Moving on Out!

I sat down the other day and tried to figure out just how many places I've lived in over the years. I had to count, then re-count, then re-count again as I kept reminding myself of somewhere else that I lived. In the end I decided that, over the past 30 years I have lived in 22 different homes in 4 countries. Add in the number of times I went back to somewhere I had lived before, and subtract the 7 years of elementary school when I didn't move once, and I figure I had to go through the entire moving process nearly twice a year! No wonder I have freakishly good abilities when it comes to packing the maximum amount of stuff into the minimum amount of space.

With a track record like that it should come as no surprise that after a relatively lengthy 18 months at the same address I'm on the move again! While I am normally not thrilled about moving, this time around I couldn't be happier! I have definitely been living in the dorm for TOOOOOO long. Yes, I am ready for my own place, a place where I don't have to worry about random unknown sticky substances on the kitchen floor, or 35 strangers leaving their dirty dishes in the sink, or unidentifiable charred substances burnt onto the stove top. (with that description of the communal kitchen on my floor in the dorm I am sure you understand why I don't cook!) I'm also very excited about having a nice deep Japanese bath instead of lockable communal shower stalls.

My new apartment may have only one real room and the kitchen may be in the hall, but the space is mine! (or will be once I've actually moved in) What I like best about my new place, however, is that there are more windows and closets/cabinets. Storage space is severely limited in the average Japanese apartment, but this one has the requisite closet plus an extra closet. The kitchen (aka the hall) is lined with cabinets too. I'm still going to need a few bookshelves, but I am a grad student after all! My room is at one end of the building, and the layout takes advantage of this fact - there is a triangular bit with windows poking out... I'm not sure how to describe it, but it is the first thing I noticed about the room from the floor plan and loved it from the start. When I walked into the room for the first time I immediately had an image in my mind of a nice big table angled into the corner window so I could sit and study and take advantage of the sunlight while also having a nice view of the greenery right outside the window and the park by the river on the other side of the narrow road.

I'm a little further from the station than I had hoped to be, it is apparently a 15 minute walk. But, to balance it out, once I get to the station it is only about 10 minutes to school and a half an hour to work. I'm excited about this, but also somewhat nervous as I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to get any knitting done if my hour commute disappears!