The Search for the Perfect Apartment...

Well all things considered, I feel I was lucky on the hunt for my first apartment in Spain. If you are young and just looking for something affordable, you’re best option is to walk around the busier parts of town and look for flyers that people have put up looking for roommates. Usually they are students or young professionals that have an extra room that needs to be filled. I came at the beginning at the summer, so I had a few choices of apartments because many students return to their villages after school ends. Even more rooms become available towards the end of summer. This is because many landlords, after the school year ends in June, will not rent out the apartment for the summer because it is harder to find tenants. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across an apartment where at least 2 of the roommates are staying for the summer so they need to fill the other rooms that have become available.

I knew starting off the search of some conditions I had. I couldn’t afford more than 200 euro a month for an apartment, I wanted to be closer to Dani since he was the only soul I knew in the country, and it had to be within range of public transportation. I didn’t know where I was working at the time I was searching for my current apartment. After my summer lease ends, this will be another factor I must consider for my next apartment.

Within the apartments themselves, there are things that must be considered. Coming from the U.S, I’ve been spoiled with certain amenities that are not commonly found in Spain. Apartments should have a washing machine but dryers are almost non-existent. If you find a dishwasher and an oven, consider yourself very lucky.

Most student apartments will come furnished by the landlords. It won’t be the most stylish or comfortable, but it’s definitely livable. Many landlords will even provide bed sheets and dishware. Air-conditioning is an added bonus; so don’t be disappointed when you don’t find it, especially in older apartments. Ask about the heating situation even if you’re looking in the dead of summer. Fall and winter nights can get very cold so you want to make sure windows are well insulated or there’s at least some heating system in every room. Internet is pretty much a no-go. If you’re lucky, there will be some unsecured WIFI connection that you can steal from someplace. Depending on how long you want to live in one apartment, you can look into setting up your own internet with the local cable company. However, if you’re living with students or young professionals, they most likely won’t help pay for it. From what I’ve seen, the Spanish are quite conservative with their spending habits especially when it comes to their living expenses. They can most likely get internet from their school, work or local library, so why spend the extra money? I’m currently adapting to this method of thinking, and I feel it will be quite beneficial in the long run. However, my Facebook and Skype addiction is already rearing its ugly head.

When you want to look at an apartment you’ve found, call first and make an appointment. If possible, have a native speaker of that country’s language go with you to check them out. They tend to know what to look for, what questions to ask and can get a feel for the roommates personalities that you may miss. This way you know that you’re getting all the correct information and there’s been no language barrier. Also, be careful of how you present yourself especially as an American. It may not be information you want to give out right away over the phone, but it should be mentioned when you first look at the apartment. The first apartment I looked at was run by an older couple. The old man looked at me and asked “Aleman?” (Are you German?) When I replied, “No, Americana,” he humpf-ed and walked away from me. Try not to be offended, it comes with the territory. After seeing the apartment, it is best to tell them that you will think about it because you’re looking at other apartments, and you’ll call with you’re decision soon. This may help you get some extra perks from the landlord but not always. Also, even if you go with another apartment, it is polite and expected to call or at least text someone from the other apartments to say ‘thank you but I choose another one.’

With apartment hunting in Spain, it’s okay to have standards as long as they are realistic. I liked the first apartment I looked at; however it was on the 5th floor and no elevator. Even for Spain, this was a bit extreme. I couldn’t fathom doing those stairs everyday especially with groceries and whatnot. Another apartment I looked at was with 3 male roommates. I walked in and all 3 men looked at me like they haven’t seen a woman in 6 months. The place was dirty (even though you can tell they attempted to tidy up) and it was not suitable for another male let alone a female. So I learned to give and take on some things. If I didn’t find the apartment I ended up choosing, I would have to sacrifice some things like climbing a ridiculous amount of stairs. On the other hand, I wouldn’t sacrifice my well being by choosing a place that would be like living in a zoo during mating season.

front entrance to my complex

the shared courtyard

my living room

The apartment I choose was the last apartment I looked at. It was a block away from Dani and two blocks from Reconquista (the main road for public transportation). It’s a newer complex with a gated entry way that leads to a courtyard that all 4 buildings share. I live on the 3rd floor and it has an elevator. The apartment has a nice sized living room with a balcony that has an amazing view of the Casco (Ancient part of the city). It has a great kitchen with a dishwasher and oven.

my room

My room is by far the best part: the master bedroom with a queen-sized bed, personal bathroom attached and my own balcony. There’s another small bed in the room that I’m suppose to share with someone else, but for the time being, I have it all to myself. So for now, I have 2 closets, a dresser, a desk, and a television. Most amazing part is that I only pay 175 Euro/ month and then electricity is separate. I live with 2 Spanish female students. We get along quite well and they are extremely patient with my lack of language skills. Overall, I feel like I lucked out with this apartment. I don’t have any access to internet but with Dani so close, I just walk over to his place. Immediately, I felt at home here, and it was exactly what I needed to keep me motivated for the journey ahead of me.

