...my landlord said...

This past weekend was a really nice one.  I spent it in Kiryat Gat with my host family from this summer.  A friend from the summer who is studying abroad in Jerusalem also came to Kiryat Gat to stay with her host family.  Between the two families, I spoke a ton of Hebrew and ate even more food!  My host family only speaks Hebrew, and when you put the whole משפחב, family, in one room (aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, etc.) a ton of Hebrew is spoken.  It was nice to be back with my family.  I know the aunts and uncles and cousins, and I can (surprisingly--at least to me) understand about 85% of the conversations.  It was comforting to be back in my old room from the summer, and having my friend at her host family down the block was great.  For both Friday night at Saturday lunch, I had delicious, homemade food not once, but twice.  I was of course eating with my host family, but I was also invited to my friend's family.  Most people would have to choose one or the other, but I am not most people.  Lucky for me, my family ate both dinner and lunch earlier and more quickly than my friend's family.  Thus, marathon eating.  The food was delicious; I only wish I could have fit more of it into my tummy.  All in all, it was a great weekend filled with Hebrew, food, and a bit of much needed sleep.

I headed back into my routine, but it was thrown off slightly by the rain.  In the morning, I realized there was a leak in the roof of my closet.  I left a note for my roommate to call the landlord (I had not yet signed the lease) and went to class as usual.  Ulpan all week has been good--we've been following the happenings in Egypt in Hebrew!  And I feel like I am learning a lot.  After class, I did a bit of grocery shopping in the rain.  Not the most fun, but doable.

When I got home, though, the rain was more than a bit annoying.  My roommate called the landlord, and it was so Israeli when he said that the "closet" is really a "sukkah" whose roof is not supposed to be permanent.  Thus, the roof is "supposed to leak" and he will not be fixing it.  Well that compounded with the fact that our power went out last week, there is the start of mold in the bathroom, there is a wet interior wall in my roommates bedroom, and the apartment is not registered with the city for taxing purposes made me decide to find something new.  Sunday was the 30th.  I told my roommate and the girl who used to live in the apartment that there were too many problems with the apartment and the landlord and that I would be moving out on the first of the month because I did not feel comfortable signing a lease.

So Sunday began the apartment search.  The first ad I responded to ended up being the final one as well.  The girl who placed the ad (she had moved out) called me within three minutes of sending the email, I called her roommate ten minutes later, and 6 hours later (after already having packed up my old apartment), I went to see the apartment and have a cup of tea.  I loved the place and the roommate.  I came back again the next night and met the landlord's liason.  The next day, I moved in, and tonight I am signing my lease.  While I am not sure if everything happens for a reason, if it does, then this was meant to be.  The space is bigger, better kept, and more fully furnished than my previous apartment, and the price (before taxes--for which I get a 90% discount) is less!  There are also rumors of discounts for young adults who live in the City Center, and this apartment fits the bill!  I will be looking into that next week!

Things seem to be falling into place quite well.  And I finally took some pictures.  Enjoy!

Is it a closet... 

 ...or a sukkah?

MY NEW PLACE!!