Meredith and I had been researching the option of moving into a new place for a few weeks before we left for Salta. We loved a lot of things about the apartment we'd been living in: the neighborhood, the fact that it wasn't a studio, the low rent and utilities, and the "cozy factor." However, the lack of hot water, closing doors, reliable Internet and functioning stove became crucial problems after a couple of months. After complaining to our friends Samm and Denise about the difficulty of finding affordable housing (in the best neighborhood, in an inflation-ridden capital, in one of the most economically stable country on the continent) they presented what seemed like a long-overlooked solution. We should move in with them.
Samm and I work together at El Alamo (the bar) and Denise is a girl from Ecuador she'd randomly met down here. Coincidentally, they also happen to live in the building right next door to the one we were currently living in. If we ever wanted consistent Internet, heat (it is winter here), or good company we would walk next door and spend a few hours at their place. Not only would the rent would be cheaper for all of us, but Samm was leaving in a little over a month and this saved Denise from having to either move or look for new roommates.
So a few days after we returned from Salta, Meredith and I re-packed our suitcases, gathered the few knickknacks we'd acquired and moved in with the girls next door. The apartment is bigger, nicer and cheaper than the one we'd been living in. How could it possibly be nicer and cheaper, you ask? Well, Samm, Meredith and I pay virtually nothing to share one bedroom...with one king-size bed.
Initially I wasn’t too thrilled on having to share a bed with two people instead of just Meredith. Granted, the new bed is wider than I am tall, but the size of the bed was irrelevant to me. Three people in a bed is way different than just two and I’m not the strongest sleeper when it comes to invasion of personal space during sleeping hours. However, within a few nights going to bed was like getting ready for a slumber party on steroids. The sharing-a-bed feature became one of my favorite perks of our new place. Plus, it’s going to be one of those “when I moved to Argentina and was more concerned with traveling than living glamorously” stories one day… starting today.
