From the beginning of my adventure in Thailand, I knew the time would come when I needed to find a new place to live. My roommate Sarah was only staying until the end of the school year in June. I figured by then I would know lots of people and know the city really well and it would be easy to find a new place. But as June got closer and closer I still wasn't sure what to do. No one seemed to know of anyone who needed a roommate.
There were one room bungalows for rent in our neighborhood that actually looked pretty nice. It's not a lot of space, but it would make things simple. I wasn't sure if not having roommates was a pro or a con. I liked the freedom of it and there were plenty of times when I just wanted to come home and be alone. But it was also good to have people to talk with and maybe plan activities with. Sarah had been a good roommate but she wasn't much company. We kept to ourselves. She was always ready to give me a ride if I needed one and there were times she was downright chatty, but I wouldn't say we were buddies.
The biggest drawback to the bungalows was that they didn't have kitchens. Just a hot plate and an electric kettle. They didn't even have a kitchen sink! The rent was also higher than I had been paying at the house and I hated the idea of paying more and getting less. But I felt like it was my best option and there were several times that I was so close to calling the landlord of the bungalows and reserving one. They also accommodated week long tenants, so I knew if I didn't act in time they would fill up. But something always stopped me. Then one time, around Easter, I checked back and saw that the only empty bungalow had been booked for two weeks in July. I could still live there, if I didn't mind vacating for two weeks.
Another hindrance in my search was that I'd promised Sarah I'd take her cat for a few months after she moved out, until she could get settled in her new home in Singapore. This was something I was excited to do since I'd become quite attached to Mr. Snuggles. After all, I'd spent more time with him than with his owner! But most of the places that had space to rent didn't share my feelings about cats. Also, since I would be leaving in the middle of the school year, it would be hard for most of the people I knew, who were teachers, to replace me as a renter when I left.
At some point I went over to someone's house for a birthday. This house was warmly decorated and comfortably furnished. There were paintings on the wall and plants. This was in stark contrast to my current living situation with the cold off-white walls and hard tile floors. In my house there was really no reason to be anywhere but my room or the kitchen unless the heat drove me downstairs. The girls who lived in this house even had pictures of the three of them framed on the entertainment center. When I saw all of this I realized that this is why I was so reluctant to rent the bungalow. This is what I wanted! In the short time I'd been in Thailand I'd forgotten what it was like to live with friends. But how was I supposed to find this? I'd already asked all the people I knew if anyone needed a roommate.
I was happy to realize, when I thought my time was running short, that Sarah's lease on the house ran until the end of June, when I thought I'd have to move out in the beginning of June. This let me relax a little bit. Then Sarah's plans changed with Mr. Snuggles and it was possible that she didn't need me to take him.
Then one night Sarah mentioned that her friends Laura and Ginny might be needing a roommate. They're third roommate was returning to the states for the summer and was debating staying for the fall semester to visit family and raise support. If that were the case, they would want someone to take over the rent while she was gone. Since my remaining time in Thailand corresponded directly with the time she would be gone (Jeanie would leave at the end of June and come back early in January) I was the natural choice. I was probably the only choice! My big drawback about leaving in the middle of the school year had become an asset.
Sarah told me that they were considering asking me, but then I didn't hear from them. After a week I even texted Laura about it and didn't hear back. This was crushing to me as I thought I'd found the most ideal answer to the problem I'd been worried about for so long, only to be disappointed. Furthermore, I didn't feel like looking for other places while I had this choice on the line. But I knew that they were waiting on their roommate to make a decision so I couldn't pester them.
Finally I got a text from Ginny asking if we could meet to discuss the possibility of me moving in with them. This was almost comical to me. What was there to discuss??? Was there some test I had to pass? I'd been so excited about the idea that I couldn't think of a reason why I wouldn't move in with them. Ginny and Laura were two of the first people I'd met in Chiang Mai and they are both warm, fun, funny women. Laura was one of Sarah's closest friends so I'd seen more of her than the others. And Ginny is Canadian, which is pretty great.
When the three of us met up, it was pretty much an hour of casual conversation until the cafe was starting to close down, and then ten minutes of "so you wanna move in with us? okay, here's what you need to know." So the thing was decided and I was beyond happy about it. I went over that weekend so Laura could show me around and I remembered something. It had been her birthday when I decided I wanted more than a lonely one room bungalow. It had been her house that I'd seen and thought, this is what I want! And now that's what I was getting!
