On October 31, I went for a long run. The weather was so nice, I only wore a t-shirt with my jogging pants (is it too 80's to call them jogging pants?). Though the night was rainy, it was really warm out. And then, typical Korean style, November 1 comes along and so does an abrupt change. It was FREEZING. I'm not just saying that because I still don't have a winter coat, I mean, it was actually 0 degrees outside. Or colder in the morning! It was insane! So mom turned out to be right (what a surprise): she should have sent my winter clothes back in August. But August was so hot, you could fry an egg on the sidewalk...I never thought it would get this cold. Argh...mom and her rightness.
So here is something you might not know about Korea: schools are not heated. You read correctly, but I'll say it again: schools are not heated. So the picture above is a representation of how I feel most days. Now, the ROOMS are heated, but if you have to move from classroom to classroom, or (worst thing ever!) use the restroom, you have to essentially go outside. And the toilet is sooo frigid. Reason number 568 to squat, ladies. It's almost intolerable. And can you imagine our fragile Canadian students in an Ontario school hallway that wasn't heated? Hahahaah...the thought is laughable. They freak out when they have to don uniforms in a portable, where the temperature control is limited to say the least. I can't even picture them here. God, I miss our schools!
And now let's talk about my apartment. Oh yes, my dinky apartment. I'm feeling less and less at home there, in the land that heat forgot. The apartment (from what I know from Bill the Weirdo who lives down the hall who has taught me everything I know so far) heats from the floor exclusively. So there is no hot air whizzing around my face, unfortunately. There is only heat emitted from the floor. When there is heat emitted from the floor. Last night I set the thermostat to 22 degrees, and I woke up and it was ON, but the temperature only read 18.5 degrees. What's the deal? I'll have to talk to Bill the Weirdo again and see if he can rectify the heating problem.
On a related, make-me-elated note, I met with Mrs. Lim today for our biweekly meeting. I told her how cold my bedroom was, and she and the vice principal are going to talk to the financial "man" (official title?) about buying me one of these cool Korean bed warmers. They have stones in them that keep them warm for a long time, plus they are super padded (god knows my back could use a break from the hard bed. Do you know I now sleep on my side and no longer on my back, because of the hard bed?). She'll let me know today if the school will be willing to spring for one of these "Good Things", as Martha Stewart would say. Good thing the VP also hates the cold as much as I do :)
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