Adulting Level: IKEA

So it is official, I am now a proud owner of an apartment just a few minutes’ walk from my school! I really lucked out with the rent and size too. Because I am out in Junggye (still in Seoul, but a little farther out), I get a lot more for my money. My other trainees that were placed more around the Gangnam/Center Seoul area found much smaller apartments for rent that was almost double for what I have to pay and since we have to wait a little bit for our first paycheck it works out in my favor, aka I still have to budget and be thrifty with my money, but not /THAT/ much (aka I can eat out once or twice a week and not live on dollar ramyeon until my first paycheck!). 

I am not sure how many of you have had to find apartments in Asia, or anywhere really, this is my first time ever owning one), but here in Seoul when you get an apartment it is usually completely empty except for a fridge and maybe an air conditioning unit. I lucked out in that my apartment came with both an a/c unit as well as a microwave!!! Microwaves here are one of those things that are a little hard to find and when you do find them, it is a little hard to justify the cost, so the fact that my apartment came with one is freaking amazing! But other than a fridge, one table, a/c, a kitchenette, and the microwave, there was nothing else in the apartment. Now I am not going to lie, I like my pillow top mattresses much more than I probably should (on my queen sized pillow top back home, how I miss thee!!!), so I needed to find a mattress asap. Traditional Korean style of bedding is usually a thick comforter on the floor. Even though it is warmer this way, especially in the winter with the floor heating, I just can never get used to how hard the floor is. So, I was looking all over the Internet (gmarket, craigslist, anywhere) to try to find a mattress that would not break the bank. 

And low and behold, guess where I found one (hint: look at the title of this post^^)!!! IKEA~~ Ikea is fairly new here in Seoul, only opening up within the last two years and has really made it easier to shop for furniture and housing supplies, that is if you know how to get out there since it is in the middle of nowhere/ at the far end of the Seoul subway system. So after getting lost and having to take a taxi there, I finally made it to the IKEA. 

Now before I get much further, let me just mention that I have NEVER been to an IKEA before, not even in the US. I have heard about them and the fact that they have good food as well as furniture that you almost need a rocket science degree to put together, but other than that I have never been exposed to IKEA before. So I was a little hesitant to since I 1) have no idea how you are supposed to shop there, 2) not exactly sure how to set up delivery, and 3) everything would be in Korean. But I tightened my laces and took the elevator up to the 2nd floor to start my journey into the depths of furniture heaven. And oh my gosh! There is so many types of furniture that I did not even know that I needed! Plus on top of that, there are so many different types of textiles and knickknacks that really can make your place look like it came out of a catalog. But I was very proud of myself, I only picked up what I came for which was a mattress and bedding. 

Half way through the store, I stopped and got something to eat since I had not eaten yet that day except for one hard boiled egg that my roommate made sure that I ate for breakfast (at this point it was about 4:30 pm). So I went to the food court and got the penne pasta with meatballs and a chocolate tart. I have never had such amazing food in all of my travels. The meatballs were so good and the pasta was cooked to perfection, but the winner was the chocolate tart. It reminded me of the chocolate that I had when I was living in Europe and it was so smooth and creamy to describe it like silk would not do it justice! (Dang, making myself hungry now, lol). 

But the real adventure of the day was trying to set up a delivery for my mattress. One of the reasons that I really wanted to go to IKEA was because I know that they offered delivery services for their products. The first information section that I went to was a really nice lady, but turns out I had to go to a different help center to set up delivery. So after searching and finding the right booth, I was able to Konglish my way into setting up delivery for Thursday (it was Tuesday when I went).  Not going to lie, I was a little nervous that I had made a mistake in setting up the delivery, but since my mattress came today, I guess there was no need to worry!

As for the other furniture that I will need (thinking of maybe getting chest of drawers/shelves for my clothes next) I am inheriting quite a few pieces from a co-teacher that is leaving next week to go back to the States. I think I am going to be getting two tables, some kitchen things, a Korean floor mat (for anyone who sleeps over), and also a stand up mirror from him. All of that will help a lot, but I am also starting to think of things that I will add over the months once I start making a steady paycheck!