I couldn't believe it. When I moved into my previous house I felt like it was the perfect place for me. And I held onto faith that whatever God had for me next, and I did believe that he had a place ready for me, it would be even better than the first place. So God gave me the exact home I had wanted.
There were one room bungalows for rent in our neighborhood that actually looked pretty nice. It's not a lot of space, but it would make things simple. I wasn't sure if not having roommates was a pro or a con. I liked the freedom of it and there were plenty of times when I just wanted to come home and be alone. But it was also good to have people to talk with and maybe plan activities with. Sarah had been a good roommate but she wasn't much company. We kept to ourselves. She was always ready to give me a ride if I needed one and there were times she was downright chatty, but I wouldn't say we were buddies.
The biggest drawback to the bungalows was that they didn't have kitchens. Just a hot plate and an electric kettle. They didn't even have a kitchen sink! The rent was also higher than I had been paying at the house and I hated the idea of paying more and getting less. But I felt like it was my best option and there were several times that I was so close to calling the landlord of the bungalows and reserving one. They also accommodated week long tenants, so I knew if I didn't act in time they would fill up. But something always stopped me. Then one time, around Easter, I checked back and saw that the only empty bungalow had been booked for two weeks in July. I could still live there, if I didn't mind vacating for two weeks.
Another hindrance in my search was that I'd promised Sarah I'd take her cat for a few months after she moved out, until she could get settled in her new home in Singapore. This was something I was excited to do since I'd become quite attached to Mr. Snuggles. After all, I'd spent more time with him than with his owner! But most of the places that had space to rent didn't share my feelings about cats. Also, since I would be leaving in the middle of the school year, it would be hard for most of the people I knew, who were teachers, to replace me as a renter when I left.
At some point I went over to someone's house for a birthday. This house was warmly decorated and comfortably furnished. There were paintings on the wall and plants. This was in stark contrast to my current living situation with the cold off-white walls and hard tile floors. In my house there was really no reason to be anywhere but my room or the kitchen unless the heat drove me downstairs. The girls who lived in this house even had pictures of the three of them framed on the entertainment center. When I saw all of this I realized that this is why I was so reluctant to rent the bungalow. This is what I wanted! In the short time I'd been in Thailand I'd forgotten what it was like to live with friends. But how was I supposed to find this? I'd already asked all the people I knew if anyone needed a roommate.
I was happy to realize, when I thought my time was running short, that Sarah's lease on the house ran until the end of June, when I thought I'd have to move out in the beginning of June. This let me relax a little bit. Then Sarah's plans changed with Mr. Snuggles and it was possible that she didn't need me to take him.
Then one night Sarah mentioned that her friends Laura and Ginny might be needing a roommate. They're third roommate was returning to the states for the summer and was debating staying for the fall semester to visit family and raise support. If that were the case, they would want someone to take over the rent while she was gone. Since my remaining time in Thailand corresponded directly with the time she would be gone (Jeanie would leave at the end of June and come back early in January) I was the natural choice. I was probably the only choice! My big drawback about leaving in the middle of the school year had become an asset.
Sarah told me that they were considering asking me, but then I didn't hear from them. After a week I even texted Laura about it and didn't hear back. This was crushing to me as I thought I'd found the most ideal answer to the problem I'd been worried about for so long, only to be disappointed. Furthermore, I didn't feel like looking for other places while I had this choice on the line. But I knew that they were waiting on their roommate to make a decision so I couldn't pester them.
Finally I got a text from Ginny asking if we could meet to discuss the possibility of me moving in with them. This was almost comical to me. What was there to discuss??? Was there some test I had to pass? I'd been so excited about the idea that I couldn't think of a reason why I wouldn't move in with them. Ginny and Laura were two of the first people I'd met in Chiang Mai and they are both warm, fun, funny women. Laura was one of Sarah's closest friends so I'd seen more of her than the others. And Ginny is Canadian, which is pretty great.
When the three of us met up, it was pretty much an hour of casual conversation until the cafe was starting to close down, and then ten minutes of "so you wanna move in with us? okay, here's what you need to know." So the thing was decided and I was beyond happy about it. I went over that weekend so Laura could show me around and I remembered something. It had been her birthday when I decided I wanted more than a lonely one room bungalow. It had been her house that I'd seen and thought, this is what I want! And now that's what I was getting!
I couldn't believe it. When I moved into my previous house I felt like it was the perfect place for me. And I held onto faith that whatever God had for me next, and I did believe that he had a place ready for me, it would be even better than the first place. So God gave me the exact home I had wanted.
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