I was homeless for a while. The court issues my roommates and I went through with our landlords finally came to a tiring close, and when it did we still hadn't found anyplace to go. So we took what we'd need for a week or two away and stored the rest at our old neighbors house, God bless em. One or two weeks turned into three, and before we knew it we had been without an address or a place to call home for almost a month.
We were all three living in a small hotel room with two beds.
Not to say that we all didn't do our best to get out of that situation. We had worked with realtors, filled out applications, paid for background checks, scoured Craigslist and Zillow listings, made countless appointments to view homes and apartments... the whole lot. But Maciah was out of work, Kyan was making servers wages, and I get paid cash for nannying, not to mention neither one of us has an excellent credit score, so on paper we look like the last people you want to rent to. They didn't care that we claimed to be very financially conscious and responsible. This was one of the lowest points in my life, because I was exhausting myself every day and still not finding any viable options. Each Monday I paid for one week, knowing that I had to leave by Sunday but not knowing where I'd go or how I was going to make it work.
Staying at the hotel was costing us $500 a week; we were irritated, cramped and discouraged... something had to give. We began exploring alternative options, which is when I found my current situation. The hostel.
The hostel is one of the best things to happen to me in my travels!! It is almost like a hotel, but all the rooms are dormitories. We have rooms with 12 beds, 8 beds, and 4 beds. We have travelers from all over the world come and stay in a bunk bed for a day or a week or two at a time. They cook here, eat and shower here, and come back after exploring the city, conducting business, or teaching locals how they party in their country. Each guest represents a different culture and story. It is truly amazing. There are so many languages I get to hear! I use my Spanish often and am embarrassing myself with all two words I know of Portuguese whenever I can. That's my next goal. Brazilian Portuguese. Thank God for used bookstores with foreign sections and kind, patient, international folks.
In exchange for 28 hours of work a week, I get to live here in Old City Philadelphia rent-free. I would never be able to afford this zip code otherwise. Old City is one of the best spots to be; not just because of the local restaurant bars or close proximity to Penns Landing and the Delaware River Waterfront, but also because of how near it is to the trains I use to take me anywhere my personal-transportation-lacking booty needs to go.
Another ridiculous bonus about living here is the amount of art galleries that are in my backyard. In the last few months I've gotten really fond of finding great ones in the city. They're like tiny free museums of art where most of the artists are local and you recognize the scenes in some of the paintings. There are a handful I've grown fond of and return to every month or two to see whatever new art they're displaying. Old City has more galleries than any other part of the city, and although I've been here for three weeks, I haven't visited a fraction of them.
It is only fitting that I spend my last few months here living in the city. I want to soak up every moment of this summer. In the fall, I hope to travel somewhere else. I'm praying I'll be on international soil, but nothing is set in stone right now. The only thing I know is that if I'm going to be away from my beautiful Oregon, far from family and friends and the things I love about home, I better be seeing new things, learning, growing, and packing as much into my life as I can fit.
All I can say about any of this is that I am blessed to be having the most premier experience with life. I am full to the brim, spilling over even, with love and gratitude and appreciation for everything I see. At least today. At least now.
This is how I dealt with the psychological aftermath and celebrated having a home. Rooftop wine drinking. Just kidding, my friend needed her own therapy around this time as well. We got through it together.
Dawn at Penn's Landing, dawn at this phase of my life.
