My new place, bicycle, and address

I've heard that most housing in the Kyushu area is un-furnished. This means that you are set up in a place with no light bulbs or anything to start with. Also, often times new residents have to pay deposit fees that cover 3-4 months ahead, making moving in a very expensive deal. My place, a newer apartment complex called 'Leo Palace,' is semi-furnished, and I have only one fee to pay for moving in. The downside is that the monthly rent is more expensive than those other, non-furnished places. In any case, my little place came equipped with a washing machine, fridge, microwave, and tv. Today I was hanging my laundry out to dry, a new experience for me that left me hoping for some nice Sunday sunshine. It came, otherwise I would have had to hang my laundry inside somehow...

Upon entering, my place has a narrow corridor, where you must take off your shoes so as to keep the hardwood floors nice. In that corridor you will find my kitchen, and off to the right you will find my bathroom. I have a small bathtub that is deep, and a mobile showerhead. Past the bathroom is my living room, where I recently bought a nice looking tatami mat, which, in my opinion, really ties the room together! My sleeping place is actually a loft, set above the living room which I have to climb a ladder to get to. Its really too hot to be sleeping up there now (even the nice air conditioning unit I have doesn't really reach that far), so I've been sleeping on a futon in the living room. But I do think the loft will serve me well in the winter. Overall, I am really happy with my new place. The smaller amount of space here has really forced me to organize my living so that I am economizing more with food, appliances, and stuff in general. I do miss buying large jugs of orange juice (Simply Orange is my favorite) at a time, though...



The corridor and kitchen...



My living room...


My empty loft...

I also bought a bike to get around. I spotted this shiny red bike at the local 'Trial Supercenter' that really caught my eye, and was relatively cheap. The day after I bought it, one of the guys who led the training for junior high English teachers told me that he had three bikes stolen in three weeks. I said, "Maybe it didn't help that I bought a red one..." He was living in a different city, but I think bikes do get stolen around here as well. There are quite a few local high school drop outs dubbed 'Yankees' here that may be prone to cause mischief. I didn't want to take any chances with my new bike, so I bought two locks, in addition to the one it came with. I have definitely become pretty attached to this bike. I've been biking to and from my first junior high school every work day, and it takes me about 15 minutes to get there or back. I've felt a renewed sense of fun riding this bike, but we are just beginning typhoon season here so we'll see how I feel in the next few months!


My new ride...

Lastly, my new address is:

Paul Meuse
Apt. 111
2-4-32
Komodanishi
Iizuka City
Fukuoka 820-0017