It looks like I'll be on the move again—heading to a different apartment in Kazan. When she picked me up at the bus station on Thursday, Lolla explained to me that she had in fact sold the apartment, though she didn't know when exactly the new owner would want me out (she'd warned me this might happen). Yesterday I learned that I'd have to leave on Monday, although Lolla knew a woman who would be willing to rent a room to me in her apartment. This was fine as a back-up plan, but since I prefer to live alone I called a number of old contacts and found a place to live on Esperanto Street. Indeed, I've lived in this apartment before, when I rented it from a woman named Marina in the summer of 2006. Now I'll be able to stay there for two weeks, since Marina has sold this apartment and the new owner will take possession on September 1.


It's good to be back on Esperanto Street

Indeed, everyone appears to be selling their apartment these days. For years the housing market was booming in Kazan, and everyone expected the bubble to burst at any moment. The bubble hasn't burst, but the boom has stabilized somewhat, which I think is why a lot of people are selling—including the place on Esperanto, four of the five apartments I've rented in this city have been sold in the last two years.

My own plans after September 1 are up in the air. I had originally planned on flying from Moscow to Tbilisi in early September, something which is no longer possible. Now I'm looking into changing my ticket back to Istanbul (I currently have a return ticket for October 14, but could perhaps head back there in September). If things settle down in Georgia in the next week or so, perhaps I will still go there, flying from Moscow to either Baku or Yerevan, then traveling to Tbilisi by train or bus. It's all a little complicated right now.