So I basically had a panic attack last night about coming to Wrocław and finding a place to live and everything else, which led to crappy sleeping and being dead tired today. I slept a little bit in the car and that helped, and when I got dropped off, I made my way to my aunt and uncle's place to drop off my stuff and make some calls etc. I had a bunch of places I called and arranged to go see, and then I checked the website one more time, and found an ad for a fairly inexpensive room that wasn't too far out on the outskirts of the city. So I gave them a call and it turned out they were like, a 20 minute walk from where I was, so I hoofed it over because the landlady was there to check the room after the last tenant moved out the rest of her stuff.
I walked in, took a look around, and realized that there was no way I'd find anything better (i.e. cheaper and in a better location) and decided to take it on the spot. I wondered if it was a good idea, taking the first place I looked at, but consider 3 out of the 5 places I'd called had men and no women living in them, I figured this was probably a safer bet. I went downstairs to the ATM, came back, signed the contract until the end of June (I figured I was going to have to gloss over the truth, pretend like I was going to stay longer, but since we're all students here, I guess she's OK with short-term tenants), and got the keys. And then on the walk back, I felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders, and my stomach stopped doing that twisty-loopy thing it had been doing most of the weekend.
I went back to my uncle's place and fucked around with some video games with my youngest cousin (we tried Dead Space but got tired of the lagging graphics, and then he put on Arkham City, so I got to mash some buttons and beat up some goons). And then we had dinner, and I got a bunch of food to take with me, plus a borrowed duvet and pillow (because I didn't bring any of my own stuff, since I didn't want to take a big suitcase, in case I didn't find a place right away), and came home.
And now I'm online at the new place, in my cozy little (well, not so little, 10m2) room, unwinding for the night. I have a couple of classes tomorrow that I don't really have to do a lot of prep for, so I can curl up with a movie or something, or have an early night, which is probably the best idea.
The only problem is that either we have some chain-smoking neighbors and the smoke gets into the flat, or one (or all) of the roommates smoke, which means that the entire flat smells like cigarettes. I can't demand that they not smoke, but I need to do something about it. Anyone got any tips for neutralizing the smell? Most of the sites I've found are so full of self-righteous "make them move!"/"you should move!"/etc. advice that I can't stand reading them, because hello, can't make them move or move myself. I'm going to go out tomorrow and get some Febreeze or possibly essential oils (there's a little ceramic container attached to the radiator that you fill with water so the air doesn't dry out too much, I figure I could probably put a drop or two of something in there - or on the radiator itself), but if anyone has any better tips, I'd love to hear them.
ETA: on second thought, it may be that the previous tenant in my room may have been the smoker. I just went out to the hallway and the bathroom, and the smell doesn't seem as bad out there. I will definitely be Febreezing the stuffing out of my couch and rug and drapes, as well as putting some coffee beans in little sachets in the closets and drawers. Airing the room out probably won't help that much but I guess I can leave the window open a bit when I leave for class in the morning.
