The Housing Hunt

It's three days before my first day as a "grown-up", and I am lying on a hostel bed recuperating from the frenzy of the past two days. It's not even 8am yet, plus I was the only person in a 2-person dorm last night, so I am guaranteed up to 7 hours of privacy before someone takes the lower bunk. Thankfully this hostel comes with air conditioning, plus I can get wi-fi on my laptop (poor quality, but still free), so there is little incentive to leave anytime soon. Breakfast, maybe - though with an unintentional holiday habit of semi-starving myself till dinnertime, I coIuld probably aim for just a late lunch.

6:20am arrival at JFK two days ago, and two days of frantic Craigslist searches, emails, and viewings. Talk about getting right into the roll of things! Luckily this time around, Manhattan isn't such an unfamiliar place, and once I get to the neighbourhoods I like, I know exactly where to make my "tea = wi-fi" equation come true.

I am largely limited in housing options by my budget, so to live within a reasonable commute from Grand Central, I would have to share an apartment with other people. Alternatively, I could head up to Harlem or Washington Heights/Inwood and get a studio or one bedroom apartment. Living alone would be nice - I would certainly feel like I've "graduated from student housing" - but do I really want to live up north? I rather like lower Manhattan, and considering I will spend 3.5 hours a day on trains to get to and from work, I would at least like to be near my favourite eateries and cafes when I'm home.

Personally, I have no problem sharing an apartment with others for the most part. On the other hand, I will be disappointing everyone that expected me to have an open couch, since, you know, C is going to be in Noo Yawk, and of course she'd be obliged to house every casual acquaintance that wants to save some $$$ in the Big Apple. I have benefited from warm hospitality from friends in various places, and I do want to "pay it forward" - but only to the people that are worth it, when circumstances permit. Call me selfish if you will - in this sense, shared housing is actually a blessing!

We shall see where I wind up eventually. Goodbye for now while I enjoy some peace and quiet before another day in the city!

Mountain Times

So my previous declaration of one post per hour was clearly not thought out - getting a computer was way more difficult than planned. I also fell asleep waiting for the plane to arrive.

I am finally in Waterloo...en route to Toronto. (house hunting). Anyways, as I sit here in relative comfort on the greyhound, I can't help but think of looooong climbs up the sides of a mountain...which pretty much describes my whole Grenoble experience.

Grenoble is this charming little city in the Alps, and the residence J was staying at was literally on the mountain. Not quite at the top, but definitely close!! Really, the only way to get there was to hike up. The first few times of doing this definitely winded me, but I like to think I got better at the hike towards the end of my stay. The best part though? The view at the top!! Especually at night, you are rewarded with this amazing view of the city, surrounding mountains, and at night, twinkling lights from all the little towns and villages in the mountains. Lovely!!

Well, to be fair, the view had to be amazing...the residences were pretty bad. Though if you thought of it like camping, then the residences are pretty good, so I just stuck to that mindset for the 3 days I was there. Overall my stay in Grenoble was relaxing in terms of tourist schedules, but after walking countless kilometers, seeing as many attractions as humanly possible for a week, it was a lovely relaxing time with good food, company, and scenery. Also, considering how Paris went, I am glad I got the chance to recuperate!!

- S

9 hours and counting...

I've been terrible at updating - however, I am at the mercy of available Wifi, where Grenoble and Paris were seriously lacking in free wifi. Though I could have used an available computer, I spent most of my time enjoying the surroundings.

Right now, I am trying to pass away hour 9 at the Porto airport. I should have been home by now, but after getting to the airport at 8:30 am for a 11:35 flight, we were told we would be delayed until 16:45. Then at around 15:00, the departure time changed to 23:00 on all the info screens. I am not impressed. Part of the frustation is there is no one to get information from - there are 2 secured zones in the OPO airport. Once in the first zone, you are past the check-in counter, and they don't want to let you out of security. However, my departure gate is in the second zone, past passport control. Passport control won't let me past because the plane isn't here - so I can't get to the gate to ask any available sunwing staff about the delay. Frustrating.

I guess I can pass the time by blogging. I think my goal will be one blog per hour I am stuck in this bloody place. By the end of today, if we are not delayed again, I will have been in this airport for a whooping 15 hours - time that could have been spent in comfort back at the hostel, exploring the city, or anywhere but here.

Anyways. My last week was spent in Paris - Grenoble - Paris - Madrid - Porto. The recurring theme this week is definitely transportation problems...but that's enough for now. I will talk about delayed trains, lost railpasses, and night busses maybe in another hour.

- S