We arrived in Tübingen on Monday, tired after lugging about 60 kilos each of luggage on the plane and then on three different trains. The train we had to run for in the rain? Not a good time. This town is even cuter than I remembered, but it is not going to be easy to find a place to stay. We've been trying to get in touch with a company that is renting out an apartment that looks very ideal for us, but despite having left a message and stopped by, no one has gotten back to us. Very strange. Another apartment has an ideal location, but according to the ad, the shower is in the kitchen and the W/C in the stairwell! Should we call, or not? Votes? (Note: even with these fairly major disadvantages, the rent is still almost $900!! For a 5-600 square foot apartment, half the size of my former apartment.)

We're currently living in a 25 square meter (generously measured) apartment that we rented from an Israeli Arab med student. It is small. Very small. Our stuff is everywhere. The kitchen is a half-sized fridge with two burners and no stove. But we were lucky to get it. The location is right on the edge of the Altstadt (old town), so it is convenient for everything we want.

It is going to be a hassle to get B his work permit here, although we should manage it in the end. As it turns out, because he doesn't have a job yet, I have to prove that I can support him--bank account printouts, proof of my income, etc. But the moment he has work, he has a permit to work, if you know what I mean. Even though I have health insurance, I might have to buy it again here just to get him covered at the student rate--another $75 per month that we don't particularly want to spend! So I'm hoping he gets a job, any job, ASAP, because it's going to be tight if not.