Wow. Just wow. You've basically managed to reinforce just about any stereotype of an ignorant, unprepared American who shouldn't even be trying to live abroad.
This quote says it all:
> The building looked like a century old, fourth floor with no elevator (seems to be the norm almost everywhere)
BTW, one of the first things you should figure out when relocating is how the local housing market works, otherwise you will get screwed. Guess what: it works the same way the other way around (what do you think a European will experience if they try to move to NYC unprepared?).
This quote says it all:
> The building looked like a century old, fourth floor with no elevator (seems to be the norm almost everywhere)
BTW, one of the first things you should figure out when relocating is how the local housing market works, otherwise you will get screwed. Guess what: it works the same way the other way around (what do you think a European will experience if they try to move to NYC unprepared?).