Goshitel's a pretty fun word to pronounce in a bad American accent. So what is a goshitel? Simply put, a goshitel is a cozy little closet that some people call "home" and others call "storage space." More nicely and appropriately put, it's an inexpensive living alternative similar to a dorm, usually for university students looking to get their study on.
I can't speak for goshitels or goshiwons in general, but from my personal experience (see video above), it was really clean and well-kept, always well-stocked with free rice, eggs, kimchi, and ramen, and aside from the occasional slamming door, very quiet. I definitely didn't get that homey community feel I got from my hasuk-jip, but I did run into a couple nice people in the kitchen-dining-laundry room from time to time. And you know what? It was kind of neat being able to reach everything I needed within comfortable arms' length. :)
The reason I moved into one for a few months last summer was simple - I wanted air conditioning! My friend scared me into believing the horrors of living AC-less in Korea (dying of heat and being bitten alive by mosquitoes), and I decided straightaway that I wouldn't be able to handle anything remotely close to that. We went searching for an AC-ed hasuk, but none of them met my cleanliness standards given the short turn around time. I was slightly worried that I'd develop claustrophobia, but surprisingly, I rarely felt that way, maybe because I broke up weekends by crashing at relatives' and tended to not stay in the room for long periods at a time. :)
P.S. In case you're curious, here's the "well-being tel" I bunked up in: http://www.id.wbtel.net/ My room went for about 350,000 won, but it was window-less (yeah, I don't recommend that), while some of the ones with bathrooms in the unit were as high as five or six hundred thousand. On a side note, when one of my friends came to visit, she stayed in a room with a bathroom, and unfortunately, the ventilation wasn't so great, which kind of gave the room an interesting funk. On another note, goshitels are also great low-cost alternatives to hotels, especially if you don't plan on staying inside much - her room cost about $100 for a week!
Friday, March 13, 2009
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2 comments:
You are so awesome you know that. Thank you for being so nice and answering all my questions and thanks for this post! So, I take it back... it's cute but it's a tad bit smaller than I expected. LOL. So everything is communal? Like the restrooms and dining area? But it looks so well kept and tidy. And 350,000 per week? Month? Ok I'll stop now... since I seem to be rambling on too much. But thanks for the post once again and for the video.
I'm excited for Korea... when I do get there. All you posts about food always makes me day.
350k per month.
There are communal restrooms here but also ones in the room itself, but you'd have to pay extra for that. The "dining area" is actually a table with 4 chairs in the kitchen. I'd probably live in a hasuk jip if you want to socialize with other people a bit more. :)
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