Seeing double

People have asked us left and right about our living arrangements. We haven't really known much except that we would be living on campus our first year. They have the option of a studio or a 2-bedroom apartment. We were kind of wavering back and forth about which one we wanted. The two-bedroom costs more than the housing stipend we receive, so that meant that we would have to pay $22 out of pocket each month (I know that doesn't sound like much, but it is when you're trying to pay off a student loan as quickly as possible so that you can start saving ASAP to travel the world...) We also wanted to live frugally (does $22 extra dollars amount count as living frugally?), yet at the same time we felt that we needed a place where we felt comfortable to do lesson plans. Our apartment in MN is quite small (650 square feet), so a lot of the time we end up going to Caribou to do our LP's. We didn't think we would really have that luxury in Thailand, so a 2-bedroom was what we concluded. One room can be an office, and the other can be our bedroom. Aside from that, it sounds like we will have quite a few visitors coming our way, so having a 2 bedroom apartment will be nicer for those wanting to visit. Besides, if you have already forked over the $2,000 on the flight and gone through the grueling 24-37 hour flights, I think it's fair to say that you shouldn't have to pay for a hotel or sleep on our floor.

However, yesterday we got more information about the apartments. ICS has hired many new teachers that have families, so all of the 2-bedroom apartments that they had available are actually now gone. What that means for us is that we can only have a studio apartment, which is only 430 square feet. However, due to the small size of the studios, what they have done for us instead is give us 2 studio apartments that are connected by a door. Apparently one of the studio apartments in on the end of the complex, which means a lot of sunlight during the non-rainy season... exciting. Anyway, two studio apartments means two bathrooms, two "kitchens", two beds, two tables, and two wardrobes. It seems kind of weird right now, but I'm sure it will be just fine. Besides, I imagine that connecting the two tables in one of the apartments for a large dining/lesson plan/game area (Mike's giddy, I'm sure) will be fantastic.

Come on over and see our double apartment!