The New Apartment Unveiled

This week has felt like two weeks. A lot of life has happened in a few days. On Monday, my friend and I headed to the downtown area so I could pay for my language classes. (As a side fun fact, the class starts in 2 days and the university has yet to decide a time for the class to begin. Oh, Asia, how you stress out this little planner.) You can’t just pay for the class at the university, because that would make too much sense. Instead, they give you an account number at a bank and you go to that bank to pay for the class. At the bank, you have to take a number and wait until a teller calls your number. When we went, there was a line of about 8 people trying to get numbers and then another 25-30 with numbers waiting inside. One of the workers suggested we go to the other bank a block or two away because it was less crowded. 

We made it to the bank having only 20 minutes until the bank closed for lunch. We stepped in, grabbed a number, and only had to wait 5 minutes before a teller became free. She informed us that I was unable to pay for the class with my credit card. Bummer. We stepped outside and tried to regroup. I had money in an online checking account but not enough for the class. After a few minutes, I realized that I had $1000 in my purse from my previous trip in case of an emergency. We breathed a sigh of relief as we headed to the money exchange place and got the right currency. We then briskly walked back to the bank, took a number, and barely sat down before we were called and I paid for my class. Shew! I can’t believe we did all of that in less than 20 minutes in a foreign country. 

After that, my friends began to ferociously search for me an apartment. Things work quite different here. One thing we learned is that there are a lot of apartments for rent but owners won’t advertise it as available because they don’t want just anybody living there. Another thing I have learned is that the owners won’t give any information (cost, size, number of bathrooms, etc.) to interested parties until they find out who they are, how much they make, where they work, etc. Many owners won’t rent to foreigners or single women and especially not foreign single women. They don’t trust foreigners to actually pay the rent and they believe American women will let their boyfriends stay over and have raucous parties. In light of all of this, finding an apartment can be challenging. Outside of giving my preferences on location and things I value, I had very little to do with the apartment search due to limited language abilities. 

On Monday afternoon, my friend and I visited with a local, respected businesswoman. She and her daughter helped in the apartment search by calling on our behalf and vouching that my friends and me vicariously through their reputation are good people and can be trusted. She also helped to make sure that we were not price gouged since we were foreigners. They gave many hours of their time to help me out and I am grateful. 

On Tuesday, I stayed inside all day. The previous day of listening to the language and trying to follow the conversations for about 4.5 hours had worn me out. It was also snowing outside with freezing temperatures and ferocious winds. I spent the day working on reports, filing receipts, studying language, refilling my depleted introvert juices, and trying to stay warm. On a side note, I walked into the kitchen and could feel the frigid wind blowing in through the window. Upon further inspection, I discovered a 6” diameter vent in the window! No wonder it’s freezing in my apartment! I could see the wind blowing the curtains inside the house. Sheesh!

While I was bundled up inside and still freezing, my teammates were hard at work looking for apartments. I’m so grateful for all they have done on my behalf. At the end of the day, they had the hunt narrowed down to 2 places but were heavily leaning towards one. 

On Wednesday, they decided on their first choice. They called to check on a few more details like building and heating fees. Suddenly it seemed that the owner was now unsure about having a single woman live in his apartment. He wanted to meet me before signing the rental agreement. 

At my apartment interview, there were many people in attendance: myself, the owner, the real estate agent, the businesswoman, my friends, my friends’ 4 children. The businesswoman spent some time speaking on my behalf and telling him who I was and how my friends are quite trustworthy. We eventually had some chai together and signed the contract while sipping on some tea. Incidentally, the contract was made out in the name of Bebecca rather than Rebecca. Apparently misspelled names happen a lot around here on official documents.

The businesswoman later explained that the owner acted very honorably in his dealings with us. There was some discrepancy on my portion of the heating bill. He called to check on the amount rather than insisting I pay the larger amount. He also offered to send a guy to fix the lighting in the living room and to bring the stove back for my use. Typically, apartments are not furnished with lights or appliances so both of these were a blessing. He also called the security guard to let him know I was moving in, had little language, and asked that he make sure I’m looked after.

The following morning, I saw the apartment for the first time. Yep, you read that right. I signed a contract before seeing the place. My friend saw the place before we signed the agreement but the circumstances didn’t allow me to see it first. It’s a good thing I trust her judgment. While checking out the place, I met a neighbor. It turns out we have a lot in common and she offered to help me out if I ever needed any help. I think I’m going to like her. 

