lucas.n.hoops' photostream

lucas.n.hoops' photostream on Flickr.

if you click on the photostream link you can see all the photos

Week 2

This week I had unbelievable luck; I found an apartment.  This may not seem like something so lucky in other cities; in a week’s worth of searching it may be possible to find several options.  The statistics here are about 60 applicants for each room/studio apartment.  I spent last Monday morning searching the online listings and calling people to set up appointments.  I think in all I must have called ten to fifteen people.  I ended up arranging about six appointments. 

Monday afternoon I found an apartment listing requesting either an Erasmus student (the European University exchange system) or a language assistant.  Both girls in the apartment were studying languages and they wanted someone in the apartment they could speak to in English, or perhaps another language. 

Their apartment was promising.  It was furnished and located centrally in the city.  The only issue was that the room I was going to be staying in was also the way through the apartment for one of the other bedrooms.  The girl living in it would have to pass through my room to get to the bathroom or kitchen.  Although she had let me come and take a look, she told me that she might be looking for another girl.

The second place I looked at was nice.  It was a single room in an apartment inside a sort of dormitory/ski lodge.  The room was a bit small, but all amenities were included.  What I liked about the place was that it was not actually in Innsbruck, but in a small village up on the mountain side.  It overlooked the valley and had lighter air.  This would be an issue, however, when snow came and I would be riding my bike up the slope every day.  The price seemed reasonable to me in comparison with other prices until he told me that a 1300 Euro deposit was also required; let me also mention that it was not furnished.  I debated whether I should try and negotiate about the deposit on the bus ride back to the city.  I decided to wait until the following day to finish up the rest of my search.

The next day I met a woman from a sort of real estate agency that had a few studio apartments being offered.  She showed me two.  The first one had a new interior with new cabinets and bathroom.  It was nice inside, but a bit small.  It was also unfurnished.  The area also seemed a bit dingy and grey and the apartment was placed somewhat in the middle of nowhere along a sort of highway leading to the west side of town.  The second studio was much nicer; it was located inside a neighborhood with several supermarkets and cafés.  The building was nothing special, but the apartment was furnished, and it had a south facing window.  The interior was a bit old, but the price was a little better than the first one.  I still wasn’t sure, so she gave me her number and we parted outside.

I sat down at a café nearby because my next interview was around the corner, but I needed to wait about an hour.  So what is a good price in Innsbruck?  It’s difficult to say because there are many hidden costs.  For example, all apartments require a deposit, but they vary.  Some ask for two months of rent; some ask for four.  All of the apartments I had looked at until now had asked for about 1000 Euros as deposits.  I would receive them in full at the end of my stay, but what good are 1000 Euros when I’m returning to the U.S. and not spending them in small trips around Europe while I’m here.

The other hidden costs are utilities and furnishing.  The first apartment I looked at was asking 425 Euros a month, but that included everything and it was furnished.  The second place I looked at was asking 270 Euros, but he asked for a high deposit for the room, and then another deposit for the electricity box and the internet modem.  Then utilities etc., the rent became more like 350 Euros a month.  On top of that I had to furnish the room, which he said I could do for about 300 euros at Ikea.  The two studio apartments I looked at were a bit expensive, but I looked into them just to see what was being offered.  The first one was 490 euros a month, but all expenses included, along with a similar deposit for the apartment.  The second one was 400 Euros, but I would have to pay for utilities.  Another charge that was added onto that was the commission for the realtor. 

The next place I looked at was really nice.  I was also a studio apartment, about the same size as the other two, but the vibe was better.  The guy living there was named Lukas.  He was also a student and he was moving to another place.  He had a Neil Young poster and a guitar in the corner.  The room was furnished with a bed, closet, bookshelf, desk, and a couch.  It also had a small balcony facing north, so I could see the closest mountains.  He told me if I got lucky I’d be able to see some famous skiers from there.  The rent was 310, along with utilities 350.  The deposit was three months of rent, and he said he’d sell me the furniture for around 300.  I thought it to be the ideal situation.  He told me he would call in a few days.

I had two more places to see, but I thought that my preferred choice would be that one, and since we had gotten along so well during the visit I thought I would be able to pick it.  I went to the next interview inside an apartment with two other people.  The location was very nice.  It was a few blocks north of the downtown area.  The interior of the apartment was very nice, modernly furnished and very clean.  There was a balcony facing the interior garden of the block.  Most of the blocks downtown have a sort of interior with gardens, and maybe parking.  I liked the apartment, and it was decently priced, but I think I seemed strange to the kids there.  They were undergrads.  I think perhaps I intimidated them somewhat even though I’m not much older.  Although I liked the place I left with the feeling that I wouldn’t get invited to live there.

