So we're getting ready to move into the new place.
Oh, we're already in it. But our stuff hasn't arrived yet, so we're sort of camping out here.
When will our stuff arrive? Ah hah, well. Our stuff has actually already arrived, in the sense that it's already here in Bucharest... somewhere. But it has to clear Romanian Customs before it can be delivered to our new place.
When will it clear Romanian Customs? Well... maybe tomorrow. And then again, maybe not. It's going to be sort of a paper race. If we have all the necessary documentation by noon tomorrow, it will go. Probably. If not, not.
This is not entirely within our control. One of the key documents comes out of USAID; it's the one that says, in essence, "Treat these people nicely, please, because they're working for the US government. Thank you." It's a potent charm and talisman. Unfortunately, it has to be signed by several different people at USAID, and as of 6 pm Friday not everyone had signed yet. So you can guess where I'll be calling at about 9:02 tomorrow (Monday) morning.
Other than that, things are going OK. The new place is gradually revealing itself to us, as new places do once you start living in them a bit...
There are pleasant surprises: it is indeed wonderfully cool and airy, even in the middle of the bestial and slobbering heat wave that has squatted over the city for the last few days. The wooden floors don't creak. The water pressure is very good. The neighborhood seems good for walking. (And of course, there's that German restaurant just a short stroll away.)
Then there are some less good surprises. The upstairs study has five power outlets. But the baby's bedroom, right next to it, has none. Hah?
There's a mysterious little puddle of water always present in the upstairs bathroom. Source unknown, but it doesn't go away because -- we have found -- the drain in that bathroom isn't at the low point in the tile floor, or indeed very close to it. The downstairs aircon is still wrapped in plastic, and we can't reach it to unwrap it without a ladder. And then there are the mysterious sticky patches on the parquet floor in the living room...
Oh, the ladder issue. Turns out we will really need a ladder to live here. All those high ceilings: they certainly do give the place a wonderful feeling of airiness and grace, but they also mean that certain key components of the household -- like the aforementioned air conditioner -- are out of reach without a ladder. And then there are cobwebs. Well, actually, there aren't any cobwebs yet, but one day presumably there will be, and we'll need a ladder to go after them.
Here Claudia and I ran into one of those basic differences in, mm, call it philosophy of life. I thought, well, we can have the movers bring a ladder and tear the plastic off the aircon when they come tomorrow. And then, well, eventually we'll get a ladder. Claudia thought, well, let's get a ladder now, and then we'll have a ladder.
So tomorrow we shall get a ladder.
Just to be clear: we still like the place. If we expected perfection in our living quarters, we would be living in some other part of the world. These are the sorts of things one expects and, as it were, factors into the equation beforehand. And it's still a very nice apartment. (Villa. Half-house. Whatever.)
N.B., Claudia flies to Germany on Wednesday morning. Will our stuff arrive before then? Will we have time to unpack? Or will I be left standing in a wasteland of boxes and wrapping paper, brow furrowing as I try to remember which room the toaster goes in? Watch this space.
Posted by douglas at June 15, 2003 09:04 PM