Hometel

Right now I live in a Hometel in Korea-town--and I love it so far.  It's like a hotel, but family-like, homey--thus hometel.  TADA!  I'm so good at explaining and describing things.

It is a three story brick home by Normandie and 4th that is run by a pastor's wife.  From Monday through Saturday, they provide breakfast and dinner, and it changes every day and it's ALWAYS FREAKING DELICIOUS.  Once we had crabs and pork belly wraps...I am currently salivating thinking about them.  You are responsible for lunch (either eat outside or make your food inside the small communal kitchen).  My mom specially requested the lady to provide me lunch as well, so each day she does it is $6.  I am thankful because I hate eating out and feel uncomfortable using other people's kitchens--always need to be careful not to mess up or break things :/  Whenever I forget to bring lunch box back to the lady, the quality of lunch gets poor the following day.  So now I have an alarm on my phone for it at 4:45 PM to bring lunch box home with me.

There are about 20-30 people who live in this place and a majority are Koreans in the US temporarily.  Every business is different.  For example, one lady is here to give birth to her child in the states, another man wants to start a Korean import export business, another man is teaching people Korean while trying to learn English himself, another couple are super old and just chillin in the warmer weathers, few are young university Korean students, and one white man that...well, I have no idea of what he is doing here.

I'd like to say that I live in a Harry Potty-esque room.  It's under the stairs and it just fits me, a desk, a "closet" with a mini fridge in it, a drawer, a full sized bed, a bathroom with a toilet, shower stall and a sink.  There is a point in the room where if you take one step and you are at your destination.  I have a window, but receive no sunlight.  How?  The window faces the hallway.  For a person who gets the winter blues and loves sunlight, I am surprisingly doing very well.

I pay $1200 for it (includes food, wifi, utilities).  They also clean the bathroom every 1.5 weeks for you and replenish toilet paper, trash bags.  Laundry is the only extra thing I have to pay for which is $3.00 for wash and dry.  Which is not bad compared to me renting a place some place else in or around Ktown, I went through the general mental calculations.
$700 for rent (if you are going to share with a roommate)
$100 for parking (yes, many places charge extra for parking)
$50 for wifi and utilities
$300 for groceries
$50 for cleaning supplies and kleenex or whatever
total: ~$1200
UH THIS SOUNDS LIKE A HUMONGO BARGAIN TO ME!  Plus the lady who runs this place is so sweet and observing the different types of people here is so much fun.  Furthermore, I can leave whenever I want (no contracts of staying 3 months or subletting the remainder of the time).  But I love this place, so no need to think about that EVER!

The walls are thin, so I can hear conversations of the new neighbors (they are leaving tomorrow *hurrah!!*).  Yesterday was the first time I asked them to quiet down (but they didnt so I banged on the wall three times and then they finally did...Gosh yesterday I was totally PMSing).

I'll draw pictures of the poeple that I live with, and describe what they do and what they are like hehe.  I never see them through the halls.  I only meet them when we eat, and that is the most exciting part of the day.  The conversation is always different, especially when the old man in the track suit jacket is there.  He asks hella questions.