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Welcome to the Embassy Resident Process - expectation setting
Thank you so much for your interest in living at the Embassy. We have written this document after years of noticing that we, at times, can let people down who are hoping to live here, by failing to explain what our process is actually like, and managing expectations. We know that moving house is extremely stressful, and housing instability is terrible, and it is our hope that this document goes some way to preparing you for this process, such that our process interferes with your life as little as possible.
#1 We are slow
Moving into the embassy is more like getting into a long term relationship than a shared house. We are not just accepting residents, we are also committing to financial, legal and domestic shared lives together. This means that what we call housemate applications are often in practice, more like starting a relationship together. We ideally like to have multiple meetings also.
Time frames can be faster but we are aiming for a roughly one month process, but sometimes it can take longer due to the large number of people and circumstances. . As a result we are not a good option if you are in a time sensitive moment. It’s also important to us that folks are choosing the Embassy because it’s what we all actively want, not because of urgency. (However if you are in need of something time sensitive, we are happy to help you find some other options! See also point number 4, below, for those who might consider staying in the short term because the long term process is too much of a hassle 🙂).
#2 We often make promises that we fail to keep on timelines
Hence we are writing this document ahead of time. Our eagerness often means we (individually) want to move faster than we (as a collective beast) are able to. Even if someone tells you we can get a decision to you in a short time frame, please understand that while this is possible, it is also unlikely.
#3 Meeting residents takes some time
Pre-covid, we would host a dinner or two and that was how we all got to know each either (Mutually so). Now we are all in different places and on different time zones, and so we use Zoom to maximize the chance of meeting the most people, as well as finding a time(s) for you to come to the house of course.
#4 For people who are already staying in the house
We ask people to apply to live long term at the embassy, only after they have ended their short term stay and are no longer staying at the house. This is to protect all parties. In the past people have expressed that it hurt to have a no delivered whilst they are in the house, and it left them feeling awkward. The house has also found it hard to make a clear decision, because the status quo is so strong. Once someone is already in the house, things often feel easy, but that is not the intentional decision making processes that we strive to make in building this community. This ask is imperfect in many ways, we realise that, but we have not found a better solution yet.
#5 It’s an N-way street
The process is not just for current residents to meet you, but you to meet them. The selection process is not about being “chosen” or “good enough” but is genuinely about all of us, including you, feeling into chemistry, shared aspirations and values, and an intentional balance of growth and comfort. We try to ask “What does this emergent creature that is the Embassy, need? How would we like it to grow and evolve?” rather than simply “Would I hang out with this person as a friend?” They are often quite different.
We wish we had a faster, more efficient way of doing things but until then, we hope that this description of how we are (not necessarily how we wish to be), serves as some emotional and logistical preparation.