and hence lack of ventelation and day light, oh and the small problem of the insect infestation that really bothered me!!!

I was shown into the apartment and immediatly the female teachers began sweeping the floor as the school director went on about how the last guy didn’t look after or clean the apartment (I have since found that this was probably untrue). As they moved the sliding door that divides the kitchen and living room/bedroom about 10 cockroaches fell from the door frame and my heart began to sink. I really didn’t want to spend the next eight months with cockroaches for company.

I was shown around the apartment, there is a small window in the bathroom, and a larger window in a utility room behind a door which I was advised not to open because being on the ground floor there is grass outside the window and the director said it would; “Let the insects in,” – as if i needed any more!

After the workings of the hot water, washing machine and kitchen stove (a single gas ring) and can of insect killer were explained to me (an essential) I was left alone in my insect infested hell. The apartment was stiflingly hot and I instantly began to pine for my nice comfortable house in Preston.

As I began to think about unpacking my phone rang. It was one of the teachers telling me not to unpack because they would come and fumigate the apartment the following day. That confirmed it for me, it wasn’t just a Korea thing my flat obviously had a serious insect problem.

j150vsc – Mon, 2006 – 09 – 11 13:38