Thursday, 24Aug06
Highlights: saying goodbye to Shinta, using the mall as my wireless internet haven, final negotiations with the house! embassy with Lydia
Shinta had to get on a plane & go back to her 14-hour work days & 7-day a week work week… whew! How is it possible to not burnout after 2 years like that?? Whatever secret recipe she uses in her food,, I want some of that! Oh wait,, well maybe I should be careful what I wish for. (=
After seeing her off, I went to my new wireless e-mail refuge… the mall. I found a comfy table,, armed with a brownie & guava juice (10am) and banana cake (11am),,, an electric outlet (so my lappie could sip electricity straight from the wall) and super-fast internet connection. I was set for 4 hours!
In the meantime,, the home negotiation effort was in a full court press! After zipping a few messages back & forth,,, we got it!!! We got the house I wanted (=
The deal isn’t quite set in stone yet… there remain two primary obstacles: the embassy & my means to spontaneously produce one year’s worth of rent up front + a deposit!
First; the embassy. I need permission from the security officer before I can sign a lease. In short, he has to visit the place himself to see if it meets some basic crime/terrorism safety precautions (gate, guards, lights, off-set from road, safe neighborhood…).
Second; the money. It’s highly unusual in the states to be asked to put up a year’s worth of rent + a refundable deposit before you move into a place,,, but that’s how rentals are done here. =/ ugghhh!
Our rental agent, Helen was a rock star for us today. The original asking price was $1500/month, and 1year contracts are the norm. Both Lydia & I are here through next June/July, so it didn’t make sense to pay for 2 months we won’t be here; and Lydia is on a Fulbright scholarship, meaning she has to stretch $1000/mo as far as it will go.
Through Helen, we talked the owner down to $1300/mo rent & a 10-month lease! (=
Woo-hoo! Now all we have to do is come up with $13,000 + $1300 deposit ($14,300) by this weekend,,, in American dollars. And I have to get the embassy to approve the house, so I can sign the lease, move in by the weekend & stop paying hotel fees every night! No worries then… I think I have a few spare $1,000 bills laying around in my laundry drawer for emergencies such as this (= ha ha… or maybe the bank of mom & dad can help out!
We’ll work the details out. The important thing is that we got a great place waiting for us. I’m set for my victory dance.
Lydia & I went to the embassy to see if the bank there can cash our checks. They can for me! (an embassy semi-staff member), but not for Lydia. =/ Hmm,, just another challenge we can overcome! It was still a good day.
Highlights: saying goodbye to Shinta, using the mall as my wireless internet haven, final negotiations with the house! embassy with Lydia
Shinta had to get on a plane & go back to her 14-hour work days & 7-day a week work week… whew! How is it possible to not burnout after 2 years like that?? Whatever secret recipe she uses in her food,, I want some of that! Oh wait,, well maybe I should be careful what I wish for. (=
After seeing her off, I went to my new wireless e-mail refuge… the mall. I found a comfy table,, armed with a brownie & guava juice (10am) and banana cake (11am),,, an electric outlet (so my lappie could sip electricity straight from the wall) and super-fast internet connection. I was set for 4 hours!
In the meantime,, the home negotiation effort was in a full court press! After zipping a few messages back & forth,,, we got it!!! We got the house I wanted (=
The deal isn’t quite set in stone yet… there remain two primary obstacles: the embassy & my means to spontaneously produce one year’s worth of rent up front + a deposit!
First; the embassy. I need permission from the security officer before I can sign a lease. In short, he has to visit the place himself to see if it meets some basic crime/terrorism safety precautions (gate, guards, lights, off-set from road, safe neighborhood…).
Second; the money. It’s highly unusual in the states to be asked to put up a year’s worth of rent + a refundable deposit before you move into a place,,, but that’s how rentals are done here. =/ ugghhh!
Our rental agent, Helen was a rock star for us today. The original asking price was $1500/month, and 1year contracts are the norm. Both Lydia & I are here through next June/July, so it didn’t make sense to pay for 2 months we won’t be here; and Lydia is on a Fulbright scholarship, meaning she has to stretch $1000/mo as far as it will go.
Through Helen, we talked the owner down to $1300/mo rent & a 10-month lease! (=
Woo-hoo! Now all we have to do is come up with $13,000 + $1300 deposit ($14,300) by this weekend,,, in American dollars. And I have to get the embassy to approve the house, so I can sign the lease, move in by the weekend & stop paying hotel fees every night! No worries then… I think I have a few spare $1,000 bills laying around in my laundry drawer for emergencies such as this (= ha ha… or maybe the bank of mom & dad can help out!
We’ll work the details out. The important thing is that we got a great place waiting for us. I’m set for my victory dance.
Lydia & I went to the embassy to see if the bank there can cash our checks. They can for me! (an embassy semi-staff member), but not for Lydia. =/ Hmm,, just another challenge we can overcome! It was still a good day.
posted by jonathan adventures at 2:03 PM
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