I recall my first few nights last year in Seoul, in a crappy dirty little apartment in Sinjeongnegori – a ghetto that would soon be demolished in order to get rid of the filthy buildings that had been erected there for way too many years. To be sure, the neighborhood was poor but homey, and it felt “traditional” with its street vendors, fruit markets and loudspeakers on trucks selling junk at 6am.
When the owner of my hagwon (academy) became aware of the situation, I was immediately moved into another apartment and my living condition was just perfect.
Unfortunately, my current experience in Jeju-do is far from being all right. I tell ya: Ido apartments (left) are a living hell!
It started when I first set foot in my flat – 25 hours of toddling between airports and airplanes in Canada and Korea, exhausted from my trip, I immediately felt sickened by the smell emanating from the thick wallpaper.
A month later and mold had already grown on most walls and the ceiling. It stunk really badly, and my health became an issue, as I was constantly sick for over 3 weeks. Many other of my friends also have that problem and hey are getting sicker.
After countless emails and phone calls to my employer, I finally sent an official letter to the big boss and I was immediately moved out of my apartment. Ironically, I was sent to Myle’s old place – the man who had stabbed my co-worker in the neck.
While the place is mold-free, it turns out it’s also impossible to get a good night sleep over there.
When it’s not the dogs barking in the middle of the night, it’s drunken Korean chicks coming home and hanging out in the hallway at 3am.
But the worst part is my upstairs neighbors. Oh. Seriously. I haven’t had such violent thoughts in years.
It usually starts around 3 or 4am. What are they doing? No idea. All I hear someone walking in high heals. Then the high heals are off and the person walks heavy across the room. Boom. Boom. Then they drop something, like a big box. They start walking again, strolling across the room. Boom. Boom. Boom. Something else is dropped.
It goes on and on until about 6am. That leaves me an hour of sleep before I have to get ready for work. Oh sweet Lord.
You can imagine that I’ve tried everything. Knocking on the ceiling with a broom? They don’t even care. Knocking on their door? They won’t answer. Banging their door for 5 minutes? No big deal – the door is still shut, the noises keep going, and I am angrier than ever.
But last night was even worse. Indeed, we’ve had quite a few celebrations for Christmas and I need sleep so bad.
I went to bed at 9pm. My upstairs neighbors were already noisy. It lasted until 6am this morning. I tried wearing earplugs … didn’t work. I put headphones on top of my earplugs, with some classical music on. Nothing. I could still hear it. Boom. Boom. Boom.
I dropped by my friend’s apartment around 3am and slept on his floor.
He snores.
By 5am I was back in my apartment, crying like a baby. If am I deprived of sleep, it’s not good. But if I am deprived of sleep on December 25th, when I also have to deal with kids the day after Christmas …. It’s fucking bad.
I talked to my boss at the center about it, and he called the building manager. But the building manager can’t get a hold of them. They won’t even answer the door.
Aside from banging on their door at 4am, I also went during the day with a Korean friend. The lady wouldn’t even open the door – she only spoke in the speakerphone, denied everything and hung up on us.
If this were back in Canada, I would just call the cops in the middle of the night.
Here in Korea, I feel like an alien, and I feel incredibly powerless. I don’t speak Korean so I can’t call the cops. My Korean co-workers are sound asleep with their family at that time. And nothing I do seems to get across my neighbors’ tiny little brain that I’m trying to sleep.
I’m going insane. I don’t want to move out again. And I can’t afford to be so tired at work. Even if I go to bed at 9pm, they wake me up in the middle of the night. I’m in hell. Ido apartments are hell.
