Apartment Number Four (Video)

In October we were once again notified that we had to move. The director told us the owner wanted to live it in so we had move. We fretted on where we'll move to since we had a three-bedroom apartment and the school had a bunch of studio apartments in their arsenal. When we brought up the issue of size, we were told in today's market it'll cost more to get another apartment of our size. If we were willing to pay extra, they'll do it. It didn't make sense since we only had five months left and no plans for staying. So we had to settle for a studio loft apartment. Originally it was suppose to be in Landpia but then the director told us it is The O'Ville, which is only 5 minutes away from the school and supposedly newer and better than Landpia. I was not looking forward to the lack of space but it is only for five months.

We moved in on January 11th and the school paid for our moving charges. Since we had a lot of furniture, half of it had to go to the dump, which the school also took care of. The move was efficient like last time (we had the same movers!). 

This is an officetel, which is basically a residential/business building. Some of the units are actually turned into business offices. 

The Good

- easy to clean

- cheaper utilities

- close to the school (five minutes!)

- across the street from Lotte Mart

- air condition!

- washer/dryer combo

- built-in fridge/freezer

- more modern looking

- 19th floor view

The Not So Good

- small sink

- lack of space (it's one third the size of the old apartment)

- no counter space

- no cupboards for our plates, pots, etc

- short loft area (hitting our heads a lot)

- small bathroom (sink and shower in one area)

- weird loud neighbors (upstairs)

Starbox - Gwangju Gym

English Speaking Gym- Gwangju.
We go to the Starbox Gym in Sangmu.
Price:
₩10,000 for one day.
‎₩80,000 for one month.
‎₩150,000 three months.
Opening Times:
6am - 11pm Monday to Friday
9am - 6pm Saturday to Sunday

From the Sangmu station head out past the outlet mall exit towards the city hall. You will walk past the BYC building and Ramada hotel at the halfway point. Once your walk past the collection of Korean banks at the corner with the Starbucks is the Starbox building.
Remember to keep looking up as the name is in English at the top of the building.

Go up to the gym on the 7th floor, and speak with the trainers.
They should take you down to the 6th floor where you can pay for your membership. There isn't much English speaking staff, so just point to the months you want displayed on the counter if you don't speak Korean.

A Sangmu (상무) guide.

We've been in the Sangmu (상무) neighbor for about a year (2015) so I've put together a quick map of all the key locals that we frequent.

Third Apartment Video Tour

This is a video tour we did shortly after we moved into our third apartment.

First Apartment Tour

For the first month of our stay in Gwangju we are temporarily staying in an apartment that's 5 minutes from the school. It is a studio apartment near Sangmu subway station. There's lots of restaurants and shops nearby and we've spent most days walking around th neighbourhood.

We've created a video blog for the apartment tour. Below are some pictures and a a floor plan our first apartment.

If the video doesn't load use this link: http://youtu.be/hiWVZfV6D3Q