We are finally completely settled in our apartment in Schaerbeek, Belgium. I am in LOVE. And this is why:Vaulted ceilings. It seriously may be 2.5 times as tall as our last basement apartment.
Colored walls. They make me so happy.
Ornate ceilings and vintage wood. I never pictured it being so beautiful!
Outdoor patio with a table, chairs & umbrella. Can't wait for it to be hot and sunny so we can eat outside!
Great, high-speed WiFi (can't live without it!)
A snake shower head (love.) and... a bath tub! (something our last apt. lacked)
Location - so ideal. Right by the tram/bus stop. Only a 15 minute tram ride to work plus a 5 minute ride to fantastic shopping.
A few things we wish our apartment had: microwave, freezer, normal sized fridge, blinds/shades.
Although we seriously cannot complain. Coolest story how we found our apartment and the reason why I will be a Couch Surfer, for life. (Background info: I tried contacting some church members in Belgium and they said we needed to expect New York City pricing for apartments and that we probably wouldn't find anything for less than around 800 Euros.) I e-mail tons of landlords but they either didn't respond or said I would need to sign a 1-3 year contract, or the apartments were outrageously expensive or they didn't come furnished. We knew it would be a hassle to buy furniture, bedding, dishes and everything so it wasn't really an option. I logged on to Couch Surfing one day and found a group called "Looking for my home in Brussels." So I posted in a forum introducing us and talking about how I was looking for an apartment from end of June to end of September and our budget of about 600-700 Euros/month. I wasn't really sure what to expect but a few weeks later I got an e-mail from a lady who said she just happened to be going on vacation for 3 months around the same time and needed someone to watch her apartment. Too good to be true, I thought. Must be scam. I couldn't possibly be this lucky! So I responded instantly and checked her references on Couch Surfing...sure enough, she seemed legit. We worked out the terms and agreed we would pay 300 Euros a month (including WiFi and ALL utilities). Seriously, what are the chances! We are now paying less to live in Brussels than we were in little Logan, Utah (where we still had a super cheap apartment). Every time I think about this I still can't believe we got so lucky.
It's definitely a new experience here in the "big city". We have a door which we unlock for our apt. complex, to get to
another door that can be locked to finally come to our apartment door. I feel pretty safe :) However, everyone's mail in the complex gets dumped in one slot so I'm afraid to have anything sent here. We will probably just use our work address for most things. We now have a Belgium bank account, cell phones, a metro/tram/bus pass, and Euros in our pockets. But despite all this... somehow people still know we are American before we even open our mouths. Overall, we love Schaerbeek and Brussels. It's been an adjustment getting used to shopping every other day, hating the fact that the dollar is worth less than the Euro and absorbing TONS of information during our work training at Obelis. But we are excited for the WEEKEND, planning our future trips and starting our real jobs on Monday.
So happy to see your new little home and know you are settled and safe and love your summer's work :) I know you both will make the most of this experience. The elders moved all your boxes to the basement last night from the garage. We love and miss you! Mom and Dad
ReplyDeletethat is an amazing story. And I love the apartment too- beautiful ceilings!
ReplyDeleteThese are quite the adventures you guys are having! I am so glad that your apartment worked out for you. I would have been nervous that it was too good to be true as well. Good look at your new job!
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