Apartment Dwelling

So I’ve successfully moved into my new apartment. I’m not far from where I used to live, but I’ve a feeling that my life will be significantly different. I’d been living with an older married couple where I paid for room and food and was entirely taken care of. Unfortunately, this also meant entirely dependent which was starting to get to me. I now live in an apartment with two Erasmus students. One’s from Romania, Lucian, and the other from Slovakia, Martin. Martin was actually born in the Czech Republic and then lived in DC for 10 years. They’re both very nice guys, easy to get along with, and helpful in terms of many things excepting cleaning. The apartment was a dump. My room is under control and last week I swept and mopped all the floors but their bedrooms. This stuff I don’t mind so much since it shouldn’t have to be done often and I realize no one person is specifically responsible for it. Tonight I’m going to talk to them about dishes, however. You eat, make dishes, and then wash dishes. Seems like a simple enough system, but apparently not. So far I refuse to wash their dishes, cause I really don’t want to start that habit, but this is the third day for most of the stuff in the sink. It’s in my way, it smells bad, and I need those dishes. So we’re going to have a chat tonight.

I hate being the annoying new guy who makes them change their ways, but I’m trying to start slow. After all, if I’m cleaning public spaces, I can expect them to do their own dishes right? I’ve also started such novel concepts as recycling and shower curtain that closes. I don’t understand how recycling can be so much harder when either way we have to take trash or recycling out to the street and place it in the bin. The recycling bins are about 50m further.

So that’s my complaining, but actually all in all things are good. I enjoy doing real grocery shopping and though it looks like most dishes consist of pasta, beans, or rice plus chicken or pork, I’m not starving yet and things are going well. I also shower, sleep, and eat on my own schedule which is a nice change of pace.

Cleaning did however bring me one nasty surprise. The light fixture on the left side of our mirror in the bathroom…well…it electrocutes you. I kinda brushed it and thought I was crazy at first, but did it again and it definitely electrocutes you. Even with the lights off. I know, what kind of idiot tries it a third time? Reminds me of our fluid taser back in freshmen year (woot Chris and Madge). Going to need to get some caution tape for that...