The Hunt for Housing
Hello everybody!
My name is Avery McClure, and I’m a rising junior at Wake Forest. I’ll be working at The Library of Congress this summer in the European division.
First off, thanks so much to the providers of this grant! I wouldn’t be able to do this without your generosity; it’s really appreciated.
In this blog post I’ll be talking about the thing that’s weighing heavy on my mind the week before my internship begins: housing.
I know what you’re thinking: “Why didn’t you figure that out sooner? You’re start date is tomorrow!”
Well you should know I DID have a situation lined up a couple of months ago. It was in this nice apartment in Arlington, with a view of the Washington Monument, the whole shebang. But I got a call about a week ago from the guy leasing the room (Jordan). The job he had lined up in California had fallen through: he had a verbal commitment, but the company said things had “changed internally”, and they were going with someone else. So it stinks primarily for him; he was moving his life to California, and the rug was pulled out from under him. However, a smaller rug, but still a rug, was pulled from under me: I was homeless.
Jordan sympathized with my situation, and is letting me stay for a week in his place for free. With that in place, I had to hunt for a spot for the rest of the summer, so I turned to Facebook. After two days of unreturned messages and red herrings, I found a spot with three law students for pretty cheap in a nice part of town. Sweet!
My parents and I drove up here on Monday to get moved in and check out the places I’d be living. Right when we pulled up to Jordan’s place, I got a text from the law students saying: “The landlord is going with another group, sorry”. I was in DC, two days away from the start of my internship, and after a week at Jordan’s, I’d have no place to go! Yet another rug pulled from under me!
So my parents’ plan to tour DC with me on Monday and Tuesday was altered: instead, we’ve been driving all over DC to see potential housing situations. We spent all day on the road, in traffic, talking to strangers about moving in for June and July. And today, when they’re supposed to leave, I still haven’t gotten a place solidified. There are possibilities, but nothing for sure.
On the bright side, with Jordan letting me stay at his place until May 22nd, I’ve got a week to find a place to live. I’m optimistic, albeit a bit burnt out.
But I can’t wait to start at the Library! Once this uncertainty is behind me, I’ll be ready to roll! I’ll keep you all posted on the details of what I’ll be doing in my next posts!
Thanks again for your support, and Go Deacs!
