Raw...

Friday 21 January 2011

On Tuesday after a day of visiting houses we were kindly taken out by a mother-in-law of one of the other teachers that has moved out here too.  Janet drove us to three houses to rent, I quickly fell in love with the first one. With it’s tropical fruit trees, screens for the windows, large back yard and a sandpit for the kids and wonderful indoor-outdoor living.  Offered at $375 originally $390 it was on the more expensive side but in comparison to what we had seen it was beautiful and perfect for our needs.  We had the night to decide although I had accepted it then and there and was rather happy at the prospect of moving in at a later date, as it was not available till March 4^th.  Also provided in the interim was a lovely little place for the 6 weeks till we could move in. We did carry on and look at the next two properties and although nice the first super-seeded them and we passed the details onto another couple who where still looking at that time.  That couple took the second house we had looked at and they move in tomorrow.

Thinking the housing arrangements where under control Brendon went to work to deal with some paper work while the kids and myself waited for him in the car.  It is very hot and wet at the moment and time was dragging on the kids where getting ratty when I saw a mob of MOE staff milling around Brendon. On investigation it was announced to me that $375 is a big amount to pay and no one pays more then $300-$350 max.  There was talk and it was decide that someone would talk to the landowner on our behalf and they would get back to us.  Eventually we had a call to say she would think about $350 and we mow the lawns but she would get back to us the next day (Thursday).  That call never happened and when we finally did hear the owner had taken someone else on as tenants.  To say I am pissed off is very mild.  I would have happily have paid the asking price due to the comparisons of other places we had visited.  But the icing on the cake for me was, being taken to yet another house with the rental price of about $240 a week.  It backs onto the airport and supposedly “you get use to the planes after a week”, and to top it off is that it is next to the main road! It is much smaller and has no character about it.

It is now about 2am and I have been up since 12am dying for a cigarette!  I have finished yet another book due to insomnia, and I am willing to use ‘the force’ on anyone who tells me; “it will be ok you will look back on this and laugh” or “it will all work out in the end”.  This house-hunting thing is hard! There are no street names let alone house numbers so you have to go by land marks and then take a guess at what house it may be.

On the plus side we visited a school for Josh to attend and they informed him he needs a haircut! Ha-ha.  His uniform is not a nice shade of brown and relatively cheap at $18 a shirt.  Footwear is jandles and fees for the catholic school year are less then one term at Rosmini.  Josh has made a friend and has had a couple of sleepovers already although he does miss his dad and had a melt down today asking to go home.  Tensions are high at the moment and Wednesday night was made easier with a bottle of Moet and a game of Pictionary in which Josh won. 

George and Milly are good and although there is a lot of waiting on their part are coping under the circumstances.  George has been eaten alive by the mosquitoes even with spray.  He has taken to wanting to climb on every scooter we see and we have to be very carful not to turn our backs if there is one near him!  As there is no car seats needed and we are yet to get our one from the shipment we sent over Milly is enjoying the freedom the back seat of the car has to offer.  She has suffered form the heat with rashes and sleep she has found difficult on the hotter nights. 

Hopefully the newspaper will hold something house wise in the morning and the search will continue.  As many of the workers do not seem to have young children their needs are very different from ours when it comes to housing and safety is not a high priority on many of the properties. When you have a daredevil and a little follower I am conscious of the house and its surroundings. A new day tomorrow, fingers crossed that something good happens in the line of a house!