Finally Home!

I do apologize for my disappearance and silence over the last few days. I am staying at a guesthouse where the Internet is...negligible... We've been busy apartment hunting for days. Just to give you an idea of how it goes overseas...

We wandered into a building and asked the front desk security guard if there were any apartments available for rent in the building, to which he responded, "No, sorry, all full." (We've learned that the only English they know is "All full.") Then we asked when something would be available, and he pointed to a number for us to call. Another guard came out and we asked again if there were apartments available. "No. Only one bedrooms and studios." (Note: The negative and positive response all together.) This was the building where they gave us 12 keys and told us to figure out which one worked.

When we called later that evening about that one bedroom, we were told it had already rented that afternoon. The realtor said, however, that he had another one bedroom in that same building. We made an appointment for the next day. When we met with him, he said an additional one bedroom had opened up in another building across the street. We looked at the first apartment, and then headed across the street.

This upteenth apartment we looked at was so beautiful! We asked the realtor to hold it until the next day for us, and to call if anyone else was inquiring about it. He agreed. When we called the next day about it, we were told it had rented that morning. Frustration! But the realtor then added that someone had moved out of the same building the previous night, so there was a new apartment available, but would probably rent out that same day. We'd have to make a down payment immediately to hold it a day.

We hurried over and looked at it. It was just as beautiful as it's upstairs counterpart, but with a balcony! and for the same price! He said his co-workers were on their lunch break, which gave us several hours. When we returned two hours later with the deposit, we were informed that another renter had made an inquiry, and he would rent it that evening if we didn't sign right then. (That's how fast things rent here). So we signed.

And I now have an apartment (in theory)--with a balcony! I imagine things can still go wrong, but it feels good to know there is a deposit down on a place.

It's apartment 1307--that'd make me nervous except that it's actually the 15th floor. It has a view of the park that is just out the door, and the lagoon that is just past the park. It is in the exact location of where we wanted it to be--walking distance to everything, with lots of the kinds of people I like all around! As soon as we pay for the whole year (in the next few days), I can begin moving in! It's nice to know that I have a home for a whole year (inshallah...)

And I made my first friend today. A lady in the elevator, when she found out I'd just arrived, invited me to have tea sometime. She came up to my host's apartment to give me her business card, so I can call her. I think I'll be having chai again quite soon...