Landing Place

I thought you might like to read my complaints about my AirBnb, since this is my last night in it.

First, you should know that I should have known better. I stayed in this AirBnb once before, back last fall when I decided FOR REAL that I was going to move to this magical city, and it was here, just in front of the door while I was standing on the sidewalk with my luggage at 9 pm trying to figure out how to enable international phone service so I could text the person to come with a key and let me in, that I was assaulted (mugged, but they didn’t get anything because I held on SO TIGHTLY and YELLED SO LOUDLY) and broke my leg.

So like I said, you would think I should have known better. But there it was, magically (or so I thought at the time) available and for such a low price!

This is what you get for such a low price:

• Beautiful view of the brick wall of the house next door, about ten feet away.
• An astounding lack of privacy (the stairs to the floor above are two feet in front of the brick wall-view window, as is the skylight operation device for the floor below. AND, right across from my balcony window is….the balcony window of my same-floor neighbor. Hi, neighbor!).
• For cooking: one 10-inch nonstick frying pan (no lid); one 4-inch semi-sharp knife; a two-burner propane stove that must be lit with teeny-tiny very skinny matches; approximately 1/3 of a cutting board (4″ x 9″); a handful of mismatched silverware.
• The World’s Smallest Bathroom??, which includes The World’s Tiniest Sink??.
• A hard bed with scratchy sheets and a ragged comforter and two pillows that I try not to think about how many dustmites they contain.

In that 10-inch nonstick frying pan, I cooked (not all at the same time): eggs, potatoes, bone-in chicken thigh/leg combos, rice, kale, green beans, and French toast.

From this AirBnb I attempted to discover some of the city, despite this being The Time of Corona and therefore Time To #StayHome.

Some parts of the city I discovered while on my way to or from various apartments and houses I looked at for potential renting. I sealed the deal on a place within three days. I probably could have waited, held out, found a cheaper/better place, but the place I committed to was one I fell in love with via its Craigslist photos last December when it was last available, so I decided it was Destiny that it is available now. I hope it has a real stove, because now I can’t remember. I do know that it has two terraces and two or perhaps three floors and two bathrooms and stone walls and is round and very large for just one person (so obviously, I must get a cat).

Some parts of the city I discovered on purpose because I wanted to see them.

I was scared walking those streets. Yesterday I went to the animal shelter to try to pre-select the cat I want to adopt when I move into the large round casita I rented, and at one point while I was walking home a boy about 8 years old passed me, then all of a sudden the boy had turned around and was FOLLOWING ME, so I turned around to confront him and saw him smile slyly and slip into a doorway. I don’t know what was up with that. But I am on my toes here. I keep thinking I will breathe through the trauma of having been assaulted my first five minutes here, and yes, I think I am right about that.

Most parts of the city I have yet to discover. Tomorrow I shall move to a completely new neighborhood in a different AirBnb. This one has a view and a pool!

And tomorrow I shall say goodbye to this tiny scrappy AirBnb, loving it despite its many flaws, because it was here that I landed in my new home and began a great adventure in a new country.