When I first came to South Korea, I landed in Seoul. We went to stay in a suite apartment overnight. The bathroom was so incredibly fancy... I thought to myself that all showers should be built the way it was: glass wall and door, floor so gently sloped that it looked flat but the water drained quickly, the drain itself was against the wall under the spigot in one long line. The toilet has tons of buttons with lots of options... all in Korean so I couldn't use it. Learned since then that one option is to have a heated seat. It was just so cool with space and luxury both.
Then I got the school and learned what normal really is in Korea.
When you go to the bathroom, before you step inside, you must slip into a pair of slippers that are specifically for the bathroom. This is common practice.
The shower is a hose attached to the sink. You shower in the middle of the room. There is a drain in the middle of the floor. This is common practice.
Some places still use a bucket instead for the shower.
It blew my mind away. Granted there are more places having what western people would call normal, but it is slow and will take another generation or two I believe to be in the majority.
Do you have a bathroom to yourself in your own apartment, Teacher Mindy, or do you have to share one with other teachers?
ReplyDeleteAre the bathroom slippers waterproof, like rubbery clogs so that they will dry from a wet floor after showers?
it is my own apartment... I share nothing with anyone save what I wish :)
ReplyDeletethe bathroom slippers are basically plastic flipflops
oh goodness.. that sounds a little nuts.
ReplyDelete