No place like home

October 28, 2007

Right now, Barbara and I are still staying in the aparthotel. After looking for a house for a while, we found one. The only problem was the tenants are moving out on the 31st of October, so we had to extend our stay here.

Less fun

This is actually a lot less fun than I thought. This apartment has the basics of a home cramped in a 5 by 8 meter space. A kitchen/dining room/living area in front with a bedroom, with queen size bed, and the bathroom in the back.

Now, living in this space can be fun for a week or two, in a foreign country, or an unknown part of your country. But after that the fun gets drained out more and more.

Less privacy

Needless to say that privacy is virtually nonexistent compared to in our own home. Walking around (half) naked, making loud intimate sounds, leaving the windows and curtains open for fresh air and sunlight… Forget about them. You’ll need to find a way to live without them.

The phone conversations are “semi-monitored”, as in, they know who you are calling. Again: no too much fun with privacy.

Less… Everything!

Everything is present in a lesser form. I actually have no control over a lot of things around me at the moment. If Internet gets interrupted, I can do nothing about it. If they run out of hot water, I can do nothing. If cable tv is not available, and the local channels are boring (especially on Sundays), there’s noting I can do.

Effect

This situation really effects Barbara and I. Everything we do happens in this small room. When I work late (which is often) I need to be careful not to shake the bed too much. Working, or watching television, later than when Barbara goes to bed effects her, because it’s hard for her to sleep with the lights on. When she gets up in the morning she needs to be quite, because I do’t need to be up that early.

I can’t concentrate on my work as much as I would want to. The television is in this same room and there are a lot of factors to help you to loose it.