Eighteen: My flat in Vauban

My Flat in Vauban

I moved out of my flat today, so I thought it was time to share what my flat looked like. The flat itself has 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a kitchen/living area. In my four months, I had 7 different flat mates, as they moved in and out. I actually met one of the new ones at 7am, during a tired disheveled walk to the shower in my towel. Awkward? I never really saw him again though, so it was cool. But anyway, Caitlin pointed out to me yesterday that my flat was Axis-Power central, as America, Germany and North Korea were represented. Anyway. So, the three pictures I put up are the hallway my room was in, the kitchen/lounge, and the dreaded bathroom. They do student housing differently in Germany. All of the people in my flat weren’t friend before, so they just live together. There is never a time when the flat is completely empty, so the flat accumulates stuff. As you can see, my hallway was unbelievably cluttered. My room was the middle one, so I always walked into the cabinet in the dark trying to get to the light switch. Now the bathroom is an experience I would love to forget. I could easily stand in the middle and touch all four walls without stretching. While showering, I could put my fists together and touch wall and shower curtain. It was the tiniest shower slash bathroom I have ever been in. Thank goodness it’s behind me now!

Now, I have come to differentiate between my flat and Vauban. I clearly disliked my flat, but Vauban itself is pretty cool. Within less than five minutes walking distance I had 3 grocery stores, a cash machine, pharmacy, restaurant, a bakery, and walgreens-esque store. Vauban is the most eco-friendly area of the most environmentally friendly city in Germany, which is at the forefront of environmentalism. There are solar panels everywhere, and you can supply your own energy and feed excess back into the system and be paid for it! Also because it’s apartment style living, and was intentionally planned so the whole neighborhood is situated along the tramline, no one has cars. It costs almost as much as rent to have a parking place, so they all use car-sharing programs. There are quite a few young families living in Vauban, and I got the sense there’s a pretty strong feeling of community. I’ll be honest, living in a place like Vauban (but absolutely NOT in student housing) appeals to me, but I think when I have a family I’m going to need the all-American single-family house with a yard! I love leafpiles and snowmen. I really do.

For those of you keeping track at home, Mom and Ben arrived safely today, and I couldn't be happier to see them.