As I mentioned when we moved into the apartment, we have been expecting new neighbors downstairs. The people there had told us they had sold the house, and that they were moving out shortly. It seems the new tenants arrived this weekend. The details about their housing price were sketchy, but confirms what we already suspected: We got a good deal on our place.
The only other fact I know about the family living downstairs is that there are five children living with the couple. Four of their own kids, and the woman’s sister’s child as well. They told my wife they had moved from the same apartment block we had moved from, across the street, to a floor below us. They had picked their first floor new apartment because they didn’t want to worry about neighbors complaining about their children running and jumping on the floor. They had problems with neighbors calling the security guard and complaining. Now no one lives below them, and they are subject to our footsteps and occasionally barking dog.
I think another thing they might have based their decision on is the apartment playground directly outside, visible from their apartment windows. They can send their children out to play and watch from inside without having to go outside. I have a sneaking suspicion this is the case because usually the playground is nearly deserted in the day, but today, when I wanted to take a nap, there were children screaming and running around outside constantly.
It could be a coincidence that the father was home, hammering picture frames into the concrete wall so loudly the floor of our apartment shook, and the children were all outside making noise, but perhaps not. To be honest, it was my fault for not closing the both veranda windows, packing my ears with plugs, stuffing my head under a pillow, and trying to ignore the sounds of children screaming while they went down the slide and played on the swings. We knew the playground equipment was in front of our house when we bought it, but normally no one uses it.
I picked a bad day for a nap is all.
I’m sure they’ll be grumbling too if Yoshi wakes up their kids when there is a lightning storm, so we’ll just have to call a truce and work on soundproofing the bedroom a little better.
