It was 13 years ago this month that Gen and I arrived in San Francisco and we have known no other home than the neighborhood of Bernal Heights. We started off on a one-month sublet in a house shared by a handful of 20-something year olds, but quickly made the acquaintance of Shukry Lama who had a small downstairs apartment for rent at 28 Ellert St. After 2.5 years in the city, Gen and I decided to quit our jobs and go travelling around South-East Asia for four months. We had given up the apartment and drove to Buffalo to leave our car and belongings. Upon returning from our trip I called Shukry and asked him if he had any other apartments available. It turned out that our old apartment was still available so we moved right back in...same neighborhood, same neighbors, and same rent.
Two months later we received a message from Peace Corps telling us that there were two spots open for the next group going to Guinea and that if we accepted, we'd be leaving in January, just 4 months later. After thinking it over for half a second, we accepted and let Shukry know that we'd be leaving again. And so we did...and for the next three years we lived in Guinea-Mali-Zambia-Guyana...not knowing if or when we'd ever return to San Francisco.
As Gen's time with Peace Corps in Guyana was nearing its end, I had set up a one-month sublet in Oakland where I worked on finding a place to live in San Francisco. Soon after arriving back in California, I called Shukry, figuring that if our apartment had been available the last time we came back, perhaps it would be available again. No such luck. BUT...the house on the adjoining lot, also Shukry-owned, had an area downstairs that had been used as a storage space, and could be used as an apartment. I can still remember him saying to me, in his Palestinian-Chilean-American accent, "Hmph...you like, you take. You no like, you no take." So I took it.
Then one day I came home from work and saw a white posted note attached to the house with bright blue duct tape. It was a notice from the city inspector's office stating that our apartment was under investigation for possibly being an illegal unit. After several visits by the inspector and several pleas by the landlords to not find it illegal, we were informed that we would have to leave and the apartment's interior would be stripped of all its fixtures. Thinking that SF has strong tenants' rights, I did not worry much until we found out that 1.) we were NOT protected under rent control (as the building had been built post-1980) and 2.) As tenants living in an illegal unit, we had no rights. So we moved out yet again and went to Australia for the summer. We'd worry about finding a new place when we got back.
Gen is ready for her ride to the airport. The small bag has Gen's stuff. The two large bags are filled with my birding equipment, field guides, and camping equipment.
A few days before returning from Australia, I had e-mailed Shukry's daughter, asking her if the city had issued the eviction papers. They hadn't, so I asked her if we could move back in. After speaking with their lawyer, she said that it would be OK, but that we may be evicted at any time. No problem!! That was two years ago!! Either the city forgot, or doesn't really care that we're living here.
So...13 years later and we are leaving again. We plan on being gone through July of 2016 and plan on being homeless upon our return. But if history tells me anything, Gen and I will not be too far away from 363 Bocana St.
After leaving SF, Gen had a harrowing experience checking in. She did not expect to have overweight luggage. She had to scramble and rearranged things to avoid paying for a 3rd bag. After checking in, she had her carry on luggage and a clear plastic for things that did not fit in her carry-on bag. She was assured by the luggage check in clerk that it would be okay. Not! She was denied at the security point of SFO and was told to check her carry-on as it was too big. Ops! She returned to the check in area, silently hoping that she would get help ASAP as she was eyeing the time. Her watch said that she had 10 minutes before boarding. The lady at the counter was helping a family while Gen waited for her turn, trying not to look very impatient and desperate. The lady noticed nevertheless and Gen got the attention she needed. She relayed her story to the lady and told her that she would have to pay $150 for the 3rd bag. Gen invoked the airline manager’s help in waiving the fee by telling the lady helping her that she was on her way to volunteer in Africa. By the way, she had asked the airline’s customer service rep a day before if there was a way to waive a 3rd bag fee. The rep mentioned that she had to ask at the airport’s counter. And so she did and received what she asked!!! Saving $150!!!! After this, she tried to be expedited through security check due to her boarding time. The security lady looked at her boarding pass and assured her that she had time. Looking at her watch, she hoped that the lady was right. She got through security but forgot that she had a small container of unopened peanut butter in her plastic bag carry-on. Sadly, she had to give up that creamy peanut butter. An additional loss, since she had to give up a 500 ml or so shampoo already during the initial check in. However, these losses were nothing compared to the $150 dollar saving! She dragged her plastic bag carry on to Gate 68 after the confiscation of the peanut butter. She found the gate to be deserted and asked a uniformed airline employee nearby if the airplane’s gate had been closed. The response was, “The plane just arrived.” Wow!! What an unexpected outcome. Gen realized then that she had been reading her watch wrongly. Since she just returned from Nicaragua, she thought she had to subtract an hour from what her watch displayed. Whew!!! Her watch was telling the right time after all. Ops! What a stressful start to an adventure.
The plane arrived in Washington, DC at least 30 minutes early. However, Gen had to wait for close to 2 hours before she was able to claim her bags. What a “payment” for having waived the 3rd bag fee. It did get better though since she had a “luxurious” accommodation at St. Gregory Luxury Hotel & Suites. Gen and I are so used to camping and staying at cheap places that what would be normal for a lot of people would be luxury to us. So, for at least 10 days, Gen enjoyed her en suite accommodation in DC while receiving pre-departure orientation for her volunteer job in Uganda. She was able to connect with friends long seen and visited some sights.
