Apartment Hunting

One thing that I haven’t learned about living in Germany is seeking for an apartment.  When I did my Masters, there is an officer in the study program’s organization who assists the students for finding apartment.  So although I had a problem with living place but I never really looked for an apartment.  But now I have to do it.  I have applied to the student apartment offices (private and public) but I only enlisted in a waiting list.

German’s Apartment-seeking Websites

So I have to look from other sources.  I looked at some websites like wg-gesucht, wg-cast, studenten wg, and blackboard in Bremen.de.  The problem was, I am in Berlin and I can’t just go to Bremen to see the room.  And especially if the apartment is a shared one, the person who lives there wants to meet the new renter, to ensure they have good chemistry for living together.  So it’s tough, but I realized I had to make a trip to Bremen to check the apartment before decided to rent it.

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So I made a schedule, I would go to Bremen on September 15^th, two weeks before I move out from Berlin.  I started look for apartment on the last week of August.  Surprisingly, nobody wants to have an appointment for September 15^th although his or her apartments were only available in October 1^st.  They, who replied my request, said that whomever comes first would be served, they didn’t want to wait too long.  So from last week of August until first week of September, I kept getting rejections or even no replies at all.  But entering the second week of September, I got some replies.  But still, not all matched with my schedule.  I think, out of around 30 requests I only got 10 replies.

In the end, for my visit on September 15^th, I got four potential candidates.  But when I checked it in the map, I realized that one of the candidates located very far from public transportation area.  The apartment is located 1.3 km away from the last tram stop.  This is too far especially if I carry something heavy after shopping.  Also walking 1.3 km to the stop during winter would be so painful.  So I decided to drop this one and cancelled it.

Hunting Day

On September 15^th I started my day early, going to Berlin train station at 6 AM and traveling to Bremen.  I was so excited that finally I got a chance to see three apartments and would decided in the end of the day.  I already confused whether to have single room apartment or the shared ones, I tried to list all the positives and negatives from both sides…

When I went to my first appointment, I was a bit late because I couldn’t find small money to buy the tram ticket from the machine.  So I called the landlady that I would be a little late.  But then, the nightmare started, she said that the apartment had been taken!  What?!  And she said nothing to me previously???!!!  She said she e-mailed me, but I didn’t receive anything.  Maybe she typed the wrong e-mail address or so…

Sigh…  I was so down…  How could she did that to me…  But I tried to calm myself, I still have two more options.  So I waited for my second appointment at my friend’s place.  But again, the nightmare got even worst.  I got SMS from my second appointment, telling that the apartment isn’t available anymore!!!  OMG…  Now I only have one last shot…

Of course I started feeling stressful.  How if my trip to Bremen was a waste of time and money…  I kept looking at my Blackberry, afraid that there would be e-mail from my fourth appointment, telling me the bad news.  I also started to think so many possibilities: will I come again to Bremen next week?  Or should I just stay at Indonesian people’s apartment and look for my own?

Fortunately, until the time when I had to go to my fourth, and last, appointment, nothing came up.  So I went to the place with fully submissive feeling.  Maybe when I arrived, the landlord would just say that the apartment is no longer available.  But that was not happened, thank God!  The landlord was there and the apartment was still available. 

The apartment is 25m², bigger than my previous apartment which only 16m².  However the composition of the kitchen and bathroom, I found it odd.  They are too small and I think I would bump the wall during cooking.  But I am ok with the bathroom, it is small and sufficient for me.  In my first impression, I don’t really fond of the apartment.  But hey, I don’t have a choice.  If I don’t take it, I don’t know what kind of adventures that I have to face until I get an apartment.  So I took it right away.  I signed the contract.

My Apartment Building.

The main room.  The furnitures will come later.

Small bathroom and kitchen.

So there I was, going back to Berlin with a result: target accomplished.  I thought that I would look for another once I am in Bremen.  But then, looking for apartment will make me tired emotionally.  While if I decide to stay and start decorating, it will make me tired physically but not emotionally.  So I still don’t know…

There’re two advantages with this apartment, though.  First, the landlord/ caretaker lives in the building also, so if I need something urgently I could just go to his room.  This never happened before, even now in Berlin.  Contacting the landlord/ caretaker needs to be done in specific time and of course only in working days, not weekend.  Second, the apartment is located near my old apartment.  So I am so familiar with the area, I feel like coming home already. 

Oh well, whatever… I will decide everything once I am in Bremen.