Settling In...

So it’s been a long first week. I’m sitting at Alcazar, Toledo’s library, taking advantage of the free WiFi and trying to remember everything that has happened over the past 8 days. I guess Ill start at my arrival. I had a relatively easy flight: a 2-hour flight to Philly, an hour layover, an hour delay, and a 7 ½ hour flight to Madrid. I pulled an all-nighter the night before thinking I would sleep then whole plane ride. Mmm, not so much! I slept the way to Philly but just couldn’t manage to sleep more than 2 hours during the flight to Spain. I don’t know if it was the excitement, the paralyzing fear or the amazing assortment on free movies American Airlines offered. Well needless to say when I arrived in Madrid, they only thing I was looking forward to was siesta time. I have imagined myself walking off the plane for over a year now in the same outfit I saw Scarlett Johansson wearing in the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona. So, I run to the bathroom and throw on my distressed jeans, a simple button down cotton shirt, authentic Converse shoes and killer aviators, and I strut like no ones business down to security. I grab my luggage and go find Dani waiting for me in the other side.

Luckily, having gone through the whole traveling with large suitcases on public transportation last year, I knew what to expect. I brought 2 suitcases, a duffle carry-on and my laptop case as my personal item. It was the same amount as I brought the last time, however I didn’t have a strapping young Spaniard to help my carry everything. Plus I’ll be here for much longer than I was before. So if you’re considering living or traveling abroad for an extensive amount of time, picture what you can carry up and down subway stairs and lug around the streets by yourself. Though Europe has amazing and inexpensive transportation, most haven’t discovered the beauty of elevators or even escalators.
Dani and I spent the rest of the day chatting it up and siesta-ing in his car while waiting in a local village for his sister Ana to get done with work so we could all drive back to Toledo. It was a relatively simple day; no parades or angels singing from the heavens like I had imagined it. But it was probably just the jet-lag. I slept the majority of the day and the next trying to my Spanish legs back under me. Dani and his roommates graciously agreed to put me up for a few days while I looked at apartments. Well a few days turned into a week. Not by my choice but by waiting for a stubborn landlord who couldn’t make himself available for me to sign the lease. I’ll go into apartment hunting in more detail in another blog.
The job hunt has been difficult in some aspects and easier in others. I figured until I found a position at an actual school or academy, I would private tutor in my apartment or in the student’s homes. I made up some cartels (flyers) in Spanish before I left the U.S. and posted about 20 of them in a certain part of town. I created a special email address just for tutoring. It’s a better idea than your personal email so you can keep your work separate, seem more professional and not give out too much personal info to the public. I purposely didn’t add a cell number to the flyers for 2 reasons: I didn’t have a cell until I got to Toledo and I was scared of people calling me because my Spanish isn’t what it used to be. However, after a week, I have yet to receive an email. After discussing my concerns to Dani, he told me it was because there was no cell number. The only people that have emails or even use computers are students or business professionals. A housewife looking for an English tutor for her 10 year old son isn’t going to go through the hassle of finding a computer and creating an email just to contact a tutor. I had to get over my fears of speaking Spanish. I do know enough to get by. So after I got my Spanish cell phone, I manually wrote my number on every flyer. Hopefully after I put up more flyers this weekend, I’ll get some calls for private English lessons. This part I expected to be the easy but it turned out to be the opposite. Dani and I went to Madrid on Monday so I could bring my CV (resume) to some English academies. I handed out 4, a relatively small amount but managed to get 1 interview on the spot and a call back for an interview next week. Amazing. I’ll go into more of job hunting and doing interviews in another blog as well.
After a full week here, I’ve already had plenty of ups and downs. Lots of “I may not be able to make it” thoughts but even more “Yes, this is where I’m meant to be” moments. So after my first week, I’m starting to feel at home already. I moved into my first real apartment which is incredible and, as a little sneak peak into a future blog, I already have a teaching position starting on Monday. To end this blog, I’d like to thank Dani and his roommates for giving up so much this past week to accommodate me. Especially Dani: giving up his bedroom, risking the flu, and parting with hours and hours of studying time to help me start my life in Spain. I owe you more than you can imagine Papi!

“The key to happiness is having dreams… the key to success is making dreams come true.”