Hey everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been able to post lately. I've been so busy packing my goodies and moving into my new apartment.
Right now, I'm living alone in an apartment in Anaheim around 10-15 minutes from Disneyland and 15-25 minutes from CSULB.
As a student searching for an apartment for the first time, finding this apartment was very tough with so many uncertainties and hassles. At first, I was hoping to move to an apartment closer to CSULB with a roommate or two. But then, COVID hit and we all went back to our parents' homes. In late April of this year, after consulting with my longtime autism doctor, Dr. Green, we decided it was safe and recommended for me to take the vaccine and head back to campus this Fall. Then, I started to look for apartments near CSULB.
With the pandemic still lingering on, my parents and I were uncertain about whether I should find a roommate. Then in May, my parents and I saw that we could not afford most of the apartments by ourselves, so they sent me to find a roommate. It's very difficult to find a committed roommate, as many of my friends were either trying to dorm again or wait until the Spring semester. I started posting roommate ads through Discord, Facebook, Instagram, and Roomsurf. Here's my roommate ad I posted:
Unfortunately, only a few interested candidates got back to me, all of them, unfortunately, drink alcohol or do drugs of some kind, so I had to decline them all immediately. Then, in mid-June, a potential candidate who met all of my requirements messaged me on Facebook and asked if we wanted to be roommates. We then met on Zoom less than 2 weeks before my mom and I went down to Long Beach to look at apartments.
In early July before the 4th, me and my mom met up with the potential roommate to look at several apartments around the campus, many of them almost exceeding his max budget of $700/month including utilities. We both liked the first apartment we saw very close to campus ($1589-$1670/month + utilities), but we did not want to make a decision right away since we had other apartments to check out that day. We then went to tour 2 other apartments in Lakewood (2nd and 3rd apartments, $1325/month and $1575/month respectively) and 2 more in Anaheim (4th and 5th apartments, $1175/month and $1500/month respectively). All of them allow guarantors to be added as an extra name besides the 2 students to help qualify the students rentwise, except the 4th apartment, in which only 2 names can be put on the lease at max, meaning that if I go into the 4th apartment, I will have to live alone.
After touring all of them, we decided we wanted to try to secure a studio at the first apartment very close to campus. Unfortunately, when we returned to the first apartment, the studio we wanted at $1589/month was already taken. There was another studio at the same complex at $1670/month, so my mom and I tried to convince the potential roommate to commit and sign a roommate agreement so we can secure that apartment. He did not look like he was very committed and was still thinking about whether to room with me. While we were talking about the roommate terms with him, someone came out from the leasing office and told us that someone secured the other studio available, leaving us with no apartments to secure together. We then went our separate ways for the day. I started crying, worrying that I would not secure a place and a roommate in time for the Fall semester.
The next day, Friday, in case the potential roommate decides not to commit, me and my mom rushed back to the 4th apartment to fill out an application. It was very overwhelming, as we had to rush to both Staples and the post office to print our required documents. Once we filled the application, we found out that we were 2nd in line, leaving even more uncertainties on whether I would get the room or not. Later Friday night, my mom and I decided it was time for the potential roommate and me to go separate ways since we had different requirements for finding an apartment. With only 1 more day left to secure a place before my mom and I drive back up to the Bay Area, I spent the 2nd night crying and almost hopeless that I would secure a place and roommate in time.
Then, on Saturday morning, we finally saw the light starting to shine. Another studio opened up at the first complex for $1639/month, so we hurried up and secured the place. I was finally happy knowing that I now had a place to live in, but due to it being expensive, was faced with even more uncertainties with whether I can find a committed roommate and how long I can stay there.
After we arrived back in the Bay Area, on the following Tuesday, the light shined even brighter. The landlord from the 4th apartment called back and said that the applicant in front of us did not qualify, so she put our application in. Even more relieving, a day later, she called back again and said that we got the room, giving us 2 options instead of 1 to consider.
This led my parents to discuss with me our two options. The first apartment in LB was really close to campus that I did not have to drive to every day, but was more expensive and had a late move-in date of mid-August, only a few days before the Fall semester starts. The 4th apartment in Anaheim would require me to commute 15-25 minutes to campus every day, but was a lot more affordable, still very safe, and could move in as early as late July. After weighing out the pros and cons, my parents and I decided to go with the Anaheim apartment since I could stay there alone and also because it had an earlier move-in date.
Just last Thursday on the 22nd, I officially moved into my new Anaheim apartment and I am really enjoying the place! I feel like myself getting the opportunity to live alone comfortably was a true gift from God. Before I moved into my dorm at Parkside for my 1st year, my parents requested for me to live alone because of my allergies and special needs, which did not happen. While living alone comes with its challenges, I feel like there will be so many new experiences to discover and learn from.
I am very grateful to everyone who helped me and supported me along this journey, especially my mom. This move would not have been possible without all of you. I am very excited about all the wonderful memories I will make and all the wonderful characters and movies I will create here!
