Adventures in Moving...Part 1

Moving. The word that can strike dread in a heart alongside excitement in an instant. The dread of packing endless boxes and going through drawers and cabinets and sifting and wrapping.....YUCK! And yet, the thought of the new adventures your family will have are very thrilling!

Our moving date is moving ever closer. 2 months to be exact. And already we have had so many fun (ny) things happen that have left Rob and I just staring at each other not knowing whether to laugh hysterically or cry. I thought with this post I would give you a list of things we have experienced while planning to move to a city where we (and our friends, who are moving next week) are the first foreign families to ever live there. And this is part 1 because I am sure the adventure is just beginning!

1. Landlord: Hot Water?@!?@! What do you need hot water for? Well, it is impossible to run lines with hot water in them.
O Fam: No problem, we will do it ourselves.

2. O Fam: Why are there two squatty potties in our downstairs bathroom. There should only be one toilet in every bathroom.
Landlord: Someday you will leave and we will split the bathroom into two bathrooms. We don't want to tear up the floor to put a second toilet in someday, so we'll just put it in now. No problem.

3. Landlord: Kitchen? This isn't a kitchen, but maybe a very tiny office or another very small bedroom, there is a spicket of water and you can buy a portable gas burner for cooking out on the balcony. That is your kitchen.
O Fam: Ummmm......that's a deal breaker. We need a kitchen, have you seen us?? We like to eat.
Landlord: Nobody here does a kitchen like that, everyone cooks on the balcony. You can, however, build one yourself.
O Fam: No problem, we will do it ourselves.

4. Landlord: We have decided that instead of buying you a refridgerator, washing machine, and TV like we agreed to, we want new ones in our house instead. You can have the ones we are getting rid of.
O Fam: Well, we will need to look at them first.

5. O Fam: Will there be a mirror above the sink in the bathroom.
Landlord: (laughter) what? no.

6. Landord: I think 2 toilets in the downstairs bathroom is still ok
O Fam: No.

7. O Fam: Why did you move the doorway to the schoolroom from the hallway to the master bedroom? We do not want the traffic to flow through our bedroom. It is much more convenient to enter from the hall.
Landlord: Oh the wind flows much better this way?
O Fam: We don't care about the wind....we turn on the A/C. Please move the wall back.

8. Landlord: How many people are living in this apartment?
O Fam: 4
Landlord: Only 4 people? You could just rent one bedroom and one living room. That would be much cheaper.
O Fam: No thanks, we like this.

9. O Fam: Why are there still 2 toilets in my downstairs bathroom??
Landlord: (no comment)
O Fam: Didn't we agree to take out one of the toilets?
Landlord: You probably aren't going to live here very long.

10. Landlord: After this is all over, we will can be very good friends!
O Fam: Yes, yes we will.