With a new school year approaching, and everything hectic happening at once, it only seemed right to add into the chaos a semi-permanent move. Starting my senior year at ASU means that I'm looking for an apartment that will last until I make the final move to a permanent destination. However, as all new apartment owners will realize, there are problems that will pop up and some are completely unexpected.
1. There will undoubtedly be a leak somewhere.
Tentatively, as I moved into my new apartment, I turned all the faucets and shower on, I checked the fridge and flushed the toilet. No leaks! I couldn't have celebrated more had I just won the lottery. However, the fateful moment came when I started the washing machine for the four piles of laundry I had to do, and slowly but surely, a wet spot fanned out along the carpet of my bedroom. Not only was the washer leaking under the floor, but it was also leaking what seemed to be dirty water as reported by the brown spots along my white towel. It just grew and grew until I had no choice but to call to get it fixed. Check your washers, people. It could make all the difference.
2. Bugs. You can't forget about bugs.
In what may seem a completely unsurprising bit of information, I have found that bugs are attracted by the most random things. For example, I left a bag of dry cat food open, and alas, an entire family--complete with three or four generations--of ants decided to become my new roommates. They infested the desk, the heater and crawled all over the walls. I never expected to invest in so many ant baits, but there are now currently 12 ant baits that are the most defining decorations of my new apartment.
3. Who needs air?
You. You need air, and don't let someone tell you that you don't because of "Boone's great weather." I listened to this and signed the lease to an apartment that has no air, and let me tell you, it isn't pretty. The amount of sweat that has poured from my body could match the Mississippi River in fluid ounces, regardless of how many fans that I have set up and going 24/7. The heat that gets trapped in an apartment on an 85 degree day, sunny and beautiful, is oppressive and suffocating. Aim for air conditioning if you can, and you won't regret it.
4. We thought this room was bigger...
Signing a lease for August back in April or May can lead the brain to reconstruct what it thinks the apartment looks like. For instance, I thought I was signing a lease for an apartment that had a living room twice the size that it actually is. In reality, I have a couch that leaves about a foot of walking room on the carpet, a bunch of stools and chairs that I have nowhere to put and I am now fully skilled in acrobatics in order to maneuver all the furniture and objects I have squeezed into various nooks and crannies. Take pictures when you're signing the lease!
5. It feels like it's a completely foreign land.
Moving into an unfamiliar apartment can lead to some discomfort. For the first couple of nights it may feel like you're simply temporarily staying overnight at an estranged relative's house, and it may not feel as if it's your own place to live and breathe and sweat comfortably. However, that feeling will pass the more times you sleep, use the bathroom and discover all the unknown and quirky things, such as the infuriating sticking of the bedroom door that calls for a full-on body check to open.
Regardless of how many problems pop up and how hard it is to get organized and settled, your new apartment is still your home--mainly because you signed a lease that you can't get out of. However, before you know it, it'll be the place you like to kick back your feet, eat until you can't breathe and head to after a long, hard day of classes.
