We’ve Moved In To Our Apartment…At Last!

After almost a month at the hotel, we are so relieved and happy to have moved into our apartment over the weekend.  For what it’s worth, the hotel had been a relaxing retreat for us but nothing beats staying at a proper home, although it’s on lease for several months.

This would be our home for the coming 6-7 months, and we had been looking forward to staying here.

For a month, there were so many obstacles we were encountering, due to the fact that we did not have a permanent residential address:

1. We were unable to open a bank account, because that required proof of residence at a permanent address (that wasn’t a hotel).
2. We could not submit the complete documentation for Ethan’s school registration because one of the documentations required was a statement of bank account (see 1. above).
3. We could not get our driver’s licenses updated to valid Massachusetts driver’s licenses because we had no permanent residence.
4. We could not register ourselves with the public library either, for lack of permanent residential address.  Registration with the public library will allow us to check out and borrow books as well as get coupons and passes for some museum visits nearby.
5. Our shipment from Malaysia arrived about a week after we had arrived here in Massachusetts, but because we were still staying in the hotel, our shipment had to remain in temporary storage till we moved into our apartment.
6. Doing laundry in the hotel was a little troublesome, because I had to get quarters to run the washer and dryer, and thus had to make several trips to the laundry room.  Good thing the laundry room is just a few meters away from our room though.

The downside now, of course, is that all housekeeping chores will be up to me now:

• Cleaning and vacuuming the floors
• Making sure the bathrooms are clean
• Washing the towels and linens
• Changing the bedsheets every so often

Also, this time the relocation is slightly different.  We won’t be provided the usual “package” as before.  For example, these are some of the items which will not be provided by the housing and relocation folks:

• Bedsheets, pillows and pillowcases
• Blankets, quilts and comforters
• Towels, dish cloths
• Rice cooker
• Kettle
• Pots and pans, cutlery, dishes and bowls
• Vacuum cleaner, iron and trashcans
• Clothes hangers
• Shower curtains

Nevertheless, we’ll try our best to make do with what we have, and as it is, we’re enjoying our apartment now…a place we can call home.

We were actually approved for a 3-bedroom apartment (being a family of four), but because of the timing of our move and the area we live in, it’s close to impossible to get a 3-bedroom apartment available immediately.  So we chose a 2-bedroom loft-style apartment instead, which was near to grocery stores, pharmacies, schools and public amenities like the park.  This meant that we would have one master bedroom (with a queen-sized bed) and another second bedroom (with 2 twin beds).  We also requested for a queen-sized bed in the loft area.

You will see that this apartment has an in-built exercise “program” installed.  The main front door opens to a flight of stairs leading up to the main living area.

The main living area houses the living room/family room, with an adjoining dining area and kitchen.

On one side of the living area is the master bedroom with an attached bathroom, and on the other side, there’s the second bedroom, with another bathroom.  Both bathrooms have bathtubs included, but as I mentioned before, no bath mats, no shower curtains or dustbins.

Of course the living room comes with a gas fire place too, which includes a simple mantlepiece.  It’s the first time I’ve ever lived in a place with a mantlepiece, so I’m excited 🙂  Hubby thinks I’m crazy, but I feel it just makes the whole space feel homely.

Oh, there’s also a door leading from the living area out to a lovely little patio.  Hopefully when it’s warmer, I can let the kids do some artwork out here (yes, we shipped an easel too!).

Next to the patio door, another flight of stairs leads up to the loft.  The loft has a queen-sized bed and a HUGE walk-in closet.

We can see the doorway entrance from the open balcony space in the loft and we can also have a full view of the living room from the loft.

Cozy apartment, ain’t it?  PLUS, like I said, it has a built-in exercise program too, with the stair-climbing across the three floors it encompasses. 😛

Oh, and just yesterday I discovered that I will also be exercising each time I take the trash out to the trash disposal unit, which is a good 200 meters away (at least) from our apartment building.  Some excellent calorie burning it will do me, especially walking in the cold and windy weather!

Okay then.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go back to my unpacking because some of our shipment is still in boxes.  The kids are busy getting reacquainted with their toys and I have to do some inventory checking as well.