Signing Lease 5.18.15

Today I signed my lease and emailed it back to South Africa! I have a place to stay!!!

I was worried because initially I applied for University housing. I figured living on campus would be the easiest because I would be near students and would immediately be thrown into the action. Unfortunately all university housing was full. So, they sent me a couple of websites to check out other options and put me on the wait list. Because South Africa's academic year is the same as the calendar year I am entering in the middle of their school year. That is one reason why I may not have gotten into university housing.

I looked at the websites and sent out 15 -- 20 emails trying to get in touch with someone about renting a room. At first I thought I wanted my own room and bathroom, but that did not happen...which is fine! The first person to answer and continuously stay in touch with me is a man named Japie. He is 45 years old, he has a wife and three kids. Japie works at the university and his wife is a teacher. They live in a house about a mile away from the university, and in their backyard they have some sort of garage apartment. I will have to see the whole setup when I actually arrive. It is a three bedroom apartment, and we all share one bathroom. The two other roommates are girls and are both from South Africa. This definitely was not was I was expecting, but I think it will be great. I will get to meet/know two girls around my age from South Africa, and be living close to a family who knows their way around and everything about Stellenbosch in case I need help.

I have also found out it is quite necessary to have a bicycle. Depending on the day/weather I will walk or bike to campus. This is something I have not experienced before and I am very excited about it!

After Japie signs the lease all we need to worry about is sending the deposit and first months rent. After that I will open a bank account in South Africa which should make everything easier for everyone.

YAY!