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| Photo by Alvin Engler on Unsplash |
Welcome back to the Ultimate Blog Challenge! Almost done...
Today's assignment is to write a post explaining a day in the life (on the weekend) of what you do! I did a post of that kind last weekend.
This Sunday we are invited to celebrate the 80th birthday of my husband's uncle, and therefore we need to leave early and will return late.
In the meantime, here's a pre-written post that you may find entertaining.
I came across this a while ago in an expat group, and I was shocked and amused at the same time. It is about neighborly disputes and the way they are being handled.
Sadly it is common practice to leave passive-aggressive notes on the community board of an apartment building complaining about trifles.
Popular topics are the Waschordnung, the order in which people are allowed to use the (shared) laundry room. Petty neighbors will push aside the laundry of the person who washed before them on the clothesline and leave a note saying "you've exceeded your time."
Or they will write "next time don't forget to remove the junk from the lint filter."
Other points of controversy are bicycles and strollers having been left anywhere else as in they designated spots and therefore allegedly blocking the entrance.
This particular incident happened somewhere in Germany, which is my neighbour country, but it could just as well have been in Switzerland, where I live.
I don't understand how it is possible to spoil a peaceful coexistence by not speaking directly to each other, but preferring to pin notes on the bulletin board.
So this lady was out of the country for a few days. Upon her arrival she discovered that one of the neighbors had put a cute wagon outside her front door, and someone questioned why they had to leave it in the hall.
Did they ring the bell and ask the person directly?
No.
They pinned the following anonymous message to the board:
"Is this wagon now to become a permanent exhibition? Don't you have a basement compartment?"
The person responsible replied (and I sense there must be previous history):
- "I will no longer respond to such rude, anti-social and arrogant messages. Feel free to contact us!"
- I am for the permanent exhibition, thank you!
- Come on, this is reason to be happy – with kids in the house, things will become lively around here!
- Hello - strollers are allowed in the hallway. Leave it there!
- Why does there have to be so much grumbling here? Leave these people alone! A neighbor
- We also do not find this vehicle disturbing in the least - nice to see there are expressions of solidarity!
- The wagon is not even in the way, so it is not a trip hazard. I would maybe put some flowers in there for decoration! (Looks like the wagon lady did just that)
- My favourite note is the one simply saying #LOL
If you think these kinds of quarrels only happen in apartment buildings, think again.
Unfortunately these neighbourly disputes also happen between home owners. The most famous one that I know about happened in 1999, and it was about a "Maschendrahtzaun", a wire mesh fence.
Zindler vs Trommer was a case that was brought before a reality TV judge, and it was about a firecracker shrub growing rampantly on the defendant's property, which was damaging the plaintiff's chain-link fence.
The judge ultimately dismissed the case, but to the plaintiff's chagrin, the entire nation was now laughing at her, and what's worse, night show host / comedian Stefan Raab picked up on it and composed a song using her original word "Maschendrahtzaun", which she pronounced In her Saxon dialect.
Watch for yourself if you like. The introduction is in German, but if you turn on the subtitles, you can read what he says. The song will be in English, except "Maschendrahtzaun".
Stefan's song was topping the charts for 15 weeks in all German speaking countries, and from then on, when referring to an annoying neighbour, people would often say "you know they're sort of like the Maschendrahtzaun lady." ;-)
Can you in any way relate? Would you be able to share a laundry room? What's your relationship with your neighbors?
I hear from my friends children who live in apartment buildings that there are frequent squabbles over laundry room etiquette
ReplyDeleteI get on OK with both my immediate neighbours. Unfortunately, my landlord is not so great. He has a bad habit of sending passive-aggressive messages via e-mail. It would be nice if people just got along.
ReplyDeleteI only shared a laundry room during my first year in college. I got a car my second year and took my clothes over to my grandmother's house for her to wash. Before you frown at me, she had spoken to my father and insisted that I bring my clothes over. She wanted me to visit regularly (I was the main grandchild that lived in the area) and this was the way she came up with. I enjoyed it -- we would watch the Young and the Restless together and she would make me teacakes to take back to school.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, I always got apartments with washers in the unit. No sharing!
Wow, some of these are funny! But silly, too. I've never lived in an apartment complex where anyone complained about a wagon, but where I am now, they do leave notes on each other's cars related to parking issues. So far, I have never been involved in a note exchange and I hope I never will be unless it's a positive one.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just apartment buildings! We live in a 98 home community and while must homeowners get along great with each other, we seem to have the habitual complainers about silly stuff. Since I'm the president of our association, I'm the one who has to try to settle these issues with a smile! LOL
ReplyDeleteTamara, thanks for a fantastic post! I have my own great washer/dryer, and noise is the only issue between neighbors here. The way Stefan Raab took the fence/bush story and ran with it is delightful! I have forgotten almost all my German, but I will be rolling " Maschendrahtzaun" around in my mind for months!
ReplyDelete