I think the people I work with must be relieved that I found an apartment.
My emotions ran a bit wild the last couple weeks—centering on two key emotions: Stressed and Freaked Out versus Depressed and Despondent.
Today I have finally turned some kind of corner: the bureaucratic headaches associated with my making the apartment mine are starting to get unraveled. Most of the headaches are related to my current landlord—but those magically unraveled today. I think everything will be squared away by Friday.
On the moving front, I still have quite a bit of stress—the options for self-moving and storage are financially appealing—I have enough friends that I can convince to help move (twice), but initial prospecting for self-storage spaces in Weimar have turned up nothing. My friend’s basement storage spaces are full and the concept of self-storage units appears not to have made it to Germany. Meanwhile I am waiting for one bid to come in, and I think that I will try to get a second bid tomorrow so that I have multiple options.
Last week Cathy sent me an SMS on what was probably the worst day for me through the hunt—I gave her a ring back and I apologized for not being able to join her that evening. Today I called her and we made arrangements to meet tomorrow here in Weimar, and she noted that I sounded a whole lot more chipper. My goal had been to meet her in Erfurt—the truth of the matter is that I have not been outside of Weimar and Jena since getting back from the UK on 24 December. There are probably many who don’t understand, but for me this is an eternity.
Between 13 February and 16 March, I will be at home in Weimar for less than two weeks: four nights at a friend’s place, six nights at my new place. That last number presumes that my furniture is delivered on 2 March. Needless to say, I won’t be relaxing too much during this time—unpacking and arranging furniture will be fun—and then figuring out what I need to buy to complete the new apartment. I am bringing four lamps with me: one for my bedside table, two small table lamps, and one with a flexible arm. I suspect I’ll need to do something about the lighting situation (remember that in Germany, there are no lights in the apartment when you move in—although I think I’ll get the one in my stairwell.
Anyhow, I know that I’ve turned a corner because at some point I was talking to somebody today and I observed that I have only been in my new space for no more than 10 or 15 minutes—and that perhaps I have misremembered how fantastic the apartment is.
Perhaps it is actually crap.
Congrats for finally getting an apartment. Bureaucrats are a real headache especially if they are inefficient. I don’t mind bureaucracy as long as it is efficient and actually help us around the system rather than giving us more headache.
I hear what you’re saying there. We moved into the new apartment on January 5th amid 58 boxes of our stuff, and left for a 16-day U.S. trip 9 days later. We’re (read: Sarah’s) just now finally getting the last of the boxes emptied and starting to think about the enhancements (furntiture, cabinetry, storage, workspace) we envisioned when we signed the lease contract back in mid-December.
As I am in the cross-country, bureaucratic process of moving, I can relate. So happy to know that things are slowly starting to come together. Hang in there!
@Queer Chef: This is all non-governmental bureaucracy. And it’s almost conquered.
@Cliff: I hope to be unpacked and ready to host my apartment warming party at the end of March. It shouldn’t be too hard as I don’t have that much shit.
@Diane: Good luck with your move–its more complicated than mine by a few thousand miles.