I imagined a cute apartment. Maybe a balcony. Maybe a view. I found a room in a house off El Monte Road. Small. Carpet is old. Window faces a wall. No AC. Shared kitchen with three other people.
I almost said no. Then I met my future roommate.
She's a nursing student. Works at a coffee shop. Pays her own way. She said: "I'm here to study, not to live in luxury." Same.
The house has a backyard. Small. A lemon tree that might be dying. She's trying to revive it. There's a hammock. Stack of textbooks on the porch.
It's not cute. It's not what I imagined. But it's a room. It's a roof. It's a person who also needs to be here.
I'm signing the lease tomorrow. I'm scared of the cost. I'm scared of being far from campus. But I'm not homeless. That's something.
I almost said no. Then I met my future roommate.
She's a nursing student. Works at a coffee shop. Pays her own way. She said: "I'm here to study, not to live in luxury." Same.
The house has a backyard. Small. A lemon tree that might be dying. She's trying to revive it. There's a hammock. Stack of textbooks on the porch.
It's not cute. It's not what I imagined. But it's a room. It's a roof. It's a person who also needs to be here.
I'm signing the lease tomorrow. I'm scared of the cost. I'm scared of being far from campus. But I'm not homeless. That's something.