Throughout the summer, I had been hearing of housing options from my friend M.E. (she’s a teacher at Oaxaca Christian School & has lived here for 10 years). There were a wide variety of options, in a wide variety of places, all in about the same price range. She assured me she was keeping her eyes open & that she’d help me look at places, once I arrived.
I was praying & many others were praying for me to find the right place. It didn’t need to be fancy, it didn’t need to be big ~ my preference was that it be an apartment in walking distance from school AND be fully furnished. But, since school had already begun a few weeks earlier, I hoped to find a place right away & jump into teaching
M.E.’s family picked me up from the airport & told me I was welcome to stay with them until I found a place. They had a nice guest room & a bathroom with a nice shower…it was a very warm welcome & I felt so blessed!
The very next day, Thursday, September 16, was Mexico’s Independence Day. Since it was a holiday & there was no school, M.E. was available to take me house hunting. That morning we looked at 2 places in the city of Oaxaca. Then, after lunch, we drove nearly an hour out to Mitla & looked at 3 places there.
While we drove out to Mitla, I made a comparison chart, so I could remember the rent, the utilities included, the number of bedrooms & bathrooms, & whether appliances like a stove & refrigerator were included or not… Despite my organized chart, by the end of the day, I was already SO confused ~ but, I knew there were lots of people praying!
Then… The waiting began… We waited for several people to get back to us about housing options ~ there was a very nice lady who’d helped others find a place, so we waited for her call. Also, there were 2 homes “available” on the street where 2 other teachers lived. BUT, we didn’t have numbers for the owners, & the lady who was able to contact them was rarely home herself. On Saturday afternoon, M.E. drove me to the restaurant that this lady owned, to talk to her in person. She assured us that she would talk to the 2 owners, but that they were away for the weekend holiday. Later in the afternoon, we heard from the OTHER lady & she showed us 2 places. She also told us of another place available, in walking distance of the school, but said she wouldn’t know if it was available or not for rent until Monday.
Saturday night, I was blessed with a lovely time of fellowship with 2 OCS teachers & a homemade supper. Afterwards, we went for a walk. When we returned, we saw their neighbor, who is the landlord of another property for rent. He & his wife drove us to see that place.
I had now seen 8 places & only ruled out one. We waited through Sunday & Monday & Tuesday. Finally, on Tuesday, we heard back from one lady, saying the other place near school was not available. Then, we waited to hear about the 2 places on the same street as my 2 teacher friends.
How Long Do You Wait?
I had already been staying in someone else’s home, eating their food, using their internet, riding in their car, for more than a week now. I was struggling with living out of suitcases. BUT ~ I still had no idea where I would move. I figured I needed to make a decision.
So, I asked M.E. if she’d be available to go look at one place again with me. It was the one just a couple streets over from where they live, a 20-minute drive to school. While we were looking at it the first time, I kept thinking, “This 3 bedroom place is too big for me!” But, it was the cheapest furnished place. I decided IF I could arrange for rides to & from school, I would take the place.
I made several phone calls from school that day. For the first week, I’d need to take a taxi 4 days to school & 1 day back. Then, hopefully, after that, I’d have rides both mornings & afternoons.
So, after school, on Thursday, M.E. & I went to look at it for the 2nd time. I felt at peace about it & even started getting excited about living there. I nodded a “YES!” So we walked down the street, to the landlord’s house, to discuss the details of moving in! They told me that there was an issue with the toilet & they would have it fixed Friday, so I could move in Saturday. (Ironically enough, the only concern I had about this place was the toilet! Every other place we looked at had more than one bathroom. This place only had one. Before we came to look at it the 2nd time, I had said, “I hope everything works in the bathroom!” So, I just had to giggle inside when they said it didn’t work…the good news is that NOW, it works perfectly!) Oh, yeah, I should also mention, there are Bible verses hanging all over my landlord's walls! :)
Thank you all, for your prayers about this big decision! I am so glad it is finally made!
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