Friday, November 26, 2010

House-Less

I haven't written because we've been house-less.  Not homeless, to be sure, but still uncomfortable.  We're staying with some dear friends and enjoying one another's company, but we feel very unsettled.  Unsettled mentally and physically.  
Otto and I have been fighting more because we're stressed.  We almost broke up over something I can't recall right now.  Neither of us has space to work, and as if in cahoots with the demons my computer is also breaking down.

House hunting in Catalunya continues to be an adventure.  People are very bathroom-centric compared to the Americas, always wanting to show off their bidets or fancy sinks.
As I noted in my piece Toilets of Catalunya, online real estate listings always feature the bathroom prominently, often to the exclusion of any other room of the house.


Heating
In the US we generally think of Spain as at an equivalent level of 'development' in terms of everyday lifestyle.  Equivalent leaves a lot of room for variation.  Many many houses and apartments here lack central heating, and despite what you may have heard about the Mediterranean climate, it is in the 40s. 
Heater with butane tank


 It is COLD.  So you have to check and double-check that a house has heat.  I think Franco liked it cold.

Interior Bedroom
Interior Rooms 
 I'm not sure if US building codes require all inhabited rooms to have windows.  But in Spain, they don't.  So a 3-bedroom apartment may have 2 bedrooms with no windows whatsoever, and the third with a small window to an interior air-shaft.  We stayed one night in an interior bedroom in a hostel and I felt like I was going to suffocate.


Beautiful view of mountain with freeway in foreground
Message?  Nothing's perfect, we are used to being extremely comfortable in the US, and not having a stable home can ruin a relationship fast.

3 comments:

  1. When you visit the apartments do you get to try out the bathrooms? I hope you find a place soon!

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  2. It is frightening not having a home, always being in a state of readiness, ready to move, can't really relax, no matter how close a friendship is, it's a parallel to trauma, not having a foundation, hovering in the liminal, grasping for something to be a rock for you, no wonder you guys have been stressed, I'm sorry this is happening for you both now, I hope you find something soon, try to be extra kind to yourself and each other. I know something like this can only feel like an adventure for so long, but I know you can find a way, I'm sending you some good karma and encouraging hugs from across the Atlantic, I'm listening, take care

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  3. oh my goodness, good luck! hoping you stumble across the perfect home soon...

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