The Neighbors

The first night I was here, I was talking with Yara, and she said, “Spanish people are LOUD.” She wasn't kidding. I don't live on a quiet street. It's short, only a block long, but the whole street basically is apartments, and lots of cars come and go all day and lots of the night. People walk by my window, which opens on to the street. Thankfully, it's a little higher than head-level.

The neighbors across the street are the worst. One is like a Spanish Gladys Kravitz (the nosy neighbor from Bewitched). She literally looks in our windows, not even trying to be discreet about it. And then we can hear her talking about us! She had a grandson that appears to be her babysitting charge on weekdays, and he is LOUD. He likes to stand on the balcony, which I can see from my bed, and shout about anything and everything.

Then there's Puking Guy. Somebody, somewhere in that apartment complex pukes, several times a day, every day. It sounds like a male, and it doesn't seem to happen according to any specific time of day, so I don't think it's a daily hangover. It's pretty disgusting. It goes on and on, and just when you think it's stopped... he pukes again. Maybe he has some debilitating illness and i'm being really awful by being grossed out, but it is gross.

And there are barking dogs, and the unnecessarily loud European scooters... This is not what i'm used to!

The cool thing about the building across the street is the metal shutters. We have them too - you use a strap next to the window to raise and lower them. In France, the ones in my apartment had an electric button, like a lightswitch. I suppose it's too keep it dark in the room during the summer when the European sun rises so early and stays out so late, or during siesta time. But what's fun is that across the street, people seem to raise and lower them about the same time in every apartment. So there's this funny symphony of shutters clacking up and down, depending on what time of day it is. More noise, yes, but intensely amusing.

The good news is, i've found wireless access from the house. On the roof! And it only seems to be in one specific spot. We'll see how long it lasts... and how long I can tolerate the mosquitoes... I may have to resort to the Pringle "Cantenna".