Moving in the city is HARD. The unbelievable amount of rubbish that you need to sort through, the cleaning (and cleaning and cleaning), and in my case, the sheer number of books to re-shelve - how many books can one person possibly own??
I moved from a Korean ‘villa’ - a building with three to four floors, loud neighbours and incredibly thin walls (this might be a biased take) - to what I deem must be a slice of heaven in this city.
Hanok (한옥) is a traditional Korean house first built and designed in the 14th century during the Joseon dynasty. The Hanok is the definition of innovative architecture that relates to the holistic environment and its residents’ needs - the physical and visual harmony between the Hanok and the environment is a key factor to its design.
The land of residence and its seasons are central to traditional Korean architectures. 배산임수 (baesanimsu), more commonly known as Fengshui, is the principle in which the ideal housing is built with a mountain in the back and the river in the front - this dictated where new villages were built.
Northern Hanoks (where I’m residing in now) are built in a square with a courtyard in the middle so as to retain heat in the cold winters. The overhang of the roof is ingenious. In the winter months, its specific angle and the lower sun allows sunlight to filter into the interior of the house, decreasing the amount of fuel needed to heat the hanok. In the summer months, it prevents the sunlight from entering the hanok, hence keeping it cool.
My ancestors were smart smart. How incredible is this?? And how insane is it that I’m living in one now?!
I’ve felt a significant increase in my serotonin since the move, despite all the necessary stresses.
If I felt overflowing and overgrown in my previous space, I feel perfectly fitted where I am now. It’s like a perpetual tension in my chest just melted away. I breathe easier here.
The maru (a wooden veranda of sorts) looks out into my small courtyard. The fresh spring sun soaks through my skin. (I can sunbathe in my new place - that’s INSANE to me!!) I’ve even developed a begrudging allyship with the spiders; they eat all the mosquitoes come warmer weather, and I don’t scream as much when they fall out of my bangs. (I cut my bangs. It was impulsive, and I don’t want to talk about it.)
I got a new chest of drawers to organise all the clothing bits I have. And I had a shameful moment of realisation that I have way too many clothes. How many tank tops and vintage tees should one person possibly own? Not as many as I do, reader. That’s for sure. At least I won’t have to go shopping again for the next decade.
I have space to paint again. I spent like a hundred dollars in new paint supplies, which hurt just a little bit, but was ultimately worth it because I got to unbox and squeal at my new tubes of red, blue and yellows. (In starting to make art again, I want to see what I can do with a limited colour palette.)
The cherry blossoms are in season. I’ve been sneezing non stop, but they are very beautiful, like little florets of popcorn smattering the trees.
I feel a change in the air.
A hinge, a shift in my body as I prepare for the ‘next stage of my life’. I feel the want to write more, to paint more, to generally spend more time kindling and nurturing the creative side of my brain.
I want to grow flowers! I want to test new recipes! I want to stop giving two shits about people who leech on my soul and exhaust me!
For the first time in a while, I feel hopeful, reader.
Spring is upon us - how lucky we are.
Until next time,
Kim xx