Bugs and Apartment Life in South Korea – A giant cockroach visited my girlfriend today . . . no, really.

A giant cockroach visited Julianne in her apartment this afternoon . . . no, really.

I’ve had several different apartments in Korea over the years and never really had a major problem with bugs. I’m not saying there haven’t been bugs, but the number and type haven’t been anything like a serious infestation or problem.

I don’t know what the actual percentage is of foreign English teachers who are placed in apartments that have bug problems. I’d have to say based on how many teachers I’ve heard talk about it as a problem that it’d be something like 25% or so. The majority of apartments in Korea will from time to time have ants, cockroaches, and other critters appear to one degree or another–but in terms of them being a chronic presence and problem relative to apartment life in Korea I’d say 25% sounds accurate in my experience of hearing stories from teachers.

One of my friend’s had an apartment infested with bed bugs of some kind. In fact, the ENTIRE apartment building was infested, and it had to be bug bombed several times to get rid of the problem. In my mind, an infestation where you get bitten all the time, and cannot sleep because you’re being bitten all the time–now THAT is a BUG PROBLEM!

Other teachers talk about cockroach and ant problems in the foreign teacher apartment ghettos in Seoul and other places around Korea. The stories I hear from foreign teacher ghettos sound pretty bad too.

Today’s solo cockroach visit–not a problem! (For me, anyway, lol.)

This is the first giant cockroach that Julianne and I have found in her apartment. I’m not bothered by them at all but Julianne is allergic to them. There’s a chemical or something that they have that bothers Julianne. I don’t fully understand how that works, but I just go with it, lol.

Anyways, the visitation caused a wee bit of excitement for Julianne, and a wee bit of amusement for her boyfriend, lol.

While proof-reading this post Julianne said in a semi-NOT-amused voice, “I’m glad I can entertain you.”

And then a request to let readers know that she’s not normally squeamish. You know, the whole jumping on a chair when a mouse comes in a room . . . she doesn’t usually act like that.

Oh, her last comment was, “You’re mean!”

MOOWHAHHAHAHAH!

I’m the devil . . . and she loves me.

5 comments

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February 4, 2010 at 3:23 pm

Brian

My first year I didn’t have any insects at all (brand new officetel in Bundang), and in three-and-a-half years later I’ve had maybe a total of six roaches. Six too many, but still pretty good for apartments around the world. You’re right, one every now and then isn’t sign of a problem. Just a bug that lost its way.

It might, though, mean somewhere else in your building has a problem. The guy I replaced was originally sent to live on the ground floor of our building, right near the dumpsters. He said it was nasty, and he had all kinds of bug problems. But on the fifth floor I hardly had any problems. I kept it clean and sprayed with roach spray every so often just to make sure. A few times a year I turned in my key at the front desk so they could spray the whole building.

I spent a year in a very rural area, and I did have rats in the roof, though. Never saw them, but could hear them running around at night. And, I did have a lot of slugs in the bathroom. Never found a way to permanently get rid of them. For as slow as they moved, as soon as I got rid of them they’d be back in twenty minutes.

February 5, 2010 at 12:21 am

aaron

We had a few roaches at our previous apartment and I found that boric acid works pretty well. It apparently sticks to the underside of the little fellows’ bellies as they waddle across the floor and burns through their shells – or something like that. Anyway, you can get it at any pharmacy (ask for 붕선, I believe). Put a bit on the floor (especially under the fridge and cabinets) and use some of that a can of compressed air to spray it into a light coating across the floor. It should almost invisible to you when you finish. Seemed to do the trick for us.

February 5, 2010 at 12:31 am

kimchiicecream

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for the suggestions on how to deal with the roach.

I remember when I lived on Ganghwa Island a HUGE BUG, I have no idea what kind, scared the hell out of me. This was in my first year and I didn’t know where to find bug spray or chemicals . . . and I don’t know if they’d have helped as there was a nice half inch gap under the door to my apartment….

Anyways, thanks for reading.
J

March 30, 2012 at 3:34 pm

Things I wish someone had told me before I started teaching EFL/ESL overseas . . . « Kimchi Icecream

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October 9, 2012 at 4:45 pm

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