[Move] Flat-Hunting: A Series Of Cultural Disconnects
Last Thursday and Friday I was flat-hunting. Perfect prime-time opportunity for cultural disconnects in it's very mundaneity
Firstly, there's the jargon: a ground floor flat is on the first floor, but still called a ground floor flat; except nothing is a flat, it's either a private appartment or a condominium. From what I've worked out the main difference is the level of extra facilities is higher in a condominium
Secondly, there's the expectations: I'm not too hot on seeing a square-footage and translating it into rooms in my head - though I can perform all kinds of other spatial awareness jiggery-pokery - so ended up looking at some places where I would have rattled around in. Combined with the landlord's expectation of a minimum two years on the tenancy agreement and there was a certain pressure to get this right. Thirdly, and relatedly, there's a singularly glorious disconnect between small modern well-designed flats and large older slightly more awkward ones - the latter being significantly larger than the former and around the same price
Fourthly there's tradition and custom and not rocking the boat: I realised there is a practise of removing one's shoes before entering someone's house, but didn't realise it extended to empty living spaces too. It makes sense, it just hadn't popped up on my radar until I started viewing places. Combined with a very open and forthright view on the ch'i of places, in the feng shui sense, the whole experience had overtones of reverence that confused and then pleased me. By the third or fourth flat I was working with the feel of them as much as the practicalities
Fifthly, every viewing was conducted with two agents: your letting agent and the landlord's agent, between whole a certain level of social pleasantries was obligatory. To quote from my cultural awareness training the previous day, the difference between a task-based culture and a relationship-based culture becomes apparent in these kind of transactions
Finally there was a sense of establishment and custom. Decor and layout had a very specific expectation of where you would be putting your furniture and other belongings, so much so that suggesting you might lay things out differently caused great consternation and confusion to both agents
Even something a simple of looking for a place to live really woke up my brain in a number of good ways. Fingers crossed that they were sensible ways since I put an offer in on somewhere on Friday afternoon. Details to follow tomorrow - if it all works out I shall be moving in on Thursday
Firstly, there's the jargon: a ground floor flat is on the first floor, but still called a ground floor flat; except nothing is a flat, it's either a private appartment or a condominium. From what I've worked out the main difference is the level of extra facilities is higher in a condominium
Secondly, there's the expectations: I'm not too hot on seeing a square-footage and translating it into rooms in my head - though I can perform all kinds of other spatial awareness jiggery-pokery - so ended up looking at some places where I would have rattled around in. Combined with the landlord's expectation of a minimum two years on the tenancy agreement and there was a certain pressure to get this right. Thirdly, and relatedly, there's a singularly glorious disconnect between small modern well-designed flats and large older slightly more awkward ones - the latter being significantly larger than the former and around the same price
Fourthly there's tradition and custom and not rocking the boat: I realised there is a practise of removing one's shoes before entering someone's house, but didn't realise it extended to empty living spaces too. It makes sense, it just hadn't popped up on my radar until I started viewing places. Combined with a very open and forthright view on the ch'i of places, in the feng shui sense, the whole experience had overtones of reverence that confused and then pleased me. By the third or fourth flat I was working with the feel of them as much as the practicalities
Fifthly, every viewing was conducted with two agents: your letting agent and the landlord's agent, between whole a certain level of social pleasantries was obligatory. To quote from my cultural awareness training the previous day, the difference between a task-based culture and a relationship-based culture becomes apparent in these kind of transactions
Finally there was a sense of establishment and custom. Decor and layout had a very specific expectation of where you would be putting your furniture and other belongings, so much so that suggesting you might lay things out differently caused great consternation and confusion to both agents
Even something a simple of looking for a place to live really woke up my brain in a number of good ways. Fingers crossed that they were sensible ways since I put an offer in on somewhere on Friday afternoon. Details to follow tomorrow - if it all works out I shall be moving in on Thursday