Artist: Lukas Quietzsch
Exhibition title: Makel und Schimpf
Venue: Schiefe Zaehne, Berlin, Germany
Date: April 21 – May 22, 2017
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Schiefe Zaehne, Berlin
Ok, I’m just going to post this here, because I’m so annoyed!
First of all: I am moving out on SAT and am super happy about it and that’s why I’m definitely not cleaning any dirty dishes, even if they all start smelling, because I AM SOON OUT OF HERE!
What I would really like to know is if any of you feel the same way. This is my 4th shared flat and in no other shared flat have I ever experienced so many problems in the washing up department. We are 4 people (2m, 2f), when I first moved in everything worked out: after max. 1-2 days I washed my stuff up including everything else around. It would’ve been silly to leave just one glass behind because it’s not mine. 1 roommate would do the dishes right after cooking, and do all of them. Sometimes the other roommate would wait a couple of days but then he’d also clean up. (It was definitely still acceptable.). Unfortunately that guy moved out and this other guy moved in and immediately threw a housewarming party (He was only subletting.) and left everything out for over a week. Until the other roommate washed it all up because it bugged him so much. It bugged me too, a lot actually, but I didn’t see why I should have to clean up after this guy. In retrospect I wonder if the stuff would have still be left out 2 months later…
Meanwhile my female roommate has become the biggest problem: since 3 months now she’s had a new boyfriend and only comes over to sleep and cook. So they come over and cook, eat in the living room and leave everything out. Everyone was too nice to complain, in hindsight this was a mistake, I know. The other roommate grinds his teeth and cleans up her shit, I’ve become practiced in feigning ignorance (Although I don’t always manage.) and the third guy isn’t exactly tidy and clean. Although even he’s gotten annoyed with her! (But of course nobody can tell her, nooo, way too stressful!)
The latest is: I went away for 4 weeks, and when I got back the kitchen was full of dirty dishes. Now more than a week has passed and they’re still there! Right now it’s just me and her in the flat. I barely see her though and the others aren’t complaining of course because they’re not here. The whole kitchen is full of her dishes, if I need anything I usually have to wash it first. Lately I’ve started immediately washing anything I use even if it’s just a knife. We have a board where we can leave each other messages because we often don’t see each other for days. I wrote her a (friendly) note, if she could please do the dishes, because they’re slowly starting to smell. Yesterday she’s in the kitchen cooking, getting more stuff dirty, and says to me, oh yeah I really need to wash up! But she didn’t, something came up… In the evening her boyfriend’s sitting there and they’re eating casserole, today the stuff’s still left out on the table, to clean it up would be unthinkable, and there’s no more room in the kitchen anyways… This morning I went into the kitchen and almost p***d, an old pot smelled so bad, it’s totally disgusting! There was water in it soaking and it must have been in there for a week. I emptied it and put in new water. I mean, I’m sorry, but this has definitely reached a point where I refuse to clean up. That was gross enough and my fingers smell now thanks to that god-awful even after I washed them a couple of times with soap. Stupid bitch!!!
I write another, clearer message on the board: “You really need to do the dishes, the whole kitchen stinks!!!” I can hear her come in with her boyfriend, get something, leave again. Great…she is never here, otherwise I would really go and knock on her door and say “Do it now please!”
I don’t get it… We don’t have any problem with each other, before the question. And I’m always very friendly, she is too, that makes the whole thing more difficult, if she was a silly cow I would just get nasty. Maybe I should get angry?
The kitchen is in a state… I’ve already told the girl who I’m renting the room from that I will only clean up her room when I move out and nothing else. (And the dishes I’ve used of course.) As I’ve been gone for 4 weeks and don’t see why I should clean up after other people who haven’t cleaned in months!
GRRR!!! I would love to stick that stinky pot in her room!!! To be born by only one mother is the wrong way.
