A Place to Call Home

I know this post is long overdue but here it is.

Looking for a place to call my new home was an adventure. I did stay in KL while I was doing my internship, however because I didn’t have the luxury of time and money, I settled very quickly for an old flat 15 minutes walk from the station. It was quaint to add character to its brown walls, parquet floor and aging plumbing and wiring.

That place where I stayed for 8 months was never home. It didn’t feel like home, I had no sense of belonging or want in that space I shared with 2 classmates, a girl from Vietnam and another from Mozambique. For me, that place provided me shelter from the sun and rain and bed to sleep on but still, it lacked that attachment we all have to home.

Therefore, this time around, I wanted a place with an element of home to it. Of course, no place can replace my home, the place I grew up in, had all my treasured memories and where old friends are always at the corner.

But I was looking for that magic factor, one that beams at you the instant you step into the house / condo/ hut or whatever it is people live in. It has to feel right, like I’m welcomed there, cosy and the warmth of the place exudes from the very walls of the rooms.

Thus began my house hunt.

I decided to go for 2 locations, Location A which is pretty near my soon to be workplace. And Location B which is further but where I have most of my friends living there.

The search began on Friday and I viewed 3 places, with one possibility. On Saturday morning, I saw another 2 more in Location A, and one completely stood out like a knight in shining armor reaching out to me saying “Pick me to call your new home”. It had all the right elements, the price was right, the owner very pleasant and as a bonus, it comes with a swimming pool! The major downside, I’ll be all alone here coz none of my friends live anywhere nearby. So I decided to continue my search before making my final decision.

Friday Evening: Went over to Location B via LRT and I had no luck with places. As I was about to leave, I bumped into an ex-uni mate at the station. She heard my story and wanted to help me out. So she got her car over and brought me around the whole area, visiting several 7-Elevens to get contact numbers and showing me places suitable for rent.

I was really touched because here is a girl I barely know, we’ve only met say 5 times (since we’re not classmates and uni is a HUGE place), and she still went all the way out to help me, a person who is practically a stranger to her to look for a place to stay. I consider myself exceptionally blessed to have bumped into such a kind person. You know the saying; a friend in need is a friend indeed. She wears that badge proudly.

The next day, I met up with a senior from Uni who also helped me took for a place to stay in Location B. we went to countless places, circling and searching but I couldn’t find one. So I figured I would stay in Location A at the place I really liked. On my way back, my friend called me to say a housemate is moving out and I can take over the room.

I was ecstatic! Coz I’ve been to my friends place and it definitely feels like home. And the room, it’s much bigger, more comfortable and guess what, they cost the same. So yeah, I got everything I wanted in my new home and more, I have friends nearby to boot.

Blessed is quite the understatement to all that have taken place recently and for that I’m exceptionally grateful. I have a decent job in the location I’ve always wanted and now I’ve got a fantastic small lil place to call my own. I have friends who care and go the extra mile to assist me. Fellow bloggers and acquaintances also chipped in ideas and gave some very useful tips and guides. There were some random strangers who spotted a lost girl looking right and left, and pointed me to the right directions.

To every single one whose path I crossed in my journey for a place to call home, I thank you very very much. Words cannot express my gratitude of you helping a small town girl in a giant metropolitan city.

I am truly blessed. For that, I thank You.