I'd open this post with a good news... any guesses? Well, I signed the deal and will be moving into my own apartment on 1st of August :D I left the previous post on just the first day of search and I think I should detail out the events of the week to give you guys a better perspective of how tough (or easy) apartment hunting can be.
So, I opened my bank account and, with all the research and work I had done to find the right bank, I feel I achieved a big feat. I took all the information that my folks back home would need to deposit into my bank account and that includes the SWIFT code that is not normally required in domestic wire transfers. It was an easy process. My parents had some amount transferred and it took a couple of days for it to show up in my account as available balance.
Now let me take you through the ordeal of apartment hunting. Tuesday, 19th July, was pretty hot and especially with the body ache that I was going through it was kind of unbearable. But, it was less unbearable than sitting at home in the heat and so I took off. I don't exactly remember the options I had listed but I had all the contacts of the appropriate houses that were advertised on craigslist and I used to keep refreshing the page every now and then to be the first one to apply to a $400/3BR ad!
Before heading off to the engineering quad where I normally used to sit, I covered ISSO and wrapped up all the formalities that an international student had to undergo. I then went to Gannett and inquired about SHIP since I had purchased student insurance from a private company (ICICI Lombard). They directed me to the SHIP office that's in collegetown, a 5-10 minute walk from Gannett, but in the heat along with cramped legs it seemed much more. I feel that, more than me, it'd have been annoying for others since I couldn't exert much force to ensure a smooth landing on a downward slope and I always ended up stomping my foot that was creating regularly spaced sound beats. At the SHIP office I got the information about filing for an appeal to waive the SHIP. It basically had to cover the six criteria and the form had to be submitted before Sep 7th, I think. During this time I would be required to pay for SHIP which will get refunded if my appeal is accepted.
So ya I then came to the engineering quad and took a comfortable space on one of the tables, shielded from the wrath of the sun. It was over 90 deg. F and cold drinks, ice teas and lemonades were seen in everybody's hands. I then jotted down the contacts of quite a few places and it used to take a long time in getting in touch with the right person, speaking about the apartment and then scheduling a meeting to have a look. I, then, eventually planned on having a look at all the apartments on Thursday. It was kind of difficult to make a choice between the areas because the North Campus is at an equal altitude but farther from the engineering quad than places further down collegetown that were located after a descent but closer. So do I chose more time and less effort or less time and more effort? But I decided to atleast make a note of all the places so I could cover them all at once while I was in the area.
So it was Thursday and I had my first appointment at 5 pm down E State St. It was 105 deg F that day and, I needn't say, it was sweltering hot. As I got out of my place I felt like going back and taking a shower again but I had to muster the strength to brave the heat because it was all for a longer term peace of mind. Although there were people walking the streets that day most of them had umbrellas while others were dodging for shade! Walking down inclines of about 30 deg for hours is sure to burn a ton of calories and that would have been the day for people wanting to do so. I took my first stop at the place down E State St. and had a look at a $1850/3BR apartment. As I had seen from the pictures it seemed to be an excellent place. Neat, clean, well ventilated, aesthetic and modern. But it seemed too far from my department and also more expensive than what I, along with others, had budgeted.
I then went up E State St to have a look at another $1750/3BR that was right next to Commons. I could actually feel my throat drying up and sweat dripping all across my forehead and face and patches of my shirt getting soaked in it. It was really terrible. The first thing that I did as soon as I reached Commons was get an ice cold lemonade. I then crossed the bridge to get to another place. The agent showed me around the apartment that wasn't yet ready. He gave me all the information and I saw how cool the place was and how well equipped the kitchen was the most important deal buster was that it was available only by the end of August.
The third apartment was the one I had associated my hopes with. It was a $1200/3BR with one of the rooms being large enough to accommodate two. Sounded perfect. When I went to have a look, it was pretty cool, as in temperature wise and a great respite from the heat outside. The tenants had maintained it pretty well and it looked really beautiful with small decorative objects showcased throughout the apartment. I would not go into the details but it met our expectations and except for being a bit further down Collegetown, where I would have ideally wanted to reside, suited our needs. I didn't commit then but contemplated the pros and cons of the apartment before contacting back after about an hour. There seemed to have been other people who had shown interest before me and who were given preference so I was still without a place.
Coming back home I discussed the situation with my friend. It was pretty easy for him since he had simply replied to a post in the Cornell community which was looking for two people in a house of six. That made me realize had I been looking for an apartment on my own I would have probably found one by now. There are always people posting for room mates when one of theirs leaves for some reason or the other. And for students who arrive late into the semester, it probably is the best option since most of the reasonable apartments/houses get taken by then.
So, by the end of Thursday I was still in a state of limbo. I wish I had made an offer on the spot. Not that I couldn't look at other houses but the heat and the climb and descent make it exponentially tough.
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