Several friends and family have asked about our “house” in Korea. I am finally updating everyone with a photo tour. I had a little help making it more interesting. Have fun playing “Where’s Waldo Joseph?” (The last 3 pictures are not part of the game. Don’t hurt yourself trying to find him. 🙂 )
The hallway to our apartment — elevators on the right — front door open on the far end
Front door —
Notice the doorbell is actually a camera/intercom system, and the front door has a keyless entry.
The Entry Room — The closets on the right are shoe shelves.
Through the entry door
Looking back toward the entry
Opposite the boot shelf — A perfect place for my Pinterest project — The dining room is on the other side of this wall.
The Living Room — wall art by Joseph (Cherry Blossoms at Night) and Mary Dennis (Cherry Blossom Sunrise) — Mary’s bedroom is just on the other side of this wall.
Living Room — The wall behind the TV is marble. Joseph’s room shares this wall.
Enclosed Balcony area off the living room
Extension of the balcony area — Behind the curtain is another space we are using for storage. There is a clothes drying rack which raises and lowers with the push of a button, complete with drying fan, as well as access to a very small outdoor storage space.
Hallway turning right from the entry area — Joseph’s room is on the left. The main bathroom is on the right. The master bedroom is at the end of the hallway.
Joseph’s room — Joseph’s door opens into the hallway. The opposite wall is sliding glass doors to the extended balcony area where the drying rack is. All of our bedroom furniture, with the exception of the beds and Mary’s bookshelf, is on loan from the Army.
The Main Bathroom — There are actually three sections to this bathroom. The sink area is open to the hall.
The Potty Room
The Shower Room
The Master Bedroom — Unfortunately, we have very little storage space, so the enclosed balcony in our room is being used for Army gear, Christmas decorations, and the home decor that EVERY article I read about coming to Korea insisted I bring so that the house would feel like home. Too bad the walls are all wallpaper-covered concrete or marble. Anything seen on the walls is very lightweight and is attached with velcro command strips.
Another view of the master bedroom
Master Bedroom
Master Bath with garden jet tub
Master Bath
Master Bath Shower
Master Bath Potty with bidet and built-in TV/radio and intercom system — When someone rings up to our apartment, the bathroom system plays “It’s a Small World.” Quite a shock the first time it started playing!
Master Closet — no complaints here 🙂
The Dining Room — Located on the other side of the wall with my Pinterest project. This table and chairs are on loan from the Army.
The Kitchen
The Tiny Oven — Koreans do not use ovens when cooking, but many of the newer apartments have ovens, albeit very small ones. A 9X13 pan is the largest that will fit, and we actually have a convection oven/microwave combo. It has been a challenge to figure out how to bake things properly.
The Frig — The open doors are the built-in refrigerator/freezer; however, it does not hold very many items … certainly not enough milk for our family. We have turned off this frig, use it for a baking cabinet, and borrowed a regular refrigerator from the Army. The closed doors to the right of the regular frig are for the pantry shelves. The skinny doors to the left of the frig are actually one, tall, pull-out cabinet.
The Utility Room (or Stinky Kitchen) — To the right of the kitchen and just to the left of the baking cabinet … The front load washer comes with the apartment as well as the stainless kimchi keeper just to its right. We have turned off the kimchi keeper and borrowed a dryer from the Army. On the counter above the washer is another cook-top used for Korean cooking/frying. I do not use it and instead use this area for kitchen/cleaning storage.
The Recycling Station in the Utility Room — Koreans are serious about recycling. We sort all of our trash into 8 different categories: paper, soft plastic/vinyl, hard plastic, styrofoam, metal, glass, food, and general. We are required to weigh and pay for the food scraps and must purchase special bags for the general trash. A recycling center is provided on the ground level of our building, so it’s easy to just take everything down a couple of times a week.
The School Room — Located at the opposite end of the apartment from the master bedroom
Balcony Area in School Room — We use this balcony as a closet for school supplies, games, wrapping paper, sewing machine, etc. The wall behind the black bookshelf is shared with Mary’s bedroom.
Closets — Other than the master closet, this bedroom has the only clothes closet in the house. Mary uses the right side; Joseph uses the left. Because this is a common room, we haven’t had any arguments about needing to get in to get clothes.
Mary’s Room — Mary’s bedroom is the only one without a balcony area. She chose this room, even though it is small, because she has a great view…and she doesn’t have to store anything. Smart girl!
Reading on the balcony
Our view of the sunrise
And finally … Scott gave me this sign for our first Christmas in 1993. I have kept it in one of my holiday decor boxes for sentimental reasons all these years. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined using it again 22 years later in South Korea! What an adventure!
Choosing Life 
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