Gwangju in Stitch: Good Junk

Korea is full of good junk. When people don't want some of their belongings anymore, they simply discard them on the street or in abandoned lots/houses. Why give something to someone who may need it or a second hand shop when you can just put it on the street! While it may be more timely to find good junk in a second hand shop, it is much luckier to find good junk the Korean way- you can only happen upon it. Matt and I found our best good junk yet a couple of weeks ago- an orange vinyl couch!

I spotted this couch from our window in the old house that we call the Cat Castle because many stray cats live there. I knew it hadn't been there long because it had recently snowed and there was no snow on the couch. I went down to investigate and found it suitable for our apartment. I had to wait for Matt to come home, then we carried this heavy mother up four flights of stairs to our apartment. My forearms were sore for two days after, but it was worth it have a piece of furniture to sit on. Our "living room" was beginning to feel like its name instead of only a desk, a little table and floor cushions. Furniture can really make you feel like an adult! I am adult, I have a comfortable place to sit that isn't my bed. The vinyl has a few holes in it, but we have craftily repaired them with the standard green Korean duct tape (duct tape only comes in bright green) and put a throw over that end of the couch only.

Also, for your viewing pleasure- a view of my neighborhood, Bongseun-dong, from the ridge hike behind my apartment building. I knew there was a hiking trail up there, but I only just explored it this weekend. It's so close to my place and is a nice little escape. I plan to come back to the spot where I took this photo with friends and beers when the weather warms. It has a little pagoda for hanging and is only about 15 minutes walk from our building. I also plan to do lifestyle fitness there.