We finally did it. We decided it would be better to be camping in our apartment with a few items either purchased or borrowed, than to be enjoying the luxury of the hotel. Believe it or not, it actually gets old. The breakfast buffet loses its appeal as we each settled into having the same things everyday. At least the hot chocolate got better! The first days, a waiter would come by (after seating us) to ask if we wanted coffee or tea. We asked for hot chocolate, and sure, we can have that. It would take 20 minutes to come and then looked like it had been a chocolate bar melted into milk--little floating fragments of not-very-sweet chocolate. Not big enough to enjoy, just big enough to mar the liquid texture. By yesterday morning, the hot cocoa arrived when we did, and was really good. They had learned how to make it!
The beds were SO comfortable... with sheets of something like 1200-count threads (so smooth and soft), and a down comforter. We had no problem sleeping! This is A & E's bedroom--ours had a king-size bed. We had to have bedding for the apartment (there are beds here--but not nearly as comfortable), so I asked the hotel if we could purchase some of their sheets, and they let us. They ended up being about $100 a set, but that is what we would have had to pay at the local store--and who knows what the quality was, and we weren't even sure what the size was. So now I have some wonderful hotel sheets!
We rearranged some of the furniture more to our liking and have been getting adjusted. This is more where the real culture shock begins--or is it the same when moving into any new living accommodations? "This is the stupidest shower set-up that I've ever seen!" (quote by Ellie, as she mopped up water with the towel she had planned on drying herself with.) Or, "Sorry, the AC works everywhere but in the master bedroom." And there are no heating/AC vents in the bathrooms, just a small venting fan. So it is stuffy now, and will be cold in the winter. Great. I'm sure we'll adjust. And I'm sure there will be more surprises.
There have been good surprises too. My first meal (lunch) in the new apartment? Baguette, Skippy peanut butter (chunky! and only about $2 at the regular store), and honey. And the honey has a good flavor. I've tasted some honeys that were gaggy, and I wondered how it would taste here, after all , some of the meats have a really funny flavor. I should have known all would be well when the honey section of the store had about 15 varieties. It is easy to tell which things are important here. The cooking oil section takes up a whole aisle (one side) with all kinds of varieties. And it comes in really big bottles.
Our apartment is in this complex, but is off to the right. We couldn't see it from the hotel because of some high-rises being built by the street. The golf-course winds around behind us, so when the weather is not so muggy, I can sit on my patio and watch golfers on one hole.
And this was the 2nd clear day we've had since being here. It was nice to see blue sky again, but if you notice, there is still a layer of murk. That's because those twin cooling towers in the center of the picture belong to a coal-burning power plant. When I first saw them, I thought it was a nuclear plant, and that gave me pause. However, I think I would have preferred that to the dirt. There is a thin film of oily black on everything. That is one reason I agreed to having an ayi--it is necessary to mop and dust every day. We have white tile floors, and they look clean, but walking around barefoot, my feet become filthy. And yesterday, when it rained, I thought, "great, the patio will get washed off!" But it was actually dirtier afterwards! Then it rained an hour later, and that time it did get mostly washed off. You see people with buckets of water washing off their cars. This will be an unending battle.
Another family lent us some blankets and pillows; we purchased some really cheap towels, and enough dishes to get by--4 bowls, 4 plates, 4 of each utensil, etc., a mop, broom, and so on. We just hope the shipment comes quickly!
What is the shower like? Is it as bad as the French set ups, where you had to sit in the bath? Those were the worst.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're in your new place! Sometimes the "camping out" experience can be kind of fun (if the shipment comes quickly enough) and it makes it easy to appreciate the finer things of life (like 12 bowls instead of 4, so they don't have to be washed after EVERY meal!).
ReplyDeleteSo this is the shower set up in our bathroom. The water hits the wall, goes around the lip of the tub, and onto the floor. It should have been a clue when we saw that there was a built in drain in the floor. We fixed that by two shower curtains. Mom and Dad's shower door doesn't reach the floor so the water flows all over the floor.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... sounds like the showers weren't designed quite right. That's too bad! On the bright side, it sounds like you're getting a clean floor everytime you shower! :-)
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