Apartment hunting

Dear internet,

I've been wanting to write about this for so long, and there just hasn't been time.  But now, friends and family, I will tell you the story of the apartment hunt.

Actually, I will tell you specifically about one apartment I saw during my apartment hunt.  And then I’ll tell you about my new place and how I’m kinda strugglin but I think it’ll all work out.  So.  My first day here, I cabbed down to district 7 (HCMC is split into named and numbered districts; d7 is south of the city center) to see some places.  Most of them were only ok, but one was incredibly memorable, and not for a good reason. 

The space itself was kind of extraordinary – there were two levels, but the living room ceiling went all the way up to the top of the second level.  I don’t know if I’m explaining this well, but basically the apartment felt really nice and spacious.  But there were just a few key issues that were completely baffling.  First of all, the man living there was existing in complete squalor.  I felt as though I’d walked into an episode of hoarders.  And then… every spare inch of surface space was covered with Vietnam War-era model planes, ships and tanks.  Actually, here in Vietnam, I should say American War-era.  There must have been hundreds of them.  Potentially thousands.  And they covered everything.  And then there were the boxes.  The boxes that each model came in were stacked against the wall with the tops facing out, so it was like some kind of bizarre wallpaper. They covered every bit of wall space.  And then there were more boxes and models stacked in all of the closets and cabinets.  They were everywhere. 

But I was still like, well, you know, the space is super huge and obviously he’ll move all this stuff out, so it’s not so bad, right?  And then I saw the bathroom.  Y’all, I get a little lazy about cleaning the bathroom sometimes, I’ll admit it.  But the level of filth that had accumulated in this bathroom meant that it hadn't been cleaned in at least 5-10 years.  There’s no possible way a single person could have made a bathroom that filthy by themselves in a short period of time.  It was truly horrifying.  The real estate broker said, “Oh don’t worry, we’ll clean it before you move in” and I was like, “That bathroom basically needs to be gutted at this point.  No amount of bleach will get through that centuries-old grime.”  I wish I’d taken a picture, but the guy was standing right there and I didn't want to be awkward (I was already awkward enough about all of the planes).  And then, as we walked out of the apartment, the broker turns to me and says, “It’s like that because he lives by himself with no woman.”  Ah, gender roles (as I roll my eyes so hard I give myself a headache).  For real dude, you can get someone to clean your whole place for less than USD 10.  There is no excuse.

I ended up finding a place very close to that one.  It’s ok – two bedrooms, nice open living room area.  But there was definitely a mold situation in the bathroom that no amount of arguing with the broker about owner responsibility has solved.  Luckily, I now have a lovely cleaning lady named Ms. Song who comes on Thursdays.  I feel obscenely spoiled and enormously grateful.  She actually comes from a pretty cool organization – it’s called Dependable Progress, and one of the guys at school told me about it.  They work with women between the ages of 18-34 (Or 35? I can’t remember.) who have a 12^th grade education or less and who are making less than VND 1 million per month (that’s basically USD 50 – think about it).  The women go through training to become nannies or housekeepers, and then the organization screens clients to make sure the women will be in a legit working environment.  It's a pretty cool set up.  Here's a pic of the front entrance area at my new place:

Yes, there were still Christmas decorations up well into January.  Yes, some places actually still have them up now.  I particularly like all of the snowflake window decals.  It's the warmest winter wonderland ever.

In other news (and I promise I’m almost finished!), I was cast in a play!!! Hooray!  Two guys at school are in an acting group here called the Saigon Players, and they had a workshop and auditions last weekend for Lysistrata (only the most HILARIOUS Greek comedy that ever was).  I found out Wednesday that I was cast as Myrrhina.  Rehearsals start this weekend.  Super excited! :)

Now I’m off to a beer tasting at the Pasteur Street Brewing Company, Saigon’s new, trendy microbrewery (and one of the only places in the city where you can get an IPA)!  Hope y’all are well.

Love,
Elizabeth