Zwischenmiete, Zentralheizung und Zweck WGs

Even if I get nothing else out of this experience, I'll have at least learned a lot of vocabulary pertaining to apartment rentals.

I'm happy to say that I've secured an spot in an apartment after only a few days of viewings! The place is in Kreuzberg (on the Oranienstraße for those of you as enthusiastic as I am about Google Maps).

I encountered two unexpected difficulties during my search. First, I had a fairly hard time finding places with roommates who are still undergraduate (or even graduate for that matter) students. Secondly, few of the people who responded to my calls or emails regarding listings were actually German. Once I decided not to care too much about either of those things, the apartment hunt got a lot easier.

The roommates I'll have are young professionals from Italy and Spain (I can't remember whether she actually told me she was from Spain or whether I just assumed. I'm still thinking of a subtle way to figure out which) [update: she is indeed from Spain]. Their German is about the same level as mine, and they speak only German in the apartment, which is what was most important to me. Enough of my friends here from high school are still around, that I'll get plenty of face-time with native speakers even if I don't live with them.

Here are some photos from the listing for your viewing pleasure. I'll take another one of the room (above) once I've moved into it.

Traveling Lighter than Light

I crossed the Atlantic without incident. Unfortunately the same can not be said for my suitcase.

Lisa met me at the airport--with flowers because Lisa is pretty classy--and she and I went to a little office and explained to a friendly (for a German airline bureaucrat) woman what the bag looked like and where it had been that day. She said someone would call when it arrived, but dispite language implying I might, I recieved no call this afternoon.

That leaves me here in bed wearing a sweater I borrowed from Lisa and typing along on Sabine's laptop--my own laptop is in my possession, but the European plug adaptor got checked--while today's recently handwashed airplane clothes dry overnight on the radiator. Apparently I can't pull off an international arrival without some sort of undesired bonus adventure.

On the agenda for tomorrow:

1. Mail Fulbright Paperwork

2. Make apartment viewing appointments (got a head start tonight)

3. Activate Handy

4. Stop by Nollendorfplatz thrift shop and buy a few extra shirts to tide me over until my usually faithful suitcase finds its way back to me.

5. Change the rest of my dollars to euros.

Probably not in that order.