Although I’ve been in and out of British Columbia since the 1990’s, it was only in my recent trips here that I appreciated staying here for long periods of time. Since I’m now applying as an immigrant, I might as well learn to embrace everything that Canada has to offer.
My hubby and I are staying here in my sister’s house. My Ate and her family have graciously accommodated us in their lovely home. Johnny pays rent but for a very minimal cost. Since he’s been here since 2003 and I’ve recently moved in after our wedding, he feels that it’s about time we find our own place. For the past few weekends, we’ve been going out, scouting for apartment suites and condominium units available for rent.
Despite the scorching summer heat, it has been a lot of fun to check out different apartments. We looked at one-bedroom units as well as two-bedroom suites. Although we’re a young family that doesn’t have children yet, we are considering of renting a two-bedroom unit where we can welcome visiting family and friends. Narrowing down our choices to three, Johnny and I have been having long discussions on the merits and demerits of what we have on our list. One is located 20 minutes away from where we are now. Let me call it, “unit A.” Considering that my hubby travels 18 minutes in going to work, he will have to add another 15 minutes if we transfer to location A. That is not exactly a problem for him because in his previous job, he used to drive for two hours everyday. Anyway, this apartment we found boasts of two very spacious bedrooms and a large living room. But the kitchen and the bathrooms disappointed me. Although there were 1.5 bathrooms (meaning, the guests can use their own bathroom while we can have our own), the cabinets and ceiling looked very old. In the kitchen, the cupboards and the appliances didn’t look too appealing to me either. Being the eager learner that I am in the kitchen, I love cooking and baking. And that would mean I require a nice kitchen. If we choose this place, we may have to shell out extra money for repainting jobs.
Unit B also has huge rooms. However, Johnny and I couldn’t help but look at each other when we saw the hideous carpet. It was clean all right, but it had two or three tones, making it appear like there were stains. The carpet was also too thick, like fur. Feels comfortable to the bare feet but I can just imagine all the dirt that will hide in there. Oh, I don’t want the bugs and bacteria to have a feast right there. Hahaha! As for the kitchen, the cabinets and drawers were ok and the appliances were just 2-3 years old so that was mighty fine with us. The storage room was very big too. Johnny even ribbed the building manager that he can put an extra bed inside. However, my husband didn’t like the narrow hallway.
Among our choices, it was the third apartment that had the smallest rooms. Like Unit B, it only had one bathroom. But this was the most spacious bathroom among the three. Unit C merited the most praises from us because everything was immaculately clean. Although Unit A’s bedroom and living room walls were newly-painted, its other rooms were not renovated. But here in Unit C, everything was repainted. The manager said that she’s very strict with the maintenance that is why their units were never tagged as “leaky condos.” The carpet was exactly the same as the carpet we have in our room now in my sister’s house. Storage areas were big enough for us too. Then my eyes lit up when I saw the kitchen because the appliances and cabinets were new. I was excited right there and then. But of course, the downside was the unit’s size compared to Units A & B. It was several square feet smaller than the first two I described. Ugh, can’t we just have it all in one unit? (wishful thinking….)
All the apartments had balconies which Johnny and I weren’t so keen about. Honestly, we could do without it. But my brother-in-law said that it would be good to have barbeque there once in a while.
The parking was another thing we’re considering because of possible car thefts. Units A & C both had covered parking spaces which would be good for summer and winter. But Unit A would require additional $15/month to avail of that space. So far, the three locations offered the privacy, security and simple beauty we are looking for. But we both decided to still extend our canvassing.
We are now on our third week of hunting for the right apartment. A place that we hope can meet our needs best. With the rising prices of gas and other utilities, Johnny and I know that our choice to move into a new place all by ourselves will not be a cinch for the pockets. Feelings of apprehension are but normal, but we know that this is part and parcel of our journey as a newly-married couple. But when we do find the place that best suits us, we shall fortify our dreams and work hard in order to give our future family a great life. Besides, it will not just be a house for us, it will be our home.
