Living in a Goshiwon (고시원)

Door of my room

When I came to Seoul I had just one week accommodation in a guesthouse, so I had to look for something long-term. I wanted to find a room in a shared flat, but it seems that it's not usual in Korea and the few things I found I didn't liked to much for what quality-price was offered, also with the limitation of just being able to look at english websites. Maybe with time something decent would appeared but as I had some hurry I would have to stay longer in the guesthouse (which I wouldn't mind to much as it was confortable and friendly despite no privacy) or take the less worst room I could find even not liking to much.

Then I was contacted by Hoya (korean friend of Hyosun who I knew in Barcelona) and she told me that a friend of her who speaks english was going to help me to find accommodation (thank you very much Hoya! :*). When I met that girl, Hyang Ki, she explained me that maybe the better for me would be a goshiwon in the Wangsimni zone (because this zone is downtown with good public transport communication and it has all kind of services) and she had done a list with all the goshiwons in the zone with a decent price to go take a look at them.

Corridor where is my room

A goshiwon it's a kind of hotel with individual minimal space rooms. Usually students who are focused in the university access test live there, but as it is a cheap accommodation unemployed or divorced middle-aged people can be found there. My Korean friends from Barcelona told me that I should avoid that kind of accommodation, as them can be really claustrophobic, but as Hyang Ki was so convinced about and I'm an adaptable person I had no problem giving a try.

We were all the afternoon looking different goshiwons and some were really claustrophobic, depressive, dark and wet prison cells, and I was starting to think that I will have to get one I don't like too much or more expensive than expected. But the last one we visited, even the common zones (kitchen and showers/toilets) were not much clean and cool (luckily I'm not too much delicate), the rooms were pretty decent about space, as them were squared instead of rectangular and tight as others seen and the price was under average and Hyang Ki had the same impression. So I got it. Also Hyang Ki was lot of time bargaining price and conditions with the owner and had lot of patience with me. Thank you very much Hyang Ki for your priceless help even not knowing me, you are an angel.

Inside my room

In the goshiwon they offer free rice, kimchi, instant noodles and some spices and condiments for cooking. The washing machine is also free. In the room there is a TV, a fridge and LAN internet (downloading at 4Mb/s, a lot for me!), also having WI-FI. As bad things, despite for what I've said about kitchen and toilets (sometimes I would like to repair things by myself as the owner it seems not being too much handyman), I would say about people living here they seem robots, not lookig at you and not saying even Hi! and it seems sometimes rude to me. But it seems it is the usual thing here and I'm getting used, even some people starting to greet me as I 'forced' them saying Hi! every time (안녕하세요?).

Panoramic view of the kitchen

In the kitchen you can see next to the microwave two appliances which are the rice cookers and every time you can find rice ready to eat in one of them. In the left side of the picture you can see the drinking water supplier (cold and hot) and under it there is the fridge for kimchi and some other side dishes. That appliances can be found in almost all the korean kitchens.

Until now I can say that I feel comfortable here in general. It is my little cell!