A Bumpy Start

I've been reading with envy the blog posts of my fellow students, who are all so thrilled to be here and having such a blast exploring the city.  For us, the beginning of our adventure has been a bit bumpier. 

As advertized, our apartment is charming, has lots of character, and is in a very cool neighborhood.  But when we arrived it was also filthy (but at least the cockroaches were dead!), and unairconditioned.  Plus the hot water wasn't working.  So we spent our first 2 days here not wanting to walk on the floors in bare feet, not willing to unpack, and very very smelly.  We had also underestimated how much of a trek it would be from our place to shopping, etc.  (Luckily, we've since learned about grocery delivery, so that should help.)

Then on Tuesday night, after we had pitched a fit and gotten our landlord to send someone to clean the apartment, there was a SMELL.  Samantha noticed it first.  She came up from downstairs and said, "Maybe it's me, but it kind of smells like a sewer downstairs."  And she was right.  So she moved her stuff upstairs.  But the SMELL followed.  Soon it had settled in the kitchen.  Not ideal.  By this time it was 10 PM.   The girls were complaining that the house smelled like poop.  Josh had a conference call in an hour.  Officially creeped out and at the end of our ropes, we packed everyone up and walked to a hotel.  Josh did his call from the lobby while I checked us in.

The next morning, I came back to supervise the workers who had come to investigate the SMELL and air conditioning.  There was much disagreement over the source and nature of the SMELL.  Was it a dead animal?  Gas leaking from a hole in the floor?  Who knew?   Soon the workers had fixed the A/C (kind of) and sealed the hole in the floor.  After a day with the A/C on and the windows open, the SMELL seems to have departed.

Today we are going to look at alternative apartments.  We figure that even if we stay, it should be based on knowing our alternatives.  Where will we land?  Will all those self-addressed stamped envelopes be for naught?  Who can say?

Not to be forgotten is the adventure of the potty seat.  Somehow, between the airport and here, we lost Viv's potty seat.  She will not go without it.  So for several days, during the roach/SMELL adventures, she was reverting to asking for a pullup when she needed to go.  Turns out you can't buy potty seats in pharmacies here.  You need a "children's store."  But given our apartment adventures (and the fact that everyone has been sleeping till noon) we had no time to find such a place.  Finally, I broke down and posted a plea on Facebook, asking my fellow students to go on a potty quest.  And guess what?!  They totally came through.  Huge points to our new friends.  Never have I been so happy to hear someone else pee.

On a brighter note:

(1) The girls have not tired of all the cats here. 
(2) My fellow students seem wonderful.
(3) Vivian found trees she can climb ALL BY HERSELF.
(4) We had a great time at the HUC 4th of July BBQ, during which Cassie threw a football.  (Perhaps an Auerbach first).
(5) After a stressful time picking out presents in the Old City (Viv: "There are so many beautiful things I can't choose") we came home with appropriately sparkly items.
(6) We have found a yogurt/chocolate item combo that Viv can live on.
(7) Cassie has new favorite foods:  schawarma (a new entry into her favorite category of "salty meat") and pear tarts from Aroma.
(8) Viv approves of the falafel and hummus here.

Onward!