Seeking solace in a storm of noise: When home becomes the loudest place, and peace feels like a distant dream.
Taking a break from work has been a long-time dream, more specially now I am taking observing my holiday. I intend to make this holiday a memorable one.
And I do not need any pieces of noise, creams and all of those scenes. Because I was stressed beyond my strength.
But no. My neighborhood wouldn't let me have this rest. The nature of work I do is a cleaner, and I am still sharing and leaving in a compound.
I have been more concerned about this day off. At first was skeptic about taking this leave letter from my boss because of some reason wish I will share here.
Because each time I talk about it with people, it seems I am not making sense of the hole situation and I need to talk about it.
I live in a public space, with neighbors, adults neighbors to say. These people are leaving with different understanding.
Are noisy environments not pollution? Have you ever had a day to rest after stress and some individuals are disturbing that peace?
And you would never have that resting time anytime soon?
That is the situation I am facing in the neighborhood I am leaving right now. Is this not supposed to be on a mutual quietness for people to have conversations in public space in the manner it doesn't affect others' peace of minds in the same premise?
It irritates me a lot when people try to disturb and take away other's peace of mind, to satisfy their cravings.
I don't think the people I am leaving with are on the same both page as I am. This is the issue I have tried to call for a compound meeting where I lodge that complaint.
Yet, it grew worse each day. I am angry about it because I hardly spend my time at home. I move out of school and when I am back, I go to one.
And all these carry it owns noise and trouble, which is understandable because it is what comes with hustling and staying in a crowded place of more than five hundred persons.
But it gets me offended each time, I take that one day off to rest. And I end up only getting disturbed by adult neighbors I am living with. Who are either playing music so loudly in a hot sunny weather or engaging in a frivolous argument in the middle of the compound at an odd hour of the night.
This gets me so much, sometimes I wonder if I pay lesser of what they pay. If this is done in their rooms and apartments, I think I wouldn't affect me much.
But extremely putting up this attitude, sometimes they argue and make noise until 12 am midnight. I basically leave the house as early as 5 am.
So imagine coming back from work to see a group of people, seated together making noise, until late midnight. This is so annoying.
My Landlord, has to lodge the complaints too, but to no avail. Is it right that when people pay for rent, they should disturb the peace of other neighbors in this manner?
Like I said, I am not against people having times with others, but isn't there a way to do this without disturbing the neighbors the next neighbor leaving in closet?
I feel, the exhibition of this attitude, this is not right. At first, the tenancy and Landlord document prohibited this attitude. Stated it clearly that everyone in the neighbor should respect the sanity of other neighbors living in the compound.
This is fundamentally wrong, I find it difficult to sleep. They come to my window side to tenaciously make this noise.
How have self dignity and respect for other people's privacy have become something that is no longer valuable in today's society?
These same people would come with their friends, and form a round table of noisemakers all over the compound.
I am not against hosting a guest, but how loud they are in their frivolous conservation is my problem. Talking about it here, would be the only place where I might understand my polite.
I am still leaving there because I don't have enough money at now to move out, but I am going to relocate, as soon as the money gets my hands.
This is totally insane. Image that I leave that early and still keep the compound clean. Just yesterday, I came these adults have mess-up the entire place with trash.
Even when it is time to pay for utility bills, they keep making issues, meanwhile they spend more time at home than I do.
With all this, I don't complain, but it got to a point, I decided I wouldn't take that responsibility anymore. I feel being the only person who acts sane in a public compound makes me to feel am used.
Last month, utility bills, such as electricity bills, which is what we pay every month to remain on the grid line. Could you believe they don't pay until our line is being disconnected?
I buy premium gas to run the water that everyone uses, including their friends and other of their guests.
Without complaining, but I was so angry yesterday for coming back home, after pumping three GP tanks of water.
When I became back from work that same night, so tired and rushed to my bathroom only for me to on my top bath, to discover that there was no water is the tank.
I slept without taking a bath and a wash of myself, tell me what could be so devastating than that?
It means they fetched and reserve it in their apartments. I am not leaving there with my family, but I am suffering like one who is raising and taking care of family responsibility.
So feel some humans need a reorientation of their public mindset. Because I feel some people are some kind of uncultured to leave with other people's neighborhood.
My landlady is not even improving things too on her side. I hate when people exploit on other's pockets to meet their needs without considering the financial consequences on the people they are melted with that dubious lifestyle.
Each time the electricity utility bills are served, my landlady would get the bills and keep it to herself without letting us know how much we are supposed to pay.
So one day I was so lucky to return from school, just on my arrival the Nigeria electricity power holdings staff, were just leaving my compound.
I thought that was an opportunity to declare my doubts if I am wrongly perceiving my landlady. So I went to the backup, where they are instructed to keep the bill to read through the current vat charges.
Trust me, it was unbelievable to know that we are paying three times what the original current bills is.
I thought of an open confrontation on this particular matter, but the tenants are just a tank of problems on their part of behavior.
Humans are bent by some ethical rules but when these rules become a concern to others then it what complaining about, just as helpless as I am.