Wednesday 13 August 2008

Leaking walls & cigarette butts - schifo

I am very much over Rome at the moment. The heat, the fact the there are still so many cars on the road when the city should be near empty, the pollution, the lack of open space, being so far from the sea... and to top it all off the work men upstairs are doing something which causes water and bits of rock to fall somehow into my new apartment...

The other day a good size rock somehow fell through an open space in the ceiling corner, and I am sure they heard my shrieking out to the bel ragazzo as they promptly stopped whatever they were doing. Water was trickling down the wall this morning and now there are 2 nice size stains on the wall. We don't care as it is not our apartment, but all our work boxes are in that room piled up against the wall, not to mention the lap top and printer.

Bel ragazzo went up to speak with the workers, but they claim not to be using water (ah..hello...we can see it and hear it!)

Just now I went onto my private (a.k.a very exposed) cortile as more water was pouring down the wall, and I found 8 cigarette butts on the floor! 8! 1 is an accident, 2 dropping down is just clumsy, 3...I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but 8. Someone is smoking then throwing their butts into our cortile. Filthy pigs.



I am so angry I want to go and confront them, but bel ragazzo says it is just 2 Romanian's working today and the Italian boss is not there. It doesn't matter where they are from, but bel ragazzo spoke to the Romanian's before who said there was no water when clearly there was...so we think it's best to wait for the capo.

Also I need proof. I am writing this post close to the door so I can check at regular intervals on the cigarette butt status. I cannot just go and accuse them as they will deny it. Maybe it is not even then, but some other filthy pig who lives in the block. I am very impatient though, and unlike my bel ragazzo I love a bit of confrontation!

So now I am trying to be calm, trying to remind myself that tomorrow at midnight I will be boarding a bus for Calabria and then spending a few days in Malito for the Ferragosto weekend. I may even be visiting some fellow Calabrese bloggers while I am there...

7 comments:

Leanne was in Italy now in Australia said...

Hi Romerican,
I *knew* you would share my anger! I sort of guessed that you too enjoy a good confrontation!

Fern Driscoll said...

Hi Leanne... pity about the cigarette butts. The Romanians who did some work for us also smoke and also flipped their butts wherever was convenient when they were working. We simply asked them not to do it anymore and they stopped. I don't think it had every occurred to them that some might find it offensive. Now they put them out on the ground and put the butts in their pockets. Wonder who does the laundry?

Leanne was in Italy now in Australia said...

Hi Fern Driscoll,
If only I can catch someone 'in the act' I will go and have words with them... It may be as simple as you say - they don't realise they are bothering anyone with their actions.

Monika said...

Oh my gosh, some people are so disgusting and thoughtless.
YUK.

On the bright side hope you have a WONDERFUL holiday.

Leanne was in Italy now in Australia said...

Hi Monika,
Some people really are just so unthoughtful!

Kim B. said...

Yuck, no fun! I hope they will respond to your entreaties to the capo. Good luck!

Leanne was in Italy now in Australia said...

Hi Kimb,
Thanks for the good luck vibes! As of today I have still not seen any cigrette butts so maybe they heard me carrying on the other day after all!