I felt the wall for the switch, and once I got it and flipped it, the tiny room was flooded with light, but none of that helped. It only bathed me with a sense of disappointment; I could even feel anger churning inside of me, and I released a weary sigh.

The apartment was tiny, just enough space to hold my body, but comfort was far off. The brown, striped wallpaper was peeling at the edges, and I sighed, remembering I had forgotten the glue I needed to fix it. The wooden boards had such poor insulation that whenever the cold crept in, it felt like I was being shipped...