And now for the grand tour:

My building - If you count up 4 balconies, I'm
the one on the left

My front door

The foyer

The foyer - shoe and coat storage (from the front door
looking towards the hallway on the right) 

The kitchen - (from the front door looking left)

The kitchen - (looking towards the foyer)

The view from my kitchen

Enclosed balcony - (to the right of the kitchen window)

Enclosed balcony

The salon - the salon is used as a formal living/dining room
(Entry to the salon is across from the front door. This view looks
left towards the enclosed balcony.)

Salon - (Looking towards the back of the apartment)

The guest bathroom - complete with a squatty
potty. CA homes are not complete without this
feature. (From the foyer and to the right down
the hallway, this is the first room on the right.)

The squatty potty up close for your
viewing pleasure

Spare bedroom - so you can come visit! (It's
the first room on the left of the hallway)

My lovely pink bathroom - You can't see in this
pic but the bathtub has jacuzzi jets. Most CA homes
do not have bathtubs. (It's the 2nd room on the right)

Bathroom - It has lots of cabinets which is also
unusual for CA

My bedroom - (2nd on the left)

Family room - Most CA homes have the formal salon, which they
keep super clean for when guests visit. They also have a family room
where they spend most of their time. I plan to use it as a sitting room/
art studio/music room/extra place for guests to sleep. (Located at the
end of the hallway.)

Family room

Balcony - my bedroom window looks onto
the balcony (located to the left of the family
room)

View from the balcony

Hallway (viewed from family room)

Pictures don’t do it justice, I guess you’ll have to just come visit to see it for yourself!

Hot Air Balloons

We woke up before the sun the morning after cave exploring to go watch the hot air balloons launch. The balloons typically launch at dawn so the riders can watch the beautiful sun rise on the beautiful landscape. We arrived at the launch site just as dawn was approaching. It was FREEZING outside. My friend said that the previous day was the first day the balloons had been launched in a week due to windy conditions. We were all excited when they started unfolding the balloons and it meant we had not gotten up early in vain.

I never dreamed how big they would be

The first balloons to stand upright!

Once several of the balloons appeared to be filled and men were holding then secure, I thought they would start filling them with people. They didn't. Eventually I figured it that they waited until all the surrounding balloons were ready to go so they could all be released at the same time. The whole event was breathtaking and surreal.

We have lift off!

So many balloons!

We were all squirming, thinking this balloon was
going to hit a rock on either side.

Success!

My favorite pic!

Suitcase Living

I recently returned to my city after traveling around to some surrounding places. I have officially been outside my city more than in it. During that 12 day trip, I visited 4 cities, slept in 5 different beds, traveled by car for 11 hours and by bus for almost 18 hours. Here are some of my adventures from that trip. 

One day, while visiting with my friend, her language helper showed us how to make some local food. I think the total prepared time to make the food was about five or six hours. One dish consisted of rolling grape leaves, filling them with rice, onions, and spices. After stuffing the leaves, we layered them in a pot, cooked them for a while, then let them sit for a while before eating.

Stuffing and rolling the grape leaves

Finished product

The other dish was made to look like a cake. Presentation is important here. You can see in the pictures how she removed the pot to reveal a pristine mound of rice. She said usually when she makes this dish, the rice crumbles into a big mess. I was grateful to see the beautiful finished product. I was even more thankful the food tasted as good as it looked.

The unveiling

In the midst of the food prep, I realized I still needed a bus ticket to return to my city and it looked like the buses were filling up unusually fast. We tried booking one online but it wouldn't take my credit card. I decided to walk a block or two away to buy one from the ticketing office. Once I got there, the office was closed. I waited around for a minute to see if someone had just stepped out. A man saw me there and was trying to tell me the place was closed but I could do a reservation by phone if I called a certain this number. When I didn't call, because I don't have enough language, he pulled in a young man who claimed to speak English. The young guy then kept using his own language to help me understand. Eventually the man offered to drive me to another place to purchase a ticket. Not wanting to get into a car with a stranger in a foreign city, I called my friend and had her explain to the guy that she would help me. I believe he had good intentions and really wanted to help but even the local friend said she would not have went with him.

The following day we headed to a nearby touristy city to do some sightseeing. The ancient city had a volcano erupt at one point and it made a condition where the rock was softer allowing it to be carved. It also created weird pointy stones that are today known as fairy chimneys. People moved into the caves and made homes there. There was also a monastic group who made a small community of homes and churches there. We spent most of the afternoon exploring the monastic community.

