BazilRacoondog
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Big news from new place
🕑 Added 2022-09-22 16:34:24 +0000 UTCHi everyone. Today's life update is so important I even decided to complete it with visual material which I usually don't do.
First of all, I need to thank all the people who gave me their support, every bit of it was extremely important, even more than I expected, only thanks to it I'm alive now. The last days were insane, a literal hell, I never expected that everything can end like this. I can say that this new chapter of my dramatic life can be called «In Blood and Lies» because there were literal blood and more than literal lies.
Everything started not so bad, pretty much good I can say. You, my kind friends, have gathered a good amount for me. It's 270 USD which is around 16000 rubles, while medium monthly renting price for one room apartments like the ones I lived in past is 8000 rubles + payment for electricity, gas, water and heating in cold season. So, I almost got enough for whole two months. That's what I thought.
Monday
I started to look for an apartment to leave my friends' house at Tuesday as I promised and don't bother them with my presence anymore. The time isn't the best as all the best places are already taken by students in summer so I found only one suitable apartment for 8000. I called the owner, explained that I need to move in right away in Tuesday, don't have any bad habits, don't drink, don't smoke and everything else she wanted to hear from me. We agreed and she said she will wait for me tomorrow to show the place and sign the deal if I really like it. The pictures of that place from the ad are from 1st to 8th.
Tuesday
I woke up at 8 a. M. And left my friends house at 8:50 with a VERY loaded backpack (because they gave me lots of potato to save on food a bit) and a bag with pillows and blanket, the owner warned me that there's no bed sheets at that place and I should take mine. You can see it on a 9th photo. It was a very hard weight to carry for 50 minutes walk through the country road to a bus station. After 1 hour ride I arrived by needed address and… My welcome wasn't really warm to say the least. The owner got an emergency. The room was flooded by the neighbor above. September is a month when the heating season starts, all houses and apartments in Russian cities are equipped with water radiators which are all connected to a centralized system of CHP, a city station which produces electricity and hot water for autumn and winter heating. The neighbor left his home for few days to do some stuff in his village house, the heating was given just few days ago and when it was given something happened to his radiatior, they said the valve broke and the water started to splash in a big fountain. He was out, nobody lived in a room below, today the owner came and she saw a large puddle in the room. They made so much noise sorting things out, the owner was very angry at the neighbor, she was telling him how expensive is her suspended ceiling, how expensive are her new wallpapers and such. A while later we found out that cosmetic problems like soaked wallpapers is the least problem here. Electricity wasn't working at all, all the wiring is wet. Only two lights are working, in a hallway and bathroom, and all the sockets don't work too. So I didn't even have a place to charge my phone. They signed an act of indemnification and called an emergency service, it came in 1 hour and said that nothing can be done with electricity until everything will be fully dried and it should take at least one week. Only then an electrician can start doing repairs.
The owner felt very awkward in front of me. She said I have an option to live here for free without signing any agreement until everything will be fixed. But if I find myself a better place to stay she don't mind, she don't hold me here and not going to evict me just because I have thoughts about leaving. After all, I came here expecting a normal place to stay and found... This. And honestly, looking for a new place is what I did first when she left. I don't mind to live here but if I find anything better or at least the same by same price why should I hesitate and live in a cavern without light and charge my phone at restaurants? And, for the many reasons, I started to feel uncomfy in that place already.
I found an amazing renting ad just in 10 seconds and started to think that the fate have sent me that flood intentionally to dissuade me from that place. The pictures of that place are from 10th to 21st. I suppose it was cheap because it's very far from the center of the city in an industrial region but should I care? I have nothing to do with the center, my town is all the same boring and my work don't obligate me to ride somewhere everyday. The godsend ad was new, posted that day at 12:30, I called the number and asked if I can see the place tomorrow, today I was too tired with all that travelling and flood problems, my feet and back were in a great pain. The person who appeared to be a renting agency agent said we can call each other tomorrow and set a suitable meeting time for us. I was sure in my luck and went to bed with good thoughts that I'll move in in a much better place than I expected.
