Move-In Day

Today, I moved out of the Airbnb and into my dorm. I was so excited and the bus was a straight shot. Everything was going perfectly smoothly up until I actually arrived. I was happy to see that I was the first door right across from the entrance to our section, but there was nothing at all to help me with understanding the building. I decided to first unpack and then figure out what to do. You can see a timelapse I made of me unpacking here.

Once I finished putting most of my things away, I decided to walk around the building to try and find any sign of where the heck I could get on the wifi. I was told at the accommodation office that the password would be presented to me at the dorm, but this was absolutely nowhere to be seen. I looked in the kitchen, which truthfully did not smell very pleasant, and there were things everywhere. There was a wok completely filled with flour for god knows what reason. I also opened the fridge to see that not only was my shelf full, but the drawer was broken. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was just completely in shock at the lack of knowing what to do. I brought leftovers from the Airbnb, but I guess they’ll have to be dumped because there is not a single inch of space for my things. How could this happen? Do they really not have anyone to check that rooms/shared spaces are ready for incoming residents??

Afterward, I went down to the basement to see the trash room and laundry room. It is extremely small for this many people. From what I gathered, there are 5 people per sector, 6 sectors, and only 3 washers and dryers. They’re also ridiculously small. I’ve had my fair share of small laundry rooms, but this one was the smallest I’ve ever seen.

Once I returned, I decided to knock on doors to ask for the wifi because I need my phone to locate the nearest store to buy groceries and household items, like bed sheets and a pillow. The one person who answered immediately told me that she was very sick with a sore throat, but didn’t think she was contagious… Regardless, she thankfully showed me the Wifi router in the upstairs common area, which would have been absolutely impossible for me to have understood on my own. And, of course, she tells me this might not reach my room. (I get 1 bar of service.) She also says that I need to ask people to clear some shelves because it used to be just three people and the others took up all of the space. At first, I thought she meant some other shelves maybe in the common area, but she was really telling me that the fridge had absolutely no space.

As embarrassing as this is to say, I almost started to have a breakdown because this has built up so much anxiety about the next 9 months. I don’t want to sound spoiled, but the living situation aside from my room feels completely inhabitable. It’s not just that it’s out of my control, but it is so difficult to understand such an organized university housing situation. Every time I have moved into a university, things have been crystal clear. I suppose it’s different when a contract is somehow renewed for the same room, or maybe these people have been here only since the 1st of September. I truly have no idea. I’m so thankful that I have a private room and a private bathroom (which has mold in the shower) to lessen the nightmare. I feel fully confident that I will not be staying here for long, so I checked my leasing contract’s termination clause. Thankfully, I can terminate it, but I have to wait at least 2 months, plus, I must give at least a month’s notice. I’m sure that will not be any problem at all. I also was told that my door will automatically lock behind me, but it only locks if I lock it. There’s also no physical way to lock it from the inside, which is very strange. I’m going to have to get used to locking my door on the outside with the key fob before I go to sleep.

After gaming for a bit, Alina knocked on my door and showed me around the apartment. She also got my number to add me to the group chat. I’m so thankful for her kindness and I’m very happy to be living with someone like her. When I told her about my commute situation, she suggested to ask the University to help me find another one in Mersch, which is a pretty good midpoint between Clervaux and Luxembourg. I would love if I could be in the middle so it’s the same distance one-way.

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Once Alina showed me around a bit more, I went to Auchan to get some groceries and household necessities. I already made the mistake of using my bathroom without any toilet paper. Thankfully, I had some napkins in my backpack that I always carry with me.

Pillow

Fitted bed sheet (yes, only the fitted one)

Towel

Hand soap

Body wash

Toilet Paper

Milk

Instant Coffee

Blue Cheese

Crostinis

Vanilla Yogurt

Caneles

Chocolate Chip Croissant

Duck Instant Ramen

Sugar sticks (individual long packets)

Instant mug soup

Cereal (Special K honey)