Apartment Problems

I am tired of my apartment.  It's brand new and has so many problems.

Problem #1

The most annoying problem right now is that the apartment upstairs leaks into the apartment downstairs.  How is that possible?  Sometimes I get some of the water dripping into my kitchen but not always.  To make the situation more annoying the people downstairs won't talk to the people upstairs.  So every time it leaks I get the Chinese man (from downstairs) pounding on my door with a lit cigarette wanting me to call my landlord to talk to the people upstairs.
My last apartment was leaking into the apartment below.  So, this is a very common problem.  I know by now not to ask why in China.

Problem #2

The smell!  Every apartment / bathroom smells in China.  They have not figured out how to make the proper S pipe so that the sewer smell doesn't come back up.  It's gross.  But my apartment has extra smells that I haven't been able to figure out.  I think the other smells come in the window, mostly when it's open, but sometimes when it's closed.

Problem #3

The amount of dirt that accumulates even with the windows shut.  In order to keep up with it I would need to clean every other day.  It has probably been a month or so since I dusted my bookshelf and this is what I found when I moved the books.

Problem #4

The vent and light above the stove top only worked for 5 months.  This is actually the least of my worries but it just shows how cheaply made everything is in China.

Problem #5

The washer.  I HATE doing laundry.  The washer I have isn't quite manual but nearly.  You have to turn on and off the water.  At first I didn't realize this and had quite a mess on my hands.  After the clothes wash in the left side you have to drain the water and then put the clothes in the right side to spin.  Sometimes the washer goes crazy and jumps itself all the way around.  Now the tube to the water tap is broken and I have to hold the tube while filling up the washer. It still leaks all over the place and it's pretty boring standing there for 5 minutes while the washer fills up.

 

 

 

Problem #6

The walls are thin and you hear everything.  Even what people do in the bathroom.

Problem #7

This isn't actually a problem but it is pretty funny.  There was no room in the kitchen so the refrigerator is in the 2nd bedroom.  Good thing I didn't want a roommate.

 

Problem #8

I'm not sure what exactly this problem is but remember my mop??


Most of these are very small annoyances and hardly important.  My landlord is the kindest Chinese man I have met here.  He's so patient with my Chinese.   He has allowed me to rent an actually great apartment for an incredibly cheap price.  He didn't ask for a security deposit.  I broke my lease with no problems. He said I don't even have to clean when I move out.  So when I think about it like that I am forever grateful for this apartment - the smells, the mushroom, the washer, and all.