Life is Good

I did not think it likely, but I am actually living at a higher standard here than in Hawaii/the US (for you guys who care about the numbers, the GDP-per-capita of S. Korea and U.S. are around $27,000 and $46,000 respectively).

Let's compare, shall we?

US: 16x16 studio apartment, paid $850/month. no utils, not furnished.
SK: still a studio, but bigger and furnished and my employer takes care of the rent and utils.

US: sweat my ass off in Hawaiian summers, esp. since my apt. faces away from the mountain.
SK: compact A/C attached to the wall and a heater for these lingering cold days (did I mention I don't pay utilities?)

US: stall with fear upon sight of giant roaches that originate from the jungles of Hawaii and somehow make their way into my apartment
SK: no roaches in my apt or city, so I can leisurely let my trash pile

US: no recycling b/c I do not have space in my 15x15 to be storing trash. oh, and fuck the $.05 refund.
SK: recycling bins right at the entrance of my building. convenience is a great incentive to recycle.

US: pay $1.25 to wash and dry, each. i still have missing socks and somebody stole some clothes from me once.
SK: a washer right in my apartment, though I have to use a Korean dryer (aka hanging my shit on a chair)

US: pay $7 for a plate lunch that consists of meat, rice and a scoop of mac salad. have a heart attack afterward.
SK: there is a plate-lunch-like place right by my place that I can get a tonkatsu plate for less than $2 USD. I also eat, on average, probably 3 different types of a vegetables a day.


US: need a car to drive to... well, everywhere. pay for gas, insurance, and punch a hole in the wall when somebody hit-and-runs you (which happened once and gave me a giant headache)
SK: walking distance (max 5 minutes) from work, the gym, a basketball court, a pay phone, 7-11, the bar, the stationery store, bus stop, a sewing shop, grocery store, eyeglass store, PC lounge, coffee shop, and loads of restaurants.

Life here is suiting me so far.