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| Exorcisin' ghosts... |
So for a moment there, I thought that I was gonna be homeless here in Rotterdam.
Sunday, we were picked up at the airport by rather 'shy-ish' EUR undergrads (they're volunteers, I think, so, thank you!). We were handed individual envelopes that contained a Metro/NS card, a Rotterdam map and keys to our dorm rooms. I got the latter two sans the keys. And the envelope read "own housing" - shaaayt.
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| Housing situation: Grim |
I was basically fucked because I had thought I had been assured of a place in the F-Building (in-campus dorm for NFP fellows). I did my due diligence in ensuring that. Or so I thought.
Sure, I had initially opted for an off-campus housing, but I later changed my mind due to the stress of looking for an accommodation from abroad on top of the pressure from the remaining project I was finishing up. I then contacted IHS about the possibility of reverting to the dorm option,
got a thumbs up, and even a final confirmation a few weeks before my
departure for Rotterdam - so of course, coming in, I was confident I'd have a room.
The exhilaration and excitement of traveling to Europe for the first time and the sheer exhaustion from the journey prevented me from losing it. Panicking was not an option either. And it was a Sunday besides, IHS people can't be reached and sweating over it would be futile. I did email Ruud from IHS about the situation, made a mental note to talk to him on Opening Day (the next day) and left it at that.
So, where'd I end up sleeping? Ate Toni's, of course. I didn't even have to ask (or was my silence an imposition?), so -- thank you so much, Ate Toni!
Thankfully, the next day, Monday, it was all sorted out by day's end -- as promised by Rene (Ruud went it-wasn't-me on this) from the IHS EMO (Educ Mgt Office). Sadly though, there was no explanation on how the mess-up happened in the first place, just curt apologies. But oh well, I let that slide (one night of bunking and all), I was just glad I wasn't 'homeless' anymore.
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| Bare bones room, nothing homey about this place. |
My room, though, like Ate Toni's and everyone else's at the F-Building (what's up with that name?) -- great location, but it's essentially a box, with stuff.
And it stank -- still does -- of the ghosts from its cookeries past. It'll come off, for sure -- I hope. For now, I'm just glad I've a box to live in. #
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| Stuff in little boxes to get me through my little box (of a room). |