Since I needed a break from the whole Sinchon scene, I decided to spend the weekend away at my Korean relatives house. It may not seem like much, but there is a huge difference is staying over at a home in Korea versus staying over a home in the states. Usually in the states I would pack a bag with clothes, toiletries, and money. Here, in Korea, all I needed was my T-Money card (subway pass) and the undergarments. My family covered everything else.
Earlier that day I went out for lunch with a friend's parents, so from there I stood for 2 hours on the subway to get to 안양, An-yang. 2 hours would normally seem like a long time to be standing (i.e. waiting in lines at Six Flags ring a bell?) but, surprisingly, time went by pretty fast. By the time I get there, it's already dinner time and I'm starved.
So, of course (everyone should know this), the shoes come off at the door once you're inside the apartment. But that's not all. Not only do your shoes comes off, but so does your clothes. No, not like that. In Korea there are two sets of clothes: the 'outside clothes' and the indoor clothes. 'Outside clothes' are the things I, back in the states, would wear when going out to school, shopping, hanging out, ect. Indoor clothes are just lounging clothes. So once, let's say, you've gone to school and have come back home, you would change back into your 'house clothes'. get it? good.
Remember the whole "not needing anything when you come over"? My cousin lent me lounge clothes. My first time staying the night over there, I brought my own sleeping clothes. They told me that I shouldn't bring anything next time since they had everything.
The Korean home is pretty westernized in the fact that there are couches, kitchen tables, washing machines (back in the day, when I used to live in Korea when I was (I think) five, my mom used to hand wash our clothes), bathtubs, and beds. But besides the washing machine, my family is still more traditional. For example, the couches. Now, I know my aunt spent a pretty penny on these leather couches, but my family still chooses to sit on the floor whether it's to eat, do homework, fold clothes, you name it. The kitchen table is jam-packed with all kinds of things, leaving a small space for one or two people to eat a quick meal at. When I was there, we always ate on this small table my aunt would bring out to the living room area. Afterwards, we had dessert: fruit.
For me, the bathroom was the biggest thing for me to get used to. Although I've done the whole squatting while you wash yourself thing, it still gets some getting used to.
As I said earlier, there are tubs, but they're only used for soaking your body, otherwise you wash yourself on the tile floor beside the tub.
**note** this is not my family's bathroom. I jipped this pic.**
