Rude Awakening

I've actually been awake since about 6:50am. I was awake in time to bid Arielle good morning on my way to the bathroom before she headed out to class. The construction, once again, was what woke me up. They are putting in the cement to the foundation now as I type. That actually didn't bother me so much though. I had almost gotten used to it but I am beginning to miss the college area for it's house parties and screaming college students. That's quiet compared to this.

I headed back to bed to snooze and watch some TV on my computer via our slingbox. I was eating cheese and some leftover corn bread from the other night when we had met up with Torah High girls for dinner at the Village Green. At one point I looked up and thought I saw a shape go past the window. I thought nothing of it though because perhaps my eyes were playing tricks on me.

The noise outside was rather loud at this point. I had the volume up on the 11pm news from San Diego that was broadcasting live on this Israeli morning. Suddenly, I noticed the living room got a bit brighter. I looked through the doorway and saw OUR FRONT DOOR OPEN!!!!!!!!!

"Arielle?" I cried out, thinking she perhaps came back from classes early. No answer. I got up and pushed the door open some more to look into the living room where Arielle had been sleeping last night. No one. Now I was pissed.

I grabbed the empty Pringles container as if that was to be my weapon to murder the intruder with (in retrospect, that was a rather stupid weapon) and proceeded cautiously to the bathroom and then the kitchen. No one there, thankfully.

Now I was thinking maybe one of the Arabs from the construction site thought they might be able to come in and take a break or something and then heard me yell and bolted. That pissed me off even more. I threw on clothes and a snood and ran outside looking for the perp. I went and closed the shudders to the windows and walked around the outside of the apartment on the balcony. No one.

I went towards the stairs and there, standing was a woman who was tzniusly dress, wearing a tichel. She had a phone and a book. Turns out, this was the cleaning lady. She told me we were supposed to be out by today and that she was sorry. She said she knocked (who could hear that with cement trucks outside) and then when no one answered she figured the place was empty. Well, it wasn't.

We are paid here until Monday. There is no excuse for this. Apparently, there was a mix up. After a few moments of confusion, it has become clear that the paperwork got mixed up and they thought we were the people downstairs. I'm not a happy camper.

Not only is this place filthy, not only is the bathroom straight from Ukraine, not only is it totally not what the photographs looked like online, not only is there a construction site literally on our doorstep that no one warned us about, but now we have people barging in. The only thing I really am thankful for is that Arielle wasn't still asleep when this happened because I wouldn't want her to be freaking out when a stranger just opens the door.

Naturally, we called the people in charge of the apartments and they apologized profusely. I think they should give us our money back, at least in part, personally. No dice, of course.