I Have a Place!

A-Plus: 2 Weeks, 2 Days

At the beginning of the week I set for myself the goal of having an apartment before Shabbat, and, with four hours to spare, besiyah dishmayah (with help from above) I have succeeded! Thanks to Shelly Levine (http://www.tivuchshelly.com/) I was able to get the name and number of the landlord and a description of the only one-bedroom apartment in Pisgat Ze'ev before it hit the papers the next day. I went to the site Wednesday night and meet the landlord and his wife, and seem to have made a good impression. Unfortunately the place was locked at the time, and the tenant had apparently changed the lock, but at least I was able to leave a good first impression. I left my cousins' number and told them to call once they were able to get it open. When they returned the call, cousin Galila picked up the phone and they started chatting. It turned out the landlord's wife was ganennet (kindergarten teacher) for her two sons, which earned me a few more points.

By the time I was able to get out there to see the place, last night, he said he had already shown it to seven people, which is believable since cousin Rafi tells me that thirty people responded to his ad when he tried to rent out an apartment a year ago. But the landlord and his family liked me, I had connections, I had been there first, and I'm shomer shabbat (sabbath observant) as are they, so I got the place.

The next problem was paying the guy. I am still waiting for my checkbook from my new bank account. Fortunately, my bank happens to be one of the few that is open on Fridays (Friday in Israel is like Saturday in America), so I was able to get a cashier's check for the first three months, sign the contract, and that was it. I have to wait until September 10th to move in, and it will probably take me a Shabbat as I have a place.

Next weeks task list will be as follows:
-Begin gathering furniture (the place is completely unfurnished.)
-Begin serious telecommuting work via email
-Research ulpan here in Pisgat Ze'ev
-Have some fun exploring new parts of the city

Of course, the sun is setting in the west, all the stores in Pisgat Ze'ev closed a few hours ago, the last bus is rolling by outside, and Shabbes is coming! So it will have to wait.