Apartment

As soon as I got my apartment keys I went back to the barracks.  I packed up as much as I could take in one trip and headed off to my new apartment.

You have to understand, I grew up in small apartments in less than desirable neighborhoods so in a way, my childhood prepared me for this apartment living.  There was no real shock value.  As best I can remember, the apartment had 6 individual units.  When you first walked in you could go down like a half flight of stairs and there were two garden apartments.  You could go up one sort of half flight of steps and those were the first floor apartments and then there were two more units on a second floor. My apartment was on the first floor (which was really not at ground level), the first to the left.

As soon as I walked into the building I smelled fried foods, paint and just kind of --smells I can't even describe.  I walked into my apartment and I tried to remain optimistic; I guess I can hang a picture there, put a table cloth on that table there, put up new fresh curtains, a throw rug there . . . the place wasn't too bad but it wasn't too good either.  I decided I was not going to spend the night there that night, I'd head back to the barracks.  So I began to make a list of things I needed to buy before I could fully move back in ----

Lysol
Mattress cover
Another mattress cover
Sheets
Cleaning bucket
Cleaning supplies
Broom
Mop
Couch slip cover
Contact paper for the kitchen cabinets
LOTS of contact paper
Rubber gloves
Shower curtain
Rugs for bathroom
Rugs for floors

You get the idea . . . .