Outcomes and expectations

Apartment searching in Singapore. I had the wonderful plan to find budget accommodations in Singapore as rental prices here are on par with New York and London. Budget means no place to myself and me having to find someone with a free room. This I thought, could be a good thing--find a chinese family living close to work, integrate myself with them, take some mandarin courses, and before you could say wham, bam, thank you mam, I would be speaking fluent chinese with a whole bunch of new friends. Funny, its not quite working out that way.

The apartment search was quite brief. I looked at six apartments, six very budget apartments, less than a 30 min walk to my work. All sharing houses with chinese families mixed with other students too. Over here, the major negotiating article is air conditioning (which the singaporeans call aircon, except when the say it, it sounds like acorn). without it, you can have an apartment for 500, with 'acorn' its 700, and really deluxe is finding a master bedroom with private bathroom, which costs about 900 USD.

At first, I thought I could be tough, and tough out the hot weather, and for go for the really cheap rooms. But the more I realized it, I remembered I was a white boy from Minnesota with skin pale enough to see through. That and one of the agents said I was stupid to consider such a thing, since he had been living here his whole life and couldnt function without the 'acorn'. But then again the higher the price, the higher the commission for him.

On one of the places, they actually tried to speak some english to me, and seemed somewhat interested in me being there, as with most it felt like they were just looking for a warm paying body in the room. So I chose them. But at every place, I was shown the list of rules and the list of what NOT to do: These generally fell along these lines:

1) no cooking allowed, the kitchen is mainly for looks. Boiling water is allowed.
2) No one over ever, hundred dollar fines should you break this rule.
3) anything over 1.348 decibels is likely to get you kicked out. They've measured. Twice.
4) everything should always be cleaner after, then when you first touched it. Prepare to buy new if this is not adhered to.

After smelling some of the hawking food stalls here in Singapore, the no cooking allowed actually makes some sense. Imagine overcooking fish in the microwave and you have the basic idea.

One lucky provision I did negotiate was the 'acorn'. I told them, every month I used it, I would volunteer another hundred dollars toward rent, and this was duly noted in the contract (along with uncleanliness--which could get me kicked out with no deposit).

So me and the new family are trying to adjust to each other. They keep getting mad at me cause I where my flip flops into the house. Yes, I wear flip flops everywhere now, otherwise the feet start to float in their own sweat, creating the most potent anti-woman odor repellent ever been made. I keep getting mad at them, because everyday their is a new rule that seems so perfectly obvious to them, but so far has eluded me. Flip flops stay outside, but shoes should be carried inside and placed in own room. Double sentry doors must be locked at ALL times. Windows should be closed the majority of the time, so no dust can come in. and on and on and on....and I am going to nutz with too many rules. its only the second day I have lived here......