The Anxious Apt Hunt!

Looking for an apartment in a foreign city when you don't speak the language has got to be the most stressful thing ever (and maybe the dumbest)!!!

I'm not sure if I'm developing an anxiety disorder as I age but I definitely was kicking myself for not looking for an apt online before I arrived, or learning Italian and having a cell phone that worked, or giving myself more than 3 days before school started to find a place to live, checking my bank balance, or maybe bringing a friend (i.e. my Dad) to help me make a HUGE, expensive decision when one is jet-lagged, hungry, confused and knows nothing and no one.    

Despite these shortcomings, I started the apt hunt.  After a hot day of climbing up lots of steps and looking at more than 20 apartments, I realized it was after 7pm and I didn't like anything.  I wanted a bed bigger than a twin, in the center of town, with lots of light, quiet, and maybe 1 other roommate.  However now that I am not working I had to scale down my price range and after seeing lots of dark, moldy flats, outside the city walls and with 6 roommates (not ready to be a start of Real World in Bologna), I realized I needed to make some compromises.  I couldn't swing the sunny, quiet, 1 bedroom, sterile bathroom I shared with nobody in the center of town like I had in SF...I was a student again.  

Eventually I stumbled upon a British student who was living in a 3 bedroom.  It was near the center of town, a 10 min walk to school, close to the train station, sunny, but a 4 story walk-up, super noisy, 2 roommates, 1 bathroom and I'd have to share it with at least 1 boy...ugh! But it had alot of old Italian charm, a balcony, was sparsely furnished and I could sign a 9 month lease...so after a sleepless night and frantic emails to my Dad and Jessa, I signed it!

After moving my stuff in (i.e. dragging my suitcase over cobblestones from the hotel and up steps) and sharing an espresso with my new roommate, I felt my anxiety start to disappear.  It was a little more that I was hoping to spend but my new felt peace of mind suddenly seemed worth it.

Don't worry I will post pictures soon!

Back to the Backpack (ok a suitcase this time)

So after spending a fantastic summer in San Francisco, where I got to see lots of friends and family, cook, relax, do lots of fun things, go on some favorite runs and even get in some studying for grad school...I packed up my bags and headed to Bologna, Italy for the first year of grad school.

Normally, I'm not an anxious person, but the week leading up to my departure included alot of stomachaches and alot of tears, at one point I even called my mother explaining my symptoms thinking I was sick, until she explained to me that it was simply nerves...who knew?  

On the plane I decided to read some information from the school, which only left me more anxious (and nauseous) as I realized how little I had done to prepare for this trip!  Why hadn't I researched this more?  Why did I not have an Italian phrasebook?  What's the point of reading a book that gives websites to go look at, when you don't have internet access and its too late? Did I even have health insurance?  Where was I going to live?  There were only 2 pages on Bologna in my guidebook!!! 

After 11 hours in aisle 46 (this section of coach couldn't even fit my short legs!) I landed in Frankfurt to switch planes and looking at my passport I realized it was almost 9 years to the day that I flew to Germany to spend a semester of undergrad and I thought if I could do it at 19, I can definitely do this at 28.  

Besides more wisdom (hopefully), I did have:

-some breadcrumbs in my backpack leaving a trail back to SF (old school GPS), 

-a St. Christopher in my wallet to keep me safe, 

-stones from my friend Judy including Hematite: to help keep inner peace, Citrine: to stimulate the intellect and mental activity, Jade: to reduce fear &banish negative thoughts,

-lots of postive vibes from friends and family, 

-oh and both a Visa AND a MasterCard!

As I got to Bologna I found that I was smiling and calm... :)