So 15 apartments later and still no idea where I should live. Sigh. This whole I'm-not-good-at-making-decisions-on-my-own thing is really not helping me right now! So far I've found the perfect apartment and the perfect location, but unfortunately they are not the same thing. I can't decide if I'm more attracted to the idea of a really nice interior that is close to the Metro station, or if it would be better to be literally a 5 minute walk from school. Decisions, decisions...
I spent all of Thursday afternoon looking at places with Yi-Ling, the wife of a TAS teacher who is from Taipei and has helped a lot of other teachers find places. She was incredibly nice and we marched all over Tienmu for about 3 hours in the blazing (and muggy) sunshine. By the time I got home, I was so tired that all I could envision myself doing was falling asleep right on the couch, but I got online and had an email from one of the other new MS teachers (Lori) who wanted to go to dinner. Jordan had gotten in contact with me as well and lured me out with the word "sushi." Since I'm not one to pass up a) food or b) new friends, I gingerly got off the couch, washed my face, and walked back out the door for more yummy food. (I'm definitely going to have to watch my waistline in this country! All the food is so delicious and cheap!) We had a good time out at dinner and after grabbing a post-food beer, Lori and I headed back to Section 7; me with thoughts of apartments in my head and Lori with visions of her shipment coming in the morning (super jealous).
Apartment hunting day #2 began promptly at 10 am when a new realtor (George) picked me up in his fancy Mercedes (driving in style). We looked at like ten different apartments all over the area, from huge high-rises to little places in alleyways. He was really nice, though, and didn't mind that I wanted to see just about every single place in his folder. At 1 pm I had to go to school to meet with the HR ladies to set up my Taiwan bank account (makes the move feel super real now). We headed down to Mega Bank (hahaha) and I got all set-up with checks, a debit card, and even online banking!!! So modern. Post-bank was one more realtor appointment, and thankfully he only had three places to show me because by this point I had not eaten in about 6 hours and I was dying. So here I am laying on the couch with images of various apartments swirling through my head. I think it's time for a nap. Pictures to come later!
Side story: When I got home last night I was (more than) a little freaked out when I realized that lights were on and AC units were turned on (which I had not done before I left). I looked around the apartment but didn't see anything/one, so I emailed the teacher whose apartment I'm in, and was like, "Not to freak you out, but any chance your cleaning lady tends to come by in the evening?" I then forced myself to not worry anymore, and promptly passed out. At about 8:05 this morning as I was (slowly) waking up, the doorbell rang and the most precious little Taiwanese lady opened the door. She was the secret visitor of last night, and also the Russell's cleaning lady. She even brought me breakfast! I want to have her come live with me...Misit replacement?
I spent all of Thursday afternoon looking at places with Yi-Ling, the wife of a TAS teacher who is from Taipei and has helped a lot of other teachers find places. She was incredibly nice and we marched all over Tienmu for about 3 hours in the blazing (and muggy) sunshine. By the time I got home, I was so tired that all I could envision myself doing was falling asleep right on the couch, but I got online and had an email from one of the other new MS teachers (Lori) who wanted to go to dinner. Jordan had gotten in contact with me as well and lured me out with the word "sushi." Since I'm not one to pass up a) food or b) new friends, I gingerly got off the couch, washed my face, and walked back out the door for more yummy food. (I'm definitely going to have to watch my waistline in this country! All the food is so delicious and cheap!) We had a good time out at dinner and after grabbing a post-food beer, Lori and I headed back to Section 7; me with thoughts of apartments in my head and Lori with visions of her shipment coming in the morning (super jealous).
Apartment hunting day #2 began promptly at 10 am when a new realtor (George) picked me up in his fancy Mercedes (driving in style). We looked at like ten different apartments all over the area, from huge high-rises to little places in alleyways. He was really nice, though, and didn't mind that I wanted to see just about every single place in his folder. At 1 pm I had to go to school to meet with the HR ladies to set up my Taiwan bank account (makes the move feel super real now). We headed down to Mega Bank (hahaha) and I got all set-up with checks, a debit card, and even online banking!!! So modern. Post-bank was one more realtor appointment, and thankfully he only had three places to show me because by this point I had not eaten in about 6 hours and I was dying. So here I am laying on the couch with images of various apartments swirling through my head. I think it's time for a nap. Pictures to come later!
Side story: When I got home last night I was (more than) a little freaked out when I realized that lights were on and AC units were turned on (which I had not done before I left). I looked around the apartment but didn't see anything/one, so I emailed the teacher whose apartment I'm in, and was like, "Not to freak you out, but any chance your cleaning lady tends to come by in the evening?" I then forced myself to not worry anymore, and promptly passed out. At about 8:05 this morning as I was (slowly) waking up, the doorbell rang and the most precious little Taiwanese lady opened the door. She was the secret visitor of last night, and also the Russell's cleaning lady. She even brought me breakfast! I want to have her come live with me...Misit replacement?
Good luck deciding on your apartment. I personally think living close to work is really beneficial. Whatever decision you make will be the right one!
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