New Apartment

One thing that I've learned in the past 5 years, during which I moved 6 times, is that moving is stressful. I rarely anticipate the difficulty but am always overwhelmed once I start the process. Despite the fact that I only moved 4 blocks from my host family, it still has not been easy. Why? Because by choice I moved into an empty apartment. Why? Because I wanted to pick my furniture, it made the rent cheaper, and I wanted to have the opportunity to sell my stuff when I leave. I guess it all probably comes down to being a cheapskate, more than anything.

However, as usual, I didn't anticipate the challenges that come with filling an apartment in the 12th biggest city in the world. For instance, where do you buy stuff, how do you bargain, where can you find used furniture, what's a good price for stuff here, how can you move big items from A to B? Will a cab driver let you throw a big used TV in the back seat? The answers to these questions I've had to figure out quickly and in the end, it hasn't been all that difficult. However, I am looking forward to the day when I feel both comfortable, challenged, and happy enough to stay in one place for 10 or so years. Transience is taking its toll on me.

Anyhow, I have more bought for my apartment than is currently in the following pictures. However, I wanted to give everyone an idea of what it all looks like. Without further ado..

This is what you see when you walk in the front door, the dining/family room. The giant wall window opens up to a great big balcony that I will share later. Note my 10-year-old Philco TV sitting alone on the wood floor.

This is the view from the dining room/living room into my bedroom. Attached to the bedroom is the bathroom. Note that I don't have the bed frame set up. The condition for my borrowing it is that I have to paint it. I may be sleeping on the floor for a while:)

This is another shot of the bedroom. I have a door out to the balcony from the bedroom as well. Not quite sure why, but it's kind of cool. Last night was my first in the apartment. Getting used to the booming buses and lawnmower motor cycles was a bit of an adjustment but my fatigue pulled through and allowed for a good night's rest.

If you ask my family, they will be more than willing to share with you stories about my fascination with different bathrooms and how during family vacations, I would rate them on a scale of 1-10. That said, I'm a big fan of my new bathroom. I give it an 8. Huge sink, bathtub/shower, bidet, and a window near the tub that looks out a long street from a 7th floor view. It's a surreal experience taking a shower and looking out from such a height. And, if you're wondering, I have not tried the bidet yet. I'm still a bit frightened by it, but I'm sure curiosity will get thebest of me....eventually.

And last but not least, the kitchen. It's a galley style and what you see on the immediate left is a water heater which I battled this morning. It requires that you light the pilot almost every time you want hot water. Very primitive and oh so frustrating. The stove is the same, but far easier to use and the sink is large and made of rough granite. When I clean up the place a little more and start cooking like I did when I was in the states, I promise to take more pictures.

These pictures were all taken on a dreary day and of an apartment in mostly disarray. Surely there will be better shots in the future, but I wanted to give folks an idea of where I'm living. I'm still working out contractual details with the owner of the apartment, but the rent is 400 USD/month. Cable and internet here are about 45 dollars/month. And I've yet to find out how much taxes, water, refuge, and gas are going to cost. I think I also pay for a landline telephone so I'll let everyone know what my phone number is as soon as I have a telephone and as soon as someone tells me what my number is:)

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the summer. We were lucky enough yesterday to have an 80 degree day. Today we're back to winter but it was nice while it lasted...