The Apartment - the beginings

Our apartment: Well, upon first inspection I was quite pleased. It's a very large apartment. Definitely bigger than I had expected. I would say about 1,500 square feet (am I getting overstimulated?) Tiled throughout. Very large windows, which are a bit of a pain in the ass because they swing inside to open, which creates a lot of "dead space" around them. Perhaps, this is why the rooms are so large.

Anything and everything having to do with handles, switches, or electronics takes some getting used to. We still have a bit of a problem getting in and out of the front door and opening the window door to the patio. I blew up the radio, which Mateo is going to try to return feigning a pre-established malfunction in the device. We also had to vent the house in a hurry when we tried to use the gas oven--thank god gas is scented.

The water pressure isn't fantastic, but there is unlimited supply of hot water and a fairly large bathtub (not freestanding tub, don't get too excited). Also...and this pleases me thoroughly...there is a bidet. I tried it out immediately out of excitement (and lack of toilet paper). It is a decidedly better cleansing routine than "stupid american" toilet paper.

The two bedrooms are large. There is a small second bathroom, unfortunately lacking a bidet, but nice nonetheless. There are blackout security screens, which are hard to explain but fantastic.

However, I started to get really depressed and got into a bit of a fit when I started to unpack. The loaner furniture that the army gave us is horrible. I guess I am more spoiled than I thought. I really wasn't expecting anything, but apparently that was too much, because this furniture sucks. The wardrobes and dressers make the place look like a barracks or dorm room. The couches are icky. they smell like wet dog and are made of a horrible material in a odd "matches everything" pattern.

I mentioned that we could remedy this by buying our own furniture at the NEARBY IKEA, but Mateo started to get in a huff about not wanting to buy furniture because it was "expensive and we don't know where we'll be living after Italy." I think we must buy a new couch though, I swear the wet dog/old sock smell is starting to rub off on my clothing if I sit on it too long. I'll keep the loaner dressers and desk, but those wardrobes have go to go. They were so depressing we moved them all into the spare bedroom as to keep from having to look at them first and last thing everyday.

Now that I have been here two days, things are starting to look up. I don't want to sound as if I don't appreciate this experience or am miserable here. I am really happy to be back with Mateo again. And, as we get better transportation and used to the irregular business hours, we'll surely grow to absolutely love this place.