Full house

Yeah, there are a lot of people who live in the intern flat. I have lots of stories to tell when I get home. There are now 12 people who live here but there will be up to 14 by the end. We just had one more Turkish guy arrive. I remember when we first moved in with 3 of us and thinking that was a lot for a two bedroom place. I remember them joking that there could be 10 more people coming. At first I thought they might be serious, but we made it very clear that that was crazy. Then I figured they must be joking, that would be impossible, with a small kitchen, tiny fridge, only five beds, and one bathroom. I now understand there is a housing crisis in Kiev, compared to all other places in Ukraine. Rent here is even more than the South end of Halifax, and one of the most expensive cities in all of Europe to rent in.
So, I guess there is some logic and sympathy to our madness living situation. There are still some things to blame though on improper planning and poor fundraising.

One of the weirdest things is not spending any time home alone. There is virtually no privacy whatsoever. I come home to find three or four people sitting on my bed, because there are no couches as they are all taken up as futons, and no space for chairs, and people who sleep on the floor on mats don’t have anywhere else to sit. Any more than five minutes in the bathroom requires a knock and a “hurry up” or a “are you almost done?”. Cooking in the kitchen alone will probably never happen for me. We weren’t locked out because of no one being home until the last week, and it’s only because we were stupid and left the school early without one of the three keys we all share.

It’s not so bad because there was a gradual increase from 4 to 14. It’s almost a sense of normal. If I had arrived in the middle or at the end, it would have been crazy, but I was one of the first people here. This would not be acceptable at all in most other places, or if I we all just arrived and moved in together. It’s like the story with the frog in a pot who won’t jump out if you slowly boil it. The other things we find acceptable differently are the levels of clean, sharing things you never thought you would, and personal information among people who barely know each other.

I think this is a huge success because of all the different cultures present. Interns are here from seven countries living and working together every day. We have very minor arguments, but we realise we can’t fight about stupid things and have to resolve any issues very quickly. Nearing the end I can see how close we have gotten to each other and I think we are really going to miss everyone after we go home.