I think the whole situation is a bit stressful.  You have to give the best impression you can to each place you visit because landlords or Sublette’s have so many interested people to choose from.  At some point it begins to feel like a popularity contest, and you can’t help but feel a little depressed after each attempt and each rejection.  You begin to feel when you aren’t a candidate in the running line. 

My last interview was at 6:30 in the evening, and I had a few hours to kill.  I went shopping, bought myself a frozen pizza, and came back to the apartment I was staying at.  The guys were out, studying or doing their daily business.  I was so exhausted from the whole ordeal that I got in bed dressed and took a nap.  I woke up to the sound of the guys moving around in the kitchen.  It was a little after 5:30 so I came in said hi.  They asked if I had had any luck with the interviews.  “Maybe” I told them.  I was still holding out for Lukas in a few days.  I told them that I had another interview, and I needed to leave soon. 

The interview was not far from where I was staying.  I had to walk downhill.  I got a bit confused about the address at first.  I knew of a road called Höttinger Au, and the Address I had was Höttinger Auffahrt 1.  At the time it seemed that Au was just an abbreviation for Auffahrt.  It was a simple mistake, but I couldn’t find Höttinger Au 1 because it didn’t exist.  I called the girl whose number I had for the apartment and asked her where it was.  It was up the street closer to where I was staying than I had thought.  It turns out that Höttinger Auffahrt is a road that goes up the hill and crosses Höttinger Au which runs sort of perpendicular to it along the base of the hill. (The Hill’s name, and its neighborhood is called Höttinger)  I made it, a bit late, but I had been in contact with the girl about my situation so it was no problem.  She was extremely nice; much less formal than all the other interviews.  When I walked into the apartment she told me to lay my backpack down.  She showed me the room.  It was furnished.  The apartment was on the fifth floor.  The room was as large as the studio apartments I had looked at, but it had a large balcony.  In fact the balcony was huge; all four bedrooms had an individual opening to the balcony, but the space was one large space, very long, and fairly deep.  To guess it was about 6 feet wide and 40 feet long.  The kitchen was spacious, and the toilet was separate from the shower.  The view was also spectacular since the building was so tall.  The girl offered me a glass of water, something none of the other interviewers offered.  We sat and actually were able to talk for a little while, discuss the situation.  I had a chance to think of questions, and to give information about myself.  This was the apartment I thought seemed to fit my criteria in price, location, and living situation.

I did not really want to live alone.  I wanted some roommates to share small conversations with as we passed each other in the kitchen or hallway.  That night I took a break and went to watch a soccer match with the friends I was staying with.  During the match I received a text from Barbara, the girl from the last interview.  She told me she had discussed it with the others and she wanted to invite me to live in the apartment!  This seemed almost as if divine intervention had united us.  I said yes and asked when I could move in; she told me anytime.  I moved in the next day. 

The week I spent wrapping up affairs, signing the contract for the room, getting to know my new roommate.  The other two roommates come back from vacation later this week, so I’ve been hanging out with Barbara, cooking, talking, watching TV in German, and shopping for food, bed sheets, etc.  Barbara also invited me out Saturday night to meet her friends at a bar to hang out and talk over a few drinks.  Several of them are architects who studied at Innsbruck.  They also were interesting people.  Most of them were from the Italian side of Tirol.

The region I am in is called Tirol, and the northern half is in Austria, while the southern half is in Italy.  In the Italian region they learn German and Italian in school.  It also seems to be much warmer on the Italian side, even though it’s only two hours away. 

Now I am preparing for school, and looking into architecture firms in the area.  I have discovered that I am allowed to do a few hours of work with my residency, and I would like to possibly to an internship with a firm here.  Maybe one day a week.   Now at least I feel as if I’ve finally arrived in Innsbruck.  

lucas.n.hoops' photostream

lucas.n.hoops' photostream on Flickr.

some photos

Week 1

Hello Everyone,

                I am writing this blog as a record of my travels, and for my various friends and family so they can have a more detailed account of what is happening to me while I’m in Austria.

                I left last Monday at 10:45 AM.  The flight was not too bad.  I flew into Washington Dulles, and transferred onto another airplane going to Munich.  While I waited in the airport I got into a conversation with a German man and his wife.  They were not from Munich, but from a small town nearby.  They knew Innsbruck well though.  The national sport of Austria is Skiing, and many people come from around Europe to ski in these mountains.  They recommended that I go skiing while I’m here.  I’ve been told that the nearest glacier, about 30 minutes away, will open for the season in October. 

                I boarded the flight to Munich.  7 hours and 15 minutes.  To tell you the truth it seemed too short.  I watched a movie and had about 3 hours to sleep.  I also spoke to the girl sitting next to me.  She was a high school student from Munich coming back from vacation.  She told me that October fest begins this coming week, and that I should visit Munich for it.

