Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Score: Raid 10, Spaghetti Sauce 0

Ah Monday's... always interesting. As is the current routine I'm home for the day and Ben heads of to school. Today was the day I was determined to attack the bathroom, clean out a set of plastic drawers that were coated in black smudge, and make dinner. It doesn't sound like enough to fill a day but every little thing is difficult for some reason here.

First up, the stack of plastic drawers was utterly disgusting inside and out and my favorite part was the cockroach poop in the tracks, mmm love that. Oh, if you've never smelled roach poop you'll know when you do its nasty. Half way through the plastic drawers I heard a knock at the door. I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out who it could possibly be...I looked through the peep whole and didn't see anyone and stupidly I opened the door a crack to find it was only two older women thankfully and I figured it was safe. I thought they were just selling something door to door and in a matter of speaking they were. They were Jehovah's Witness and they had a track with about 15 different languages so I flipped to the English page and let her do her shpeel which I couldn't understand after which I simply said, "I'm Christian" to which her face lit up and her expression seemed to say, ok well at least you're something. They both had such kind faces, they were just so genuine and nice and in an odd way it did brighten my day even though neither of us could understand a word the other said. So after an awkward 5 minute good-bye of bowing 10 times and thank-you's and telling me I was pretty it was back to cleaning.




Newly re-organized and cleaned office space.

Just before I braved the moldy pit we call a bathroom I thought oh maybe I'll clean out the green cabinet thing we have in our entry way. It has 2 drawers and 2 cupboards. I opened a door completely forgetting why I hadn't cleaned it out earlier... to my shock and horror was a can Raid and several dead roaches around it. It was a cockroach hotel in every sense of the word. I grabbed the can of Raid and sprayed until I couldn't breathe anymore, slammed the doors shut and that was that. No way no how was I going to do that today. That was going to have to be another job for another day.




Practically an advertisement that reaches any language.

I was mentally preparing myself for this bathroom, I have for days and now it was time. I rolled up my pant, put on my pink rubber gloves, and grabbed my bucket of hot bleach water and metal scratchy and went in. I scrubbed and scrubbed for probably 2 hours and it looks better then it was but still not up to the usual standards much less a white glove test but alas it is less moldy then before. I never thought I'd actually enjoy the smell of a bleached bathroom but after today it mine as well have been a Glade room spray in there. Bleach is my new best friend!

After all the cleaning, I was ready to switch it up and test out my cooking skills with dinner. Since Ben doesn't come home until late and is fed at school, dinner is a party of one situation for me. I decided spaghetti was on the menu and I filled a pan with water to boil the noodles. To be honest I haven't actually cooked on a gas stove so I knew this could get dangerous. The big burner was giving me attitude and not wanting to light but eventually it worked. Two main observations:#1 who ever thought putting a cooking surface directly above an appliance was a good idea is stupid and #2 whoever thought positioning a large burner in front of a small burner was a good idea has never cooked. I obviously had the large pot on the large burner but boiling water = steam and there is no other way but to reach over the large pot of boiling water to stir the pot of sauce behind it. stupid stupid stupid. And after all that, I was actually hungry enough to eat what I made, although a preliminary taste test of the sauce was not putting it in any medal standing. My taste test was correct, nasty. Won't be buying that again. Spaghetti sauce just shouldn't be spicy and have chunks of carrot in it. It was more on the side of a red curry sauce then pasta sauce but not enough either way to make it taste good. Oh well live and learn.


This is my kitchen and an attempt at cooking in Korea...I'll be taking Pepto momentarily.

My hubs got home about 10:45 and I decided I needed to get out for a walk so we headed to the Super Lotto Mart to find a snack and chat about our day. All in all it was a productive day full of roach poop and mold, and I'm practically a licensed exterminator after having spent a week cleaning the apt. Welcome to Korea as they say here!


A nice shot of the mountains from our window.


An attempt at a pic of our street just before dark.

2 comments:

Karen said...

Hi Amy! I am greatly enjoying your excellent adventures in SK! I hope you are feeling OK after inhaling all those cleaning fumes. Take care!

Karen

Casey said...

I totally agree on the pasta sauce. Ian doesn't mind it, but it makes me gag. I'm sure Costco (or E-Mart if it ever opens) has some better stuff. I'm glad that you're starting to get your apartment squared away. It helps.

We've had several different denominations of people knock on our door to give us tracks. They all have one thing in common: they are so genuinely friendly and polite. There is always a round of bowing for good bye. I've kept some of the English tracks, if you're curious or interested. There is one church in our neighborhood who is interested in the divine relationship of "The Mother" (as opposed to only "The Father," I guess?). I think we've received two or three tracks from them. They're interesting.

Anyway, I hope your Tuesday involves a lot less roach poop.