About the place I was in. You already saw the best sides of it shown in ad. Now it's time for my personal critical review and see the worst sides. Of course I'm not a snob and don't think of myself as some noble person, I lived in even worse conditions and had no complaints, I love decadent aesthetics of very old-fashioned houses but it must be extreme, it must be grotesque and epic. Where everything looks like one composition. Here it's already not a decadent vintage place but not a fully renovated modern place as well. And that big but incomplete attempt to renovate only highlights how ugly and out of place some elements look here. Yes, new suspended ceiling for 20000 rubles, yes, new clean laminate which she asked to not wash with water and move the furniture carefully to not scratch it, yes, new wallpapers. BUT. They didn't even manage to clean the switch from dirt. Fucking amazing wiring. Broken glass in one door. Latch in a bathroom door which don't work because it's covered with 10 layers of paint (Classic problem in old apartments). Both doors could be replaced. Amazing expensive wallpapers contrast with shabby sockets which are probably older than me. Old entresol opens very stiffly and full of some shit anyway. Sink has a crack and it's not mounted, I almost overturned it when leaned on it to look at water counters. Bathtub is not clean as well. And it's a dirt with scale which is hard to clean. And a balcony full of trash as a bonus. You can see it all on pictures from 22nd to 36th. So, I was all tuned to get out of here.
Wednesday
I woke up with alarm clock at 8:00 and first of all I got a nose bleed. Yesterday was very hard and I ate very little. I stopped it and called the agent. He asked more about myself and said he is a bit busy right now and will call me later in the middle of the day. I decided to not waste my time and visit one food court in a center of the city to charge my phone. After sunny Tuesday, Wednesday started with rain and was all gray after, I got wet while reaching the place but still happy, ordered myself a little slice of pizza which was my only meal for the rest of the day, remember it. In 11:00 I charged my phone to 70% when suddenly my room owner called me, said she is in my apartment now and I need to come quick, said I need to find myself some other place. I said I already called an agent and agreed to see one place today. She said "It's your problem. I don't need strangers in the house. I give you your passport back, you give me the keys back, pick your things and find the other place." I was shocked and had no idea what was the reason of such dramatic change of behavior of a person who told me I can live for free until everything will be fixed. I came back, we tried to be polite to each other but she stated on the same thing, there were no way to give me at least one more night. And I haven't heard a single serious excuse for it. She was telling some silly nonsense that she is an old person who can't go here every day, I asked what reason forces her to go here everyday, she said she will worry, there's so much problems with repairs now, so much must be done and strangers will only mess around in such situation. In the end, when I was ready to pick my heavy load on my back she asked me the stupidest question I was just WAITING for as I know that stupid nature of people here. She looked at my bags and said, as if she was caring about me as my own mother, "Oh god, how are you going to carry it all with you now?" That's where I lost my patience and gave the prepared answer. "Do you really care? You don't care where I'm going to spend the night today, I'm more than sure you don't really care either how I'm going to care my things even more." That's all. That's how my relationship with that place came to an end.
I had no way but to ride to that place I was praying for. I know there's bigger cities and mine is just a province but that place was 14 kilometers away, I picked a bus and ride there for 40 minutes. The agent called me when I was halfway from destination point. The road was noisy and I misheard him, I thought he said that "Woman agreed to give a rent" I was so happy, said that I'm already coming there, he probably misheard me as well and put the phone. I came veeeery far to a very edge of the town where I never was before, found the building, called him again and said "I'm here, tell me the apartment number please" He was confused and said "I told you, the woman agreed to rent." He didn't meant the owner. He meant a tenant who agreed to rent. How did they made it so fast? I don't know. I was shocked. Alone, homeless, tired, loaded with weight, god knows where, with no option for a stay. I knew it's not his business and he shouldn't care but I said "I see. The thing is I have no place to spend the night." His answer was "Oh.. I'm sorry. Honestly, even if the place weren't taken, you still would be unable to move in today. The owners are not from this town and they need time to get there. At least tomorrow. So, I'm very sorry." I sat down on a bench in the yard and my nose started to bleed again, bleed very heavily so I couldn't stop it. Remember I ate only a slice of small pizza today, after all the nerves and heavy weight carrying it was expected. I was sitting on a bench in an empty yard, surrounded by gray apartment blocks I never saw before, with my face and hands covered in blood and my head tilted back to stop the blood at least somehow, looking at the gray sky and asking myself "Why? Why me? For what?" My bleeding stopped in 10 minutes and I was finally able to watch more ads. What else I had to do? I found a good looking place for 8000, called the number, a young woman answered. I asked her in a begging manner can