Got excited too soon

Well, the Pride Parade got rained on. It wasn't pouring rain, but the type that sticks around for the whole day. The Parade was still festive with (as expected) lots of skin, but it wasn't as fun as it could have been on a sunny day. I think the real surprise was the new apartment, which turned out to be a 70 square foot room with a stained couch and a rickety table, on which stood a microwave and a hot plate. The bathroom was no bigger than a powder room, except there was a spray nozzle from the sink I'm supposed to take showers from. The "landlord" lived in the same apartment, which strangely has both a separate entrance and a locked door directly to this room. He was full of tattoos and his gaze suggested he might have been on a bit of an influence. The last thing he said to me was "if anyone asks, tell them we're friends" in broken English. As we departed, I told the nice IAESTE Stockholm member who accompanied me that my minimum standards are a teeny bit higher for 3500kr a month (about $600 CAD). So, the alternatives would be to stay at my current place in an extra room for a while longer (I haven't seen my landlord in weeks, but he's a very nice man who I really don't expect to throw me on the curb), and in the long term, get a private room in a hostel with half the expense covered by IAESTE (or so I'm told). I'm glad I didn't buy a bus pass. My only regret is I didn't take some pictures before I left, since I think this was a very interesting highlight in my experience in Sweden so far. Regardless, suddenly I feel a lot warmer and fuzzier about my current place.