Communal Living

I thought I’d fill you in on my hostelling experience.

My hostel is actually great – very clean, and a good location – on a pretty quiet street, just off a main one, and near stations and metro stops. The bathrooms are spotless, we have lockers, and I’m in a room at the top of the building, in the top bunk. I haven’t slept in bunk beds for years.

Everyone seems very nice and respectful and quiet in my room. I’m wondering if they stuck all the oldest people together at the top, guessing htat we’d want peace and quiet. They were right. Everyone speaks in whispers the whole time.

There’s the uber-friendly Trish, who is Canadian, and knows where everyone is from, and what they do – even the security guard. I’m not sure how she knows he’s a security guard, because she doesn’t speak any other languages, and I’m not sure that he speaks English.

The security guard of unknown origin (Trish left before we asked her that part) is the standout as being less friendly and respectful, but maybe that’s related to the language barrier. Trish has since been replaced by an uber-friendly Estonian, so maybe she’ll find out.

There’s Lena, (it weirds me out every time I say her name), who speaks fluent Farsi, Spanish, and English, yet seems very impressed with my three words of German. We’ve been sightseeing together for the last few days. She’s vegetarian, and gives me oranges every day. She left this afternoon, and left me a lovely note and another orange. Let’s all give Lena a hand for preventing me from getting scurvy.






(This is Lena and me at the market.)






There’s Marios, who is Greek. He very nicely went over and told the security guard of unknown origin to turn off his mobile when it went off in the middle of the night and he just sat looking at it and not turning it off for like 30 seconds! At 4 in the morning! Despite me saying twice "will you please turn that OFF?" He also gently poked the security guard of unknown origin in the ribs when he kept snoring at glass shattering volume. Seriously, I started getting concerned about whether or not the building met appropriate seismic code. I’ve never heard snoring like it. Let’s all thank Marios for Lena getting any sleep at all last night.

A very nice Bulgarian couple, who were replaced with a very nice French couple, who I assume will be replaced by a very nice Belgian couple in a day or two.

Then there’s me, who people probably think of as the overly modest girl, as I’m the only one who goes to the bathroom every time I change my shirt. We all know I have a good reason for that, but I’m also doing my bit to reinforce our uptight British image. I also smell of oranges all the time.






Me working in the hostel. See how happy I look to be working? Marios took this; he likes taking pictures when he's not making security guards be quiet.