I booked what I thought would be a standard dormitory room in residence for the next four weeks while I'm teaching at The University of Regina. I knew it could be a problem, sharing hallways, common areas, and washrooms with students, but the residences are on campus (i.e. convenient) and comparatively inexpensive.
A week or two before I came out here, I read something that indicated the rooms they rent out in the summer are quads: each complex has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a livingroom and a kitchen. I thought that sounded considerably better than just a dorm room, but I have lived in such places before, and the cleaning and food-filching can become bothersome.
Much to my great surprise and delight, I have instead been placed in a two-bedroom apartment. The other bedroom could be rented to someone, but I've been assured it won't be. It is locked, so that means that what I have, in essence, is a pretty nice one-bedroom apartment for my stay out here. It's not posh, but it is spacious and pleasant.
Here is the view as you come in the door. There is a place to hang coats on the right. And the door straight ahead is for the second, locked bedroom.
Okay, it isn't carpeted or whatever. It's highly polished and very clean linoleum tile.
Here's the kitchen. A microwave, a full-sized fridge and stove (alas, no dishwasher)
And here's the livingroom. Sparse, a flatscreen tv that I probably won't use, and two easy chairs.
Notice there are no drapes there. I must learn to be more careful and more modest when going to the bathroom to shower. Speaking of which, the bathroom has a very modern and nice tub surround.
And here's the bedroom. There's a closet on the left, dresser straight ahead, desk to the right. That thing that looks like a night stand was an end table I moved from the livingroom.
Okay, it looks a bit like a cell, doesn't it. Oh well, the bed seems okay, and fortunately (given the low temperatures out here lately) they provided two blankets.
I had ordered a "kitchen kit" but it wasn't here when I checked in. Later, when they were supposed to deliver it, they brought the tv instead. Huh? Finally they brought up two huge rubbermaid tubs full of stuff. But no dishcloths, no pots or pans, and the bottle of dish detergent is essentially empty. Oh well, it is still much, much nicer than I expected and much nicer than the apartments we had at Herstmonceux Castle when I taught there.
Next: cooking without any pots and pans.