Apartment Rules

Let’s see. More about my apartment.

Rule #1 in my apartment: Don’t drink the water. In some places, it can be contaminated, but there is a filtration system of sorts in place for water coming from the taps. I learned from Glenn that it actually used to be a good system and you could drink the water, but management along the way sacrificed quality (hmm… sound familiar?). The water is fairly clean and chlorinated, but has high levels of iron that can irritate your throat and bodily systems. Now bottled water is a huge industry. I have an 18.9L gallon of “Tropical Mist Pure Artesian Well Water” in my apartment. It cost $2500 (around $12CDN) and can cost anywhere from $1-200 to refill (about $0.50-$1). Worth every penny!

Rule #2: Shower in the morning or night. Why? Because that’s when I have water. My landlady is supposed to be getting me a pump, but currently the water doesn’t work during the day. It’s an experience to turn on the tap and not getting any water, then to remember that it’s 11am and you won’t have any water until closer to dinner time. Water pressure is a fond memory. I like to think that I valued water before, but now I watch every drop.

Rule #3: Look at everything before you eat it, you never know if the ants have found it before you did. Let’s just say I had a bad experience and I don’t want to talk about it. Now I am the ants’ worst nightmare. New sport in the evening: wet paper towel and kill the ants. Follow their paths and spray it with FISH. Probably the best insecticide in the world. Probably not legal in Canada, but it works so I'm not going to question its health effects now.

Rule #4: Know where your flashlight is at all times because you never know when the lights are going to go out. Blackouts are common. I have a flashlight and a head lamp, one in the living room and one beside my bed. Blackouts usually last about half an hour. Fortunately I can still heat water with my gas stove for cooking and have things to keep me busy that don't involve electricity. Very thankful for Nicole's tip for a head lamp. I feel like a miner. It’s kind of crazy how dark the world gets when all the outside and inside lights go out. It gets dark at 6pm here so with a blackout shortly after that it's dark. The first couple of times, I was pretty sure that my fridge, fluorescent light, TV and fan were blowing the power grid. Now I know it will happen regardless of what power I am using because it just happens. My first night, the power went out for half an hour. Phone rings. "Are you afraid of the dark?" Could be incredibly creepy except for it was Mrs Boodie and she really was concerned if I was afraid of the dark and offered for me to come upfront in the house with her.

Rule #5: Don’t be scared of the dog. My landlady didn’t tell me that she had a dog. I “met” him the first night I moved in and he cried outside my window. He has a vicious bark, but is an absolute sweetheart. I guess he is a guard dog because I think she lets him off the chain at night. I was out one morning before Mrs Boodie and Jeff (the dog) met me at the gate, just grinning and wagging his little stub of a tail. Not a vicious guard dog at all. I think it’s because we bonded. Not a fan of the crying at 6am in the morning, but he calms down a bit if I talk to him. I think he's just lonely.

Rule #6: It’s okay, the fans won’t fall out of the ceiling – well, atleast the one in the living room. I don’t like to test the one in the bedroom and now my mosquito net is hanging from it.

That's all the rules for now! Take care.