Construction

As I have mentioned before, buildings in Korea seem to be able to change overnight. It is also fairly well known how crowded this city is, and at what a premium space is. My apartment is tiny, as is most people's. My last tiny apartment was situated on the first (ground) floor and look out onto a small alley and another apartment building. Actually my window was covered with frosted privacy glass so actually looked onto nothing. I moved from this apartment because I wanted somewhere (Slightly) bigger, which was on a higher floor and had more natural light. My classroom is in the basement so I was bascially going between two caves. I was happy with the new apartment, it was on the 4th floor and the next building along was only one storey. I didn't have much of a view but there was natural sunlight coming in so that's all I was bothered about. It was also slightly bigger. 

In roughly Jan/Feb time this year, I noticed some builders were knocking down the old building outside my window. I watched as they demolished it, and started laying foundations. I was horrified as this new contruction took shape and began growing. Until it overtook my window and completely blocked my view. I also watched as the small gap between this new building and the love motel next to my apartment began to have builders on it too. They are in the process of laying foundations for another building there. Which, as I have observed from the front, makes the building behind mine completely closed in on all four sides. 

I know that is difficult to find places to live in Seoul, and I know it's a busy city and you expect to have a small living space. And I also know they these apartment will be rented/bought. But I can't imagine being particularly happy living in a tiny space with absolutely NO view or sunlight. How depressing! I know if I was staying for another year, despite it being a real pain and hassle, I would be searching for yet another new apartment with sunlight and some kind of view beyong a cement wall. 

When they started building I tried to take pictures of the progress so here is how my view has developed over the last few months.

Foundations in the basement. They constructed basement apartments with 0% view.

Tiny tiny spaces for apartment and bathroom. You can just about make out the wooden outline.

Growing

And then my view changed to this for several weeks

Until it was unveiled last week.

And they begun to build here, so soon my view will be completely gone.

And here is this week's. Complete with windows.

And more building in the space.

On a similar subject, and as I mentioned in my JeongDongJin posts, I have a huge fear of manniquins. So it's disconcerting in Korea driving around as road works usually have a mannequin directing traffic rather than a road worker. I realise this means they can have more people working and probably get the job done quicker, but it's a kind of weird thing to see on the road! Earlier this week I was walking to the subway from school and came across one such mannequin. I took a video to demonstrate just how creepy the sight is!