                When I arrived in the airport, I had no problems entering the country, my baggage was fine, and I walked through customs without a problem.  I had looked online for trains to Innsbruck, and I had planned out to go from the airport to the train station by way of the metro system, and then on to Innsbruck.  I had overlooked one detail however: I approached an ATM to get Euro’s and the machine would not take my card, nor would four other machines from different banks.  I have had the problem in Argentina that an ATM might not accept my card because they are on different information systems, but there is always another bank that would take my card, usually 2 out of 4.  I had arrived at 8:00 AM in Munich, making it midnight, and once I had made the rounds to the different ATM’s it was nearly 1:00 AM in Texas.  I had called the bank a week earlier in order to free my card for my trip, declaring that I was going to Europe, and that I would be spending a year in Austria.  The start date I had given them was September 11^th, which was when I arrived in Munich.  I thought that perhaps with the time difference the bank hadn’t opened up the card for September 11^th in Texas.  So I waited a few hours.  I struck up a conversation with a fellow American who was actually working traveling back and forth between Germany and the US.

                I checked my card again at 2 AM Texas time, with no luck.  I began to worry but I didn’t want to disturb anyone back home because they were fast asleep.  Around 4 AM Texas time I became a little anxious and tried calling collect, but my parent’s cell phones don’t accept collect calls.  I had no money besides a dollar and a few cents.  I found a place to sleep, being exhausted with the situation and with the trip.  I woke up and I brushed my teeth in the airport bathroom.  I tried explaining my situation to a lady in a cash exchange booth, trying to trade my dollar and cents for a Euro to call home.  She suggested that I ask the information desk for free call to my bank.  I went and asked, and we got ahold of my bank.  I told them to release the card in Germany for the day.  That was the discrepancy that I had told them Austria, and not mentioned Germany.  I had said Europe, but I guess the more specific location was what mattered to them.  Well after about fifteen minutes from my call I tried an ATM and got money to take the train.

I had to take 3 trains, and the metro system of Munich to arrive in Innsbruck.  The trains were great, and whenever I asked someone for some help, they were ready to help, and they usually responded in English when they heard my German.

                I arrived in the train station in Innsbruck and I needed an internet connection to find the hostel I had made a reservation in.  I walked over to a guy about my age and asked him where I could find internet.  I pointed me towards McDonalds, and came in with me.  He was German, from Berlin, and he was also studying in Innsbruck.  He was extremely helpful; he showed me a website where I could find out what bus lines to take within the city simply by putting in addresses.  He even rode on the first bus I had to take with me.  He was already going in my direction, but he came, got off and helped me find my stop.  Once I was there we exchanged contact information, and he was off.  I got on the bus and the bus driver, knowing I was new to the city, pointed out the hostel I was staying in. 

                In the hostel I met a roommate who suggested where I could buy a telephone and a USB device that would give me personal WIFI internet for a fairly decent price.  I was simply amazed by how helpful people are here, offering time, knowledge, and advice without hesitating or suspecting me to be some sort of weirdo. 

                The week went a little smoother.  I met up with a classmate from Texas who is here on the same exchange and he gave me a small tour of the central city.  He showed me where to register myself, get residency papers, how to register myself at the university, and he showed me a small local café where I could get internet for free, beer, or coffee, and listen to some pretty decent music. 

                Once I had registered myself I used the café as a home base to search online for apartments.  Of about 20 places I contacted, only one invited me to get a tour of the apartment.  Even there I put myself on a list of at least 15 people who were also interested in the apartment.  The housing situation here is really bad; there are a huge number of students that come in and look for places to stay, but the city is relatively small, and so space, especially near the city center, is tight.  Landlords and sublet people have their pick of people who are looking for housing.  The dorm situation isn’t much better.  I was told that a law about the registration date for first year students in Austria changed recently and so there are more students coming in at an earlier time to find housing. 

                Another issue is that some of the places I have looked into require a two or three year contract.  This is fine for European students who are here to do their masters or bachelors, but not very helpful for me.  I understand though, landlords don’t want to undergo the process every year; it helps to have a solidified relationship for a few years.  Many of the landlords live abroad.  Italy is about 45 minutes away, and many landlords live there, or they live toward the west.  My friend told me that his landlord lives in Hungary. 

                I became lucky last Friday and I met my new friend who had helped me out at the train station and seen to it that I found my bus stop.  He told me that he was leaving to visit his girlfriend in southern France for about ten days.  He kindly offered me his room while he was away, so I wouldn’t have to pay for a hostel.  I’m quite impressed by the hospitality of people who are here, I don’t know if I could have made the first few days with the open good natured attitude of people here.

                 Here I am now.  The apartment of my new friend has a wonderful view; you can see the whole city from his bedroom.  It’s beautiful and last night I could hear an outdoor concert going on somewhere in the city.  Now I’m waiting to hear back from an apartment I visited, and still in search of others in case it falls through.  It’s been hard, but quite fun.   Until next time

Lucas