Cave Monastery

A dining area: see how the table is in the center with bench
seating on each side

Preserved frescoes on the ceiling of one of the caves

Cave dwellings

A typical view of the fairy chimneys

We spent the night in a cave hotel which was convenient for me since staying in a cave hotel was on my bucket list. While the verdict is still out as to whether our particular room was in fact underground, It was still a very neat place to stay.

Outside view of hotel peeking our from the hill

The entry way to our room

A sweet light in our room

The following morning we woke up early to watch the hot air balloons launch. I've saved that adventure for my next post.

We returned to my friend's city and, on my last evening, decided to take the tram to the bus station. Our goal was to see if I could pick up my ticket and to make sure they had actually reserved it for me. I picked up and paid for my ticket easy peasy to my surprise. As we left the terminal to return home, there was a joyful ruckus going on just outside. We stuck around to investigate. We kept seeing young guys wearing their flag like a superman cape and also wearing a bunch of pacifier necklaces. Other guys would circle the flag guy singing, dancing, and chanting. There were multiple similar groupings of flag wearing guys surrounded by friends with some drummers and a clarinet player running to and fro to join the groups. The male friends would lift the flag guy on their shoulders shouting Son! Father! Mother! Then they lit Roman candles and threw the guy in the air. Someone shot off fireworks in the parking lot. I can't even begin to describe all of the hype present in that small area. Once the cape wearing guys boarded the bus the friends and family members surrounded the bus. The bus drivers eventually honked their horns and moved forward to force the people or of the way. My friend and I decided it was probably a send off for guys going into the military and then had our theory confirmed by a bus station worker. It was quite the eventful evening. Needless to say, I didn't get that kind of send off the following morning when I boarded my bus.

I returned to my city and almost immediately headed for the outdoor market to buy up some fresh produce. That particular outdoor market is only in session on Saturdays and I didn't want to wait a whole week to get fresh produce. While there, I successfully managed to correctly purchase all my desired items. I did end up with twice as many apples, but in my book the shopping adventure was a success. To top it off, I paid less than $8 for my haul of fresh produce. I'm glad to be back in my city!

God is Always Previous

God is always previous.

I read this quote by A.W. Tozer last night and thought it a fitting time for this post.

Several weeks ago, I attended a women's conference and there the speaker spoke on Hagar. If you remember, Hagar was given to Abraham in hopes that she could provide him with the heir that Sarah seemed unable to give him. Hagar conceived and bore him Ishmael. Later when Sarah conceived and had Isaac, she wanted to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Abraham sent Hagar into the wilderness with enough bread and water for about a day's journey, indicating that he trusted God to provide for her needs. In Genesis 21 we find her hiding away from Ishmael, weeping that she didn't want to watch her son die. Then in verse 19, it says God opened her eyes to see a well of water, a well that had been there all along. God saw His provision for her before she did.

In the very next chapter, Abraham took his son, Isaac, to be sacrificed. Before he struck his son, he saw a ram in the bushes. God saw the provision for the sacrifice before Abraham did.

Again, Jacob's family was going hungry due to the famine in the land. God had placed Joseph in a position of power in order to provide for Jacob's family. Then later when they fled from Egypt, God brought them to the edge of the Red Sea. The people cried out as the Egyptian army came at them from the other side. Little did they know that God had already prepared to preserve them by rolling back the Red Sea so they could walk across on dry ground. Weeks later this same group is cried out yet again wondering if they would perish not having food and water easily accessible. God, yet again, had provisions in the making. This time it was through daily bread raining from Heaven and water from a rock.

I find myself frequently in that place of crying out, fearful God has forgotten me. Recently I have discovered that God also had provisions for me in place before I recognize them. One example is when I arrived at the airport in my new home only to realize my friend was not there to receive me. Little did I know that two sweet ladies were in the airport looking for me. Then there was the time I tried to get on the bus with my oversized basket and couldn't understand that the driver was telling me I needed to enter from the rear. God provided a man to help me understand. On another occasion, I found myself with a suitcase too heavy for me to lift alone. He provided a man and a young girl to lift the suitcase for me. And all of these scenarios took place in a foreign land in a foreign language. In reality, each of these provisions are seemingly small in the grand scheme of things. I take comfort in knowing that if He cares for and provides in these small situations, He most assuredly will provide in the large ordeals. I'm thankful He's got my back.