The next morning, I try to take a shower and realize that we do not have hot water. I catch a ride to work with one of the few technicians who has a car. We're a little early so we stop on the side of the road to take a look at the beach. It's not bad, a little flat for my taste but then, so is the entire country! I make plans to spend a lot of time on that beach during my stay. Unfortunately, one month later as I write this, I still have not seen "beach weather" on any of my days off. I can imagine how the people who came here for the sole purpose of sitting on that beach must be feeling!

As soon as we reach the site, I notice the look on people's face. It's not just me who hates the lodging situation. Everybody seems to have something to complain about. The cheap mattresses are too small and uncomfortable, the houses are filthy, there are a lot of bugs, someone even has a mouse in his kitchen! It's a beautiful morning, most of the trucks are on time and the day advances fast. I talk to the travel and lodging people about my electricity problem and they tell me not to worry, that it will be fixed today.

After work, I go to Oostende and take care of the most urgent errands, such as finding a bank machine and a real grocery store. When I get back home in the evening, I check the electricity and it works. I put the groceries away, sit on the couch... and wake up several hours later. By then it's dark. I switch on the lights but nothing happens. Power is off again!

Another night of sleep, another morning without hot water, this is starting to get old and I'm starting to get really grumpy. Work is going relatively well but I know I'm not a fun person to be around that day. It's only that afternoon, when I get back to Sunparks, that I can FINALLY take a hot shower.

After I've washed the dirt off my body, I take the tram to Oostende and wash the bad thoughts off my mind by admiring the beautiful sunset while sitting on the pier. I love sunsets. Despite the fact that I'm living in the worst apartment I've had in my entire life (much worse than when I earned 6 bucks an hour delivering audio-visual equipment...), I can still go home with a smile that evening. It was a long tram ride but it was definitely worth it.

TO BE CONTINUED...