Living Accomodations

My hostess lives in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, on the fifth floor of an apartment building which is in a courtyard set back from the main street. She lives alone and has two extra bedrooms, which she rents from time to time to students from the Goethe Institut. My room is quite large and a bit sparsely decorated, with a desk, a couple of shelves, and a couple of paintings, mostly by Picasso. The bed is a double twin I think, with a duvet cover. All in all the room is comfortable with plenty of space, so I’m happy.

I have use of the kitchen and a shelf in the refrigerator, so I can save money by making meals on my own. I and the other student I will be sharing with have to clean our own toilet, but the hostess has offered to do all of our laundry so that she can sort clothing by color and still cycle through loads quicker. The only downside to the whole deal is that there is no shower, only a tub. I’m still trying to figure out how to wash off quickly and effectively. Really, though, that and the thirty minute commute to the Goethe Institute are the only possible negatives, and I don’t mind them.