Move-In Day!

Moved into my flat today! It’s very nice except for some major drawbacks. In the spirit of positivity, I will start with the drawbacks and end on a positive note.

The two major drawbacks are: 1) the kitchen and the 2) the second bedroom. I had done a sort of courageous/foolish thing and that is put down a deposit down on this place based solely on pictures sent to me by the previous tenant, another grad student from the US who was on her way home and her word that the apartment was very nice if not luxurious by Durban standards. The "luxury" definitely refers to the fact that it's in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town and it's fully furnished...a rare find indeed. The luxury however, does not extend into the kitchen. Take for instance the following:

This nifty little appliance (or “MiniKitchen” as it calls itself) functions as my stove, oven and microwave all in one. Except it’s really nothing more than a glorified hot plate atop a microwave oven. So much for the pumpkin muffins I was going to bake when I missed my roommates. I was all set to buy a fancy cookbook and cook away any loneliness I might feel in upcoming months, but how am I supposed to cook gourmet meals on this thing? Le sigh.

On to the second bedroom. I would take pictures but my poor roommate is in there trying to make it livable. It’s really not terrible on its own and he’s going to be paying next to nothing for it (at least by New York standards, which are probably not the standards I should be using in Durban). However, the real problem lies in the fact that its next door to my bedroom, which is glorious and ultra-luxurious by comparison. Where I have large windows with a phenomenal view of the city, he has tiny high windows leading out to the hallway leading into our apt. Where I have two nightstands, each complete with table lamp, he has…no nightstand and no table lamp. Where I have a full size bed, he has the bed made for the Munchkin scene in the Wizard of Oz. We’ll see how long he lasts in the apartment… maybe I can convince him to stay by bribing him with home-cooked food. Although, alas…no baked goods.

On to the positives. My bedroom and the living room are amaaazing! Large, airy and with unbelievable views of nearly the entire city. Seriously. I am up on a 7^th floor and you can see all the way from western tips of the city all the way east to the coast. Unfortunately, it’s nighttime now so my pictures don’t convey this view. You guys will have to wait until I take pictures during the day to see what I mean. For now, just a picture of my bedroom and the small decorative pieces that traveled here with me to remind me of home.

And the closet is pretty large. That plus the dresser easily accommodated the clothes I brought in the aforementioned overstuffed suitcases. In fact, I’ve never had so much space left over in closets or dressers….it sorta feels nice. Hm. Oh well, I guess I’ll enjoy this while it lasts because when the rest of my wardrobe and I are reunited back home, extra space & Diana’s closets will once again cease to exist in the same sentence.

The last positive thing about this little flat is that it’s only two blocks away from a gym and a yoga studio. Since I’m mentioning this, I will make some of this year’s personal resolutions known to my friendly public audience. I plan on improving myself in more ways than one in this year abroad. Not only will I be trying to learn as much as possible about what is involved in taking care of sick children and how to best handle children’s deaths in a way that doesn’t destroy me, I also plan on working out often and yoga-ing my way to an inner peace. Oh and I want to go to church on Sundays. And floss more often.

There. Now you guys can hold me to these lofty goals. Even the occasional, "Diana did you floss today?" will be appreciated. Though I really hope you don't email me out of the blue to ask me if I flossed.