I walked to the intersection of Heping and An He to meet the kind co-worker who is helping me with my apartment search. While I waited, the folks at the real estate shop invited me in and gave me water and a lovely COLD wet wipe (where they trying to tell me something?). They also offered to help me find a place, asking me only what I could afford (kinda like a used car sales person!). I’ve got an appointment to see a place in my price range, close to work, tomorrow evening. In the meantime, I walked up 4 flights of steps to view an apartment that most closely resembled something I’d expect to see in an inner city! I could not get out of there fast enough! Next up, was a place I found on Craigslist, which was an MRT + bus + walk away from work. Gorgeous apartment building, (pool, sauna, workout room, Wii room, Karaoke room, library, laundry center, meeting rooms, modern landscaping), all amenities (“full” sized fridge, 2 burner stove, dish dryer, washer, bathtub AND shower) – it’s in my price range, even with the 2000NT “management” fee but it is a bit of a commute without a market nearby…The first place I looked at, that was just out of my price range, called back and I’m going to see that tomorrow evening as well (my kind translator told them my top price is 3000NT less than what they are asking so maybe there is some room for negotiation…)
Not being able to speak the language and gauge the subtleties of the unspoken leaves one feeling rather vulnerable. I’m feeling a little pressure have to find an apartment to have an address to get an ARC card to get a bank account and phone! I still have a few weeks left in the hotel and don’t want to make a desperate grab for the first available place. There are a LOT of considerations to finding a place anywhere. In a foreign country, it seems as if the difficulties are multiplied!
Asia's best kept secret... 