Welcome, Visitors!

No one really goes to each other's apartment here in Seoul. In the (almost) year I've been here, I've been to four other apartments, one of which is in my building and barely counts. Am I a social pariah, or is there something bigger at work here? Hmmm....

I guess part of the reason might be that the streets don't really have names the way they do in the states- small roads have no name at all, and big ones include a number, signifying which "section" of the road a place is located. Of course, what constitutes a "section" is entirely subjective. Nor are addresses in order- they are determined by the order in which the buildings were built. So, the addresses might be 100, 540, 32, if those were the 100th, 540th, and 32nd buildings on that street. Awesome!

Business cards almost always include a map showing the location of the store. Directions always include colorful remarks like, "go over the Bampo Bridge, but take the bottom bridge. Make a left at the big twisted tree in the middle of the road. At the second Starbuck's, turn right into an alley. I'll wait for you there to get you the rest of the way." These are helicopter pilots- navigators by trade- that rely on running outside to a landmark in order to get someone into their building.

Once you do find the building, there are still more hurdles to cross. Most buildings here have security gates that require a pass to get in. Without one, you must call the guard, explain who you are and who you are visiting, and hope they raise the gate. Here are the instructions posted at the parking garage in our building:
Maybe it's not me after all...