Sunday, August 21, 2011

Craving Connection

I am clearly a social creature. And even my parrot is not enough to meet my interactive needs.

After breakfast this morning, I went and sat outside a closed cafe so I could at least check my email. I felt hyper conspicious, so I didn't stay long. I can not wait to have internet at my apartment. At least then, I can Skype home to talk to M.

Lunch today was leftover pizza (yum!) and then I set about setting up my office. The apartment is designed such that when enter the front door, to your left is an area including two bedrooms, the living room, dining room, and kitchen. To the right of the door is the master bedroom and bath, plus the laudry/storage room, and two more bedrooms.

Speaking of the master bedroom, did I mention this place is owned by an artist? The master bedroom has a huge wooden door with a crack down it that seems to be there on purpose. It looks like an old front door to a house. On either side are large wooden beams. Next to it is a glass wall...opaque white with orange and red stripes. Embedded into the glass are these glass pieces that look like eggs sunny side up, and the yolk is stones surrounded by glass. Really odd...not your standard embassy housing fare.


Anyway, when I first looked at the floorplan I was sent by email, I thought that I would use those two back bedrooms as an office and a exercise room, making the whole right side of the apartment sort of a private area. The two bedrooms to the left would be guest bedrooms.

But I have decided against that, at least partially. I am still designating the larger of the back bedrooms as an exercise/entertainment room. It has a big closet where we can store games and videos, plus room for a treadmill and M's exercise bike and a tv. The other back bedroom will be a guest room for those rare occassions when we have more visitors. Or for when my inlaws come, since that room has a balcony where they can smoke.

The reason I decided that is that the back two bedrooms have a shared balcony but NO view. The balcony is over an inner courtyard which is not a courtyard at all but just the roof of the lower floors of the building. I think the first five floors are offices, but don't quote me on that.

So anyway, I thought this arrangement, while leaving the office less private, means the office and one guest room have views. And since my bird will live in the office once her big cage arrives, I wanted her to have a window so she can get natural light when there is some (we have a full spectrum happy lamp coming for her too).

Since I decided on the placement of the office, I went ahead and set up my computer. Though I can't surf the interwebs with it yet, I can at least listen to my itunes on it. Which makes this big, empty apartment a bit more bearable.

Still, it is lonely. I have ventured out a bit further each day, but exploring is less fun alone. I did find yet another grocery store and finally bought what I think/hope is dish washing soap...I am not sure what language is on the label, but it isn't Estonian! It sort of looks Turkish...why the hell the labels would be in Turkish is beyond me.

I did try to call M's friend who lives here today but got no answer. I hate calling people I haven't met, but I was hoping she might want to go to sushi tonight at the place she recommended to me on Facebook. It too is in walking distance! TWO sushi places within a block of my house! Score!

UPDATE:
I tried M's friend again, this time with success. K took me to the Elion office, where I was able to sign the agreement for internet. With any luck, I will have it on tomorrow. In the meantime, I have cable tv.

So I am already feeling more connected!

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