THE BIG MOVE

The big move!

2/17/2021

    It has been crazy for me these past few weeks! First, I am happy to say that I have officially moved after living with my boyfriend’s family for seven years. It’s given me a lot to think about and it’s taught me a lot, but in all honesty, having a place of our own now has been the biggest milestone for us to accomplish. It seems silly, I know, but it’s true.

    On our moving day at 6 am in the morning, which was the 8^th, it was super stressful considering how many trips we made back and forth between our old place and our new place. The leasing office was acting funky with us since they didn’t want to give us the keys to our apartment until our prorated rent was paid upfront; I had everything else to give them, except this. This highly inconvenienced us since we weren’t informed that we needed this to collect the keys. It also meant that we had to go back to Springfield for more documents which was about fifteen minutes away. We all did this while Dimitar drove a 20” moving truck around which was rented out by the miles.

    Once we collected all the papers we needed, we drove back to the leasing office and promptly received our keys. From there, there was another hurdle we had to overcome. There were no parking spaces available in front of our apartment and since we had a 20” truck with us, we needed to figure out where we were going to park fast. In most cases, you had to reserve parking with the city hall, but since the move happened so fast, we didn’t have time to make that request.

    Our second plan was to park in the alley next to our apartment but a lady had parked her car in the middle of it which blocked off the exit so we couldn’t drive through. Dimitar thought about driving around her car but it was way too narrow. A nice gentleman later came out to assist us with maneuvering the truck but we eventually made the decision to drive in from the front of the alley instead which was a success. At this point we felt relieved to finally be able to unload the truck and furnish our new flat.

    Both of our bodies at this point were aching so much, especially my lower back. We were also hungry since both of us hadn’t eaten much to avoid getting cramps from the constant moving around. To say that this is where we were able to rest a bit, would be a lie because after we were done unloading the truck ( it took about an hour or so) we had to drive back to Springfield to get the remainder of our items. The sun was close to setting at this point too and both of us were worried we’d be left to unpack the truck in the dark. 

How our apartment looked for 1 month!

    We loaded the rest of the items into the truck and with the piggies in a box on the seat next to me, we said our goodbyes to Dimitar’s family and quickly drove back to our flat. I had bursts of excitement to the idea of us going back to our place on top of feelings of exhaustion. The sun had already gone down at this point which meant it was about 6’pm. We sill had to hurry up though since we were scheduled to drop off the truck at 7pm so we moved as fast as we could so we could go back to Springfield one last time...Crazy.

    We made it to the truck rental place ten minutes before our scheduled drop off time; literally a shocker for us considering how slow we were moving. We then stopped at the grocery store nearby to pick up some essentials which was the hardest thing to do since both of us were super hungry – the last thing you should do is go shopping on an empty stomach! On top of that, a Jehovah witnessed stopped us in the middle of our search for Epsom salt and I felt so bad for Dimitar as he tried to stay awake. We checked out and left the store swiftly afterwards until Dimitar realized he didn’t have his wallet on him which added more anxiety to our plates.

    Since I was not in the mood to cook anything, there was a pizzeria down the street from our flat so I rushed in and ordered a vegetarian pizza. After ten minutes of waiting, we drove back home ready to have dinner where we also found Dimitar’s wallet in his other coat’s pocket. We didn’t have a wine bottle opener on us though or even a drain stopper for the tub so again, Dimtar left to get those items. Meanwhile, since we had to take the guinea pigs cage apart to fit through the door, I decided I would work on their cage so the piggies could rest comfortably. Dimitar had put half of it together for me before leaving which was really nice of him.

    Once Dimitar returned, we were finally able to eat and rest our bodies. After 72 hours of nothing but packing, it felt great to be still for a change and not have to worry about anything – or so we thought! The next day, Dimitar had work, which left me home to take care of some things like picking up the equipment for the internet, being home for the lead inspection (yes, lead, which is a whole new issue in itself now…) and to also shop for some needed essentials like a shower curtain.

    Before moving to Old Town Alexandria, Dimitar and I didn’t know anything about lead until we received a pamphlet about it after signing our lease. Apparently, old buildings built prior to 1978 often used lead paint which can be toxic if the paint starts chipping and peeling. The thing is, in our apartment, there were many areas where there were not only cracks, but peeling paint which made Dimitar and I both panic. After the inspection – which took about an hour and a half – lead was obviously found; especially in our office.

    I had already suspected this considering the age of the building, but to see the amount of paint peeling and chipping made me worry. So I emailed the property manager about the issue since the paint itself should have been taken care of prior to us moving in. The one thing I was concerned about were property owners taking advantage of first time renters – and in this case, both Dimitar and I were. So I put on my best big girl attitude and demanded from the property manager that the paint be dealt the right way as soon as possible or else we would void our lease and move out.

    By the end of the week, they came to inspect the property with their own inspector – even after we submitted the full report from our hired inspector – and now we’re waiting to hear from the owner on whether they will fix the paint the right way or not. That was last Thursday and it’s now Wednesday. It’s been frustrating to say the least how everything has just happened at once and both Dimitar and I have considered leaving if by the end of this week there was no update. Since we’re unsure of what is going to happen, we kept everything in boxes except for the dining table and the bed.

    So that’s the point that I’m at now – looking for a new apartment. I have started working at my new job and while it’s equally as stressful as the whole lead ordeal, I’ve made the decision to stick with it until something better comes along. Speaking of which, I actually have an interview today around noon at a bakery so hopefully it is promising. Since I do enjoy working at my other job at a Juice bar, I thought about working there only on the weekends, while working at the bakery during the week. I haven’t thought it through exactly, but I know in time everything will make sense. I do know that I miss making art videos and I’m so excited for when I am able to get back into that routine.

    I told myself that once Dimitar and I got our own place, I would start my blog but I never thought I would start it this way. In just a week or more, I have learned the importance of tackling issues the moment they arise and the importance of being straightforward, even if it does make you uncomfortable. When it seems like the problems appear one after the other, tackling them one at a time can give so much peace in the end rather than waiting. I’m still not sure what will happen to this apartment or my job right now, but in the end I can only go with the flow and trust that everything will happen for the better. So far, that has been working out really well for me.

Until next time! xoxo - Sarah