There’s a Hole in my Bucket….. Groundhog Day…. We’re not in Kansas Anymore, Part 1
Sometimes things go wrong. It happens. But when it happens here, it’s a reminder that despite Israel’s reputation in Hi-Tech and gastronomy, this is the Middle East.
Two months ago I had a problem with the windows in my house. I couldn’t open them. The closing mechanism had disintegrated and someone needed to forcefully remove and replace the old catches. I knew that it would take forever for my landlord to fix them. I knew this because in December I had had a different problem with a window. I had returned home to find that the daylight through my living room window had been obliterated by a solid roof covering my rear neighbour’s little yard. My landlord’s response: “Don’t worry, there are lots of windows in my house.”
Now I had lost two more. This time I was more aggressive. Someone had to come immediately to sort out the problem.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re lovely people, my landlord who lives like a king in Thailand on the rent I pay, his sister who gets to sort out any issues with his house, his brother-in-law who scratches his chin in confusion at things he’s supposed to fix before calling someone else to help, his brother-in-law’s brother who gets called in next, his brother-in-law’s brother’s friend…. but meanwhile it’s like Groundhog Day here.
The morning starts with an exchange of messages.
“When are you going to fix the windows?”
“I have to find someone to fix the problem – I’m looking – it’s difficult” (usually) or “He’s on his way” (on a good day) or “I have a new grandchild so not today” (on a less good day) or “You can do it yourself – it’s easy” (on a bad day).
Then I wait. Or at least I used to. These days I carry on with whatever I have to do and know that nobody will turn up. I’ll usually get a message later saying that someone was on the way but something happened.
Sometimes, just occasionally, someone will turn up. That someone is the brother-in-law. With a friend or relative or just on his own. Even if I’ve been told that they’ve found an expert. They’ll fiddle around, make a mess, break a kitchen knife or two trying to force the windows open, then leave telling me they need to find an expert.
So after six weeks I was still getting nowhere. I came home one day to find water seeping out from the wall, right by my front door. It seemed to be coming from under the house. I sent the landlord and his sister (to save time) a video and said that the windows weren’t the only problem. This one could be really serious.
……. to be continued.
The author left her comfortable London lifestyle for Tel Aviv because she was looking for challenges. She found them in abundance. And has no regrets. You can find out more about how she pays for her less than luxurious existence these days here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/acupofenglishtlv/services/
