There is a housing office on base that takes military folk and their significant others around to different houses and works with the landlords to make sure that we don't get screwed over with rent, our lease, etc. Yesterday, we went with two other couples to a suburb of Sevilla called Utrera. Most of the officers on base live in Utrera, and it is a pretty bustling little town. There are 50,000 people who live in the city, and it has all the amenities of a suburb back in the states: local farmers' markets, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, shops, a park, churches, monuments, etc. To give you a sense of the geography, Utrera is located between Sevilla (the biggest city in Andalucia) and Moron Air Base (where Elliot and hopefully I will work). It's about 25 minutes from Moron and 20 minutes from Sevilla. Click on the link to see a map and to find out more info (for when you plan your visit :)
http://www.google.es/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=utrera,+andalucia&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&ei=ZYAtTdCWD5KGhQf8nby1CQ
We looked at 5 different houses in different areas of Utrera yesterday, and both Elliot and I were blown away by the sizes of them! Back in DC and NoVa, you pay around $2,400 for a 1,200 sq. ft. 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment. Here, you can get a 1,700 sq. ft. 4 bedroom/2 bathroom house with a massive driveway, patio, balcony, and 500 sq. ft. basement (that's not included in the total 1,700 sq. ft) for about $1,100 USD. My eyes almost bugged out of my head ala when a cartoon wolf sees an attractive cat. All of the houses were very nice, but we were drawn to one that is literally 1 min from the Paseo (a long street that is lined with shops, restaurants, and bars). There is a weekly farmer's market that is across the street from our house, and the Paseo is a great place for walking and running. It eventually leads to the city center, about a 15 min. walk, which has the city castle, more shops, tapas bars, and restaurants. In September, the city has their annual festival that lasts a month, and the grounds are about 5 minutes from our house. The festival has a lot of stands, food, and drinks served, so if we have a wee bit too much sangria, we can just stumble home. All in all, we're going to be in a great location, and we are psyched about the house. Like all houses in Spain, all the floors are tiled, and there's a bidet in each bathroom. I've never used one before, and I'm not sure I should start; I might get spoiled by always having a perfectly cleansed rear and demand one once we're back in the States....
The landlord only speaks Spanish, so we need the housing office to translate for us until we have a better grasp of the language. He's worked with the housing office for years though, and our sponsor rented from him while he was here and liked him a lot. He is a very little man named Pepe, and he has been very friendly and accommodating to us. We came back today to give a final look at the house and confirm arrangements for the lease signing, and he was very eager to rent to us. Hopefully it wasn't because we gave off the Estupido Americano look; it was probably more "deer in headlights" or "look our students gave us when they didn't understand something" (that's for you Chels, Naima, and Jess). All in all, we sign the lease Friday and move in a week! Woohoo!
Since we are temporarily staying on base, we get the Armed Forces Network (AFN). There are only 12 channels, and half of them are conservative news stations and military information. It's really luck of the draw with the other 6 channels. Elliot and his roommate while he was in Afghanistan, Dave, would play a game where they would try to guess the movie that was coming on next. Apparently, neither one of them ever got it right, and they were there for a year. About 10 minutes ago, a movie was starting and he said, "Ok! Guess what movie is coming on next; I say Sandlot!" I pulled the first movie that popped into my head, "Uhhhhh Lethal Weapon!". Well, wouldn't you know that it was LETHAL WEAPON 4!!!! BOOYAH! FIRST TRY! We currently have it on in the background while we eat lunch, paying homage to my victory.
The rest of today will consist of getting our Spanish bank books, going for a run, and renting a car. We're planning on getting our European cell phones tonight in Utrera, and we'll need a car to get there. Elliot is pretty good with directions, and we have a GPS, so hopefully we don't end up driving through an olive field. Other than that, I'm going to drop off my sub application at the school and do some laundry. Can't wait to get the hell off base and start exploring!
Besos,
Court
Woohoo! Glad ya found a place to live. Sounds like you'll have enough room for all of that furniture of yours! Please post pics of it when ya have a chance.
ReplyDeleteHahaha!! The encrypted word that I had to write was coodle!!! (inside joke)
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