What made the end of the semester more chaotic was also the fact that we had to go to Iowa City before the summer session began. Ernani was scheduled to teach that session. So, while the semester was ending, I was also packing and making arrangements to be away for a week. We were also setting up appointments to see apartments and houses in Iowa City. We left for the Farm May 7th. It is an 11 hour drive and the next time we make it, we will have a Uhaul and our cat and our possessions. We could not help but be happy that we only had to drive that route one more time.
And, that Saturday we hung out at the Farm with Ernani’s family: his sister and her girls, his brother, his brother’s wife, and their girls. We had a wonderful time catching up, and they stayed the night, so we got also hang out with them a bit on Sunday, Mother’s Day. Rebecca, my mother in law, was going with us on Sunday to Iowa City. We left in the afternoon, checked in with Shaner and Barb, Ernani’s other brother and sister in law, and their kids Andre and Helena, who kindly let us crash at their place. The hunt for an apartment started the minute we got there. We drove around and took down a ton of numbers. Ernani found a paper and we got more numbers. We also dropped by for a quick, unannounced visit on Ernani’s old roommate Ben and his fiancé Katie. They were getting married in a week. He gave us a good idea about what the average rent should be on a 2 bedroom.
It was through the paper that we found the final place, the place we chose to rent and which we will move to soon. But, it was some time before we saw it and chose it. Monday began our appointments and our first lesson: a condo is really just an apartment. The first place we saw, a condo, was really a disaster. Some young kid lived there who never cleaned and decorated with his Rasta pictures. How many Bob Marley pictures does one room support? At least two, according to this young designer. And, the place had a deck, but it was shared with the neighbor next door. How appealing. It was an easy no. The guy who showed it kept apologizing about the tenant and the condition of the place. We left as soon as we could.
We drove to the next place, the exact opposite of the one before. There was only one similarity between this next place and the previous place, the guy we met to show us the apartment was the same guy we had previously met at the Rasta apartment. We chuckled over this and then toured the garage and apartment. Immediately, I could envision living here. The tenant was also completely opposite from the last tenant. She left a note about utilities and costs. She also said she had loved living there. She was neat, organized, and decorated tastefully. She had a cat, somewhere. She was gold. If all the other places were dumps, I knew at least I could live here. It was far from Ernani’s Law School though.
And after having lived in Oklahoma, I was a bit scared of the open spaces without trees where this large complex of townhouses was built. I could imagine the tornado and the complete exposure scared me. I liked the hills. They protected me from tornados. The minute we pulled off the interstate, my first reaction to Iowa was I feel more exposed. It is great to see the sun and the horizon, but I have not seen that in about 5 years, so will be an adjustment. I am assuming it will pass quickly and when I need my hill fix, Arkansas is only 10 hours away. Take me home.
We ended a long day of looking having dinner with Shaner and Andre and then watching Transformers. Barb and Helena were busy all week. Helena dances and there was a big recital on Sunday that she was preparing for all week. The whole family wanted to hear about our day, so we would tell Shaner and Andre about it in the afternoon and Barb and Helena about it in the morning at breakfast.
After day one, I had seen 3 places I could live, a Sonic, and found one good Mexican restaurant. My list of must-haves was being met.
Tuesday was more of the same, except that I found a place I really like. I went to the rest of the viewing comparing the places to it. It had some issues, like no garage and a tiny, tiny kitchen, but I loved the wood floors, the light, and the sealed basement. I was sure we would not find one better. It was also close to campus. I kept calling it the place I love. I was a bit smitten. But, something better was just around the corner.
Rebecca came with us to the morning appointments on Tuesday, but left that afternoon to go back to the farm for her Wednesday yoga. We looked at places, joined the amazing co-op, and made plans to meet up with my friend Carol at The Red Avocado for dinner at the end of our day. It was a great restaurant, all vegan. I have not been able to order everything off of a menu in over ten years. And Ernani liked Carol, so all was perfect. We told her about a dump we saw just before our dinner that ended our day of searching. The landlord sold his driveway to football fans and the tenants got nothing of those proceeds. In fact, he allowed the football fans to use the bathrooms in the basement and the tenants paid for the water they used. I had never heard of such a ludicrous arrangement.
Wednesday we were on our own. It was also our 3 year anniversary. This was the day we found the place. We saw it that afternoon. The tenants showed us the place. It was a duplex with three stories: a basement with the laundry facilities we alone use, a first floor with the kitchen and dining and living rooms, and a third floor with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. It also has a garage and is in a quiet neighborhood near the bus stop. One of the tenants said what we were thinking: it has everything you look for in a place. We discussed it that night at dinner and found out from talking to Barb that she knew the landlord, who owns a great, local coffee house chain in Iowa City and whose daughter dances with Helena.
The next day, we saw one other place and then as we were sitting in the car in a driveway to another place in a downpour, I turned to Ernani and said: Let’s get the place we saw yesterday. He was happy. I was happy. Our cat in WV had no idea the plans we were making for her future. We immediately called the coffee landlord and made arrangements. The rest of the day, we spent at the Corraville public library, which is beautiful and where I plan to spend a lot of time in Iowa City.
The next day, we signed the lease. We had a successful scouting trip. Everything was moving in the direction of Iowa City and it felt good. The hard part has been waiting for the end of July.
No comments:
Post a Comment