Well, I've finally moved into my new apartment this past Monday. It was also technically my first day at work. Luckily work in an academic setting is more relaxed than what I would expect in a private (pharmaceutical) company. There was some paper work I needed to get done at work, so I showed up nice and early to get that done. My plan was to get all the nitty gritty out of the way that day and quickly go my new apartment to get the keys, sign the necessary forms and finally be able to dump everything that had been packed in my car for 11 days into my new place and spend the rest of the day trying to get things somewhat organized and figure out what necessities I had to buy that very day. It turns out my supervisor had to show up late that day and I didn't even get a chance to see her before leaving! Luckily she knew I was moving in and I think it was alright that I left early my very first day of work!
Anyway, the move went quite smoothly. It was really nice to be able to turn around from the driver's seat and see all my blind spots perfectly and the car almost felt lighter! But before I was able to organize my stuff, I needed to buy essentials...stuff you take for granted...like toilet paper, soap, shampoo/conditioner, a shower curtain...even a pillow - stuff you might be able to do without your own if you were at a hotel. But this time it's an empty box of an apartment and that's all you have!
It's been two full days since I've moved in and I still haven't gotten around to unpacking my suitcases fully. Even tonight, I'll have to spend some time picking up some used furniture that I've been able to purchase from people working in my current building (so they're legit and reliable)...that'll basically be my evening, and I'll yet again be left with stuff I wanted to get around to organizing/unpacking, but unable to. Oh, did I mention that until yesterday, I didn't even have a chair to sit on? That's right, and empty apartment with no table, no chairs, no desks, no food, no bed, no mattresses...just carpet and that's about it. What I brought in my car was mainly computer-related (which have no desk to rest on at the moment) and some essential kitchenware like utensils, a few pots, a pan, a few inexpensive plates/bowls/cups, a coffee maker, toaster, kettle...stuff like that. Clothes and other stuff took up most of the rest of my space in my car driving down. But that still leaves me without any furniture! As you may have read though, I did manage to buy some things via the Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Saturday Sale weekend online and in person. Unfortunately most things take 1-3 weeks to arrive...and then they insist on calling me the night before/day of to confirm shipping when I don't have a phone number!
Other "luxuries" like a TV will come later this week; cable will be easy to get. But until I have a Social Security Number (SSN), I won't be able to sign a cell phone contract, which will also act as my internet connection...so until then, I'll still be cut off from the outside world apart from when I'm at work or at Starbucks - I'm glad they have free wi-fi.
So admist all this and a lot more I won't bore you with, I'm also starting work...everything is pretty much new to me and I'm having to really start to dig deep, do a lot of reading and learning things trial-by-fire style...luckily my supervisor is a really kind woman and the rest of the people in the lab are friendly - I shall hope that things go smoothly and my learning curve is not too embarrassingly steep. After all, I am a post-doc...I'm "supposed" to know everything about everything, right? Haha...
Even at work, there's still a lot of inconviences to overcome, like not even having internet access - I need to get others to log me in until I complete an orientation next week...luckily I was able to get all the necessary keys and be registered with payroll.
Anyway, lots more things to buy, organize and do before I can truly feel "settled"...and then there be more inconviences I have to deal with, like insurance, registering my car, getting a bank account, etc...yikes...I wouldn't want to go through this every year (unless a jab was worthwhile!)!
