"This is a bathtub-in-the-kitchen
apartment. The four of us share a fold-out bed, tucked underneath cheap sofa
cushions, and when it's a sofa, at least one of us has to sit an arm-rest. I've
gotten good at balancing up there. This is an oven-is-also-a-space-heater
apartment, whether you want it or not, winter or summer. This is a the-only-window-is-our-air-conditioner
apartment. We don't have wifi, we don't have cable, and our musical selection
is whatever the guy upstairs plays too loud, a station that broadcasts all
night. He loves Thrash Metal and we're trying to learn to appreciate it. We
love it here. If you pity our bathtub in the kitchen apartment, then you must
not know where we came from."
Oh yes. I can remember shared accommodation which wasn't a lot more luxurious than that. All too well.
ReplyDeleteFour people in an apartment that small probably don't need a heater, oven or no! I remember all-night D&D sessions at Michigan Tech, in upper Michigan, where we'd have both windows open in the dorm room, fans blowing, and it was 40 below outside. The body heat from 16 worried players would still make the room uncomfortably warm.
ReplyDeleteThe last line pays for all.
ReplyDeleteLike Larry, I recall winter nights at Michigan State (lower Michigan) with windows open to let out the heat. 85F inside, 5 or 10F outside. "Better too much than not enough" was the general feeling about heating in Michigan.
I stayed in a dorm room like that before.
ReplyDeleteAnd all for the terribly reasonable rent of only $2650 a month!
ReplyDeleteAnd this is why I never had any desire to move to a big city, even when I was younger and more adventurous. But my dorm rooms in college didn't have air conditioning, which sucked beyond words in hot and sticky Durham, NC. We had several fans and you had to shout to be heard over the air craft carrier sounds.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I lived in a teeny tiny apartment for two years. At least it was just the two of us, but when we finally moved out and into some place else, I probably made our new landlord think I was nuts by how much I was squeeing over the size. lol
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me all too well of student housing during graduate school! Only, mine would include this-place-will-always-smell-like-onions (or other food of your choice!).
ReplyDeleteAnother one who's been in similar places. Our oven here does a pretty good job of heating the whole house! Nice now that it's winter, but not so good in summer
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to read this book. The author and I went to the same high school, though we were students there during different years.
ReplyDelete