I move in TODAY, explained her my situation in few words. She said "Sure, you can, but do you really need this one exactly? We're a renting agency and maybe we can find you something better and cheaper." When I told her my address she said that their office is very close so I can get there in 10 minutes. I looked at myself through the front camera (made picture for you as well) and realized I need to clean myself first and stop my bleeding, found nearest drugstore, bought wet wipes and cotton pads and head to their office. The lady in the office listened to me, asked about my needs, what price I can afford and what items I prefer to have in available apartments, bed, wardrobe, washing machine and such. She found me three places, all of them were described very good, nice conditions and everything I need. One place is 7000+communal services, the other is 9000 but it already includes communal services but it's almost the same, also a whole house in a center of the town for 6000 from a very good owner who owns many houses for rent and the one from the ad through which I called them, just in case. It all sounded extremely good, I thought it's some miracle, a complete house for 6000 while it was usually impossible to find even a one room apartment for 8000 in a center. Their service costed 4000, I was already prepared for it as commission fee from agency provided renting ads was usually mentioned on ad sites. First of all, I thought I need to reach the center and move from there. But on the way I got a thought to place my things somewhere because my back and feet were FALLING APART already and I just couldn't continue walking throughout the town with it. Fortunately, I remembered that I'm in a good relations with one of the town's libraries in which I made few art exhibitions. And fortunately, the bus I picked was riding through it. Librarians listened to my story and agreed to hold my things for few hours while I'll be looking these apartments. And that's where lame stuff began. Very lame stuff which smelled more and more suspicious as I was investigating it. I called first number. A man took the phone, I asked is he the one who rents out that place on (address). He answered with a very unpleasant discouraging tone as if I asked him something stupid or owe him money «Yes. What do you need there? It has no renovation. No washing machine.» I stood shocked and didn't know what to say. He said nothing more as well and put the phone. «Okay…» I thought. «It's a very «good» start already.» I called the other number for 8000. No response. I called another. By my expectations, if one number in my agreement was marked as «Houses», one was already crossed out and the last one is the one from the ad by 8000, this one must be for 9000 including communal services, not bad. A middle age woman with a much nicer voice picked the phone and said she can show me the place. I came there, she showed me everything. Amazing place, nothing to complain about, even better than anything I could expect. I asked the price. She said 10000 PLUS communal services which is about 12000 a month in total. Well, it was expected. I told her my honest story about these days, the agency, about what they told me and how they introduced me her apartment with a lower price. She sighed and said «That's how renting agencies work… I'm realtor myself and I'm already sick of them myself for my personal professional reasons.» We agreed to keep in touch, I already felt that this place is my last chance to survive, no matter how expensive it is. All that rotten agency stuff have showed itself in all its glory and I had no hopes for the last available options. I called the house owner, the one which they claimed should take 6000 a month. The only question he asked is "How many people are going to move in?" When I said one he said "I don't give rent to one person. My prices are too high." That's all. The end. The time was 17:30 already, I was cold, hungry and it was getting dark. I knew what my fate wants from me. I tried to look through some more cheap ads from one popular advertising site. 6 numbers - nobody picked up, 4 numbers - wrong number, 1 number - short beeps. I understood it's some other lame thing and that I need to save my life, not my money. I called that realtor lady, the only real person for today, said that I'm agree and need one hour to pick my things from library and get there. She was okay, called the owners, we met, signed everything and now I'm here. Safe and sound. So, after all my cheerful expectations, my money was bearly enough for everything. 4000 for that fucking agency, 1000 was already wasted these days for food, wet wipes and several rides through all the city and now I have only 1000. Sigh, that place is really good of course. Even too good for my needs. You can see the last pictures. If I had something simpler but cheaper I would be no less or maybe even more happy. I have to work hard to keep renting that place. And speaking of which, for now all my stuff is at my mother's home who're in a tour with her theatre in the other city. She was going to get back at Sunday but today she said I will probably be able to pick my things at Saturday. Only then I can start scanning and doing all my usual work. For now I have a couple days to take a rest from all that nightmare and maybe draw at least something on paper.
That's all folks. My congratulations to everyone who managed to read all that novel to the very end. And thanks again to everyone who supported me and literally saved my life with that help.
Comments
Duncan
Wow, really been a chaotic past week for you. I am glad you are in a place now though! One that is very nice as well! Wishing the best for you. You’ve already been through enough.
