Inside the apartment Marco and I live in, there’s a comic mounted to the wall.
The comic lists the various rules you should abide by when living in an apartment shared by many tenants. I remember the first time I visited the Netherlands, at some point I asked him what the comic said. He told me, but I forgot again. On the third trip, I wondered again but didn’t want to bug him again with the question (as it really doesn’t matter) so I started to ignore the comic altogether. I kept doing this after I moved here in December, as I only thought of the comic as something I couldn’t read.
Imagine my surprise last week when, after a trip to Albert Heijn, I actually stopped and stared at the comic, realizing that it was actually pretty easy to read now. First the red side, and then the green:
Open de deur niet voor vreemden
Don’t open the door for strangers.
Geen vuilniszakken en oud papier in het portiek
No trash or old paper in the foyer.
Geen oude meubels, fietsen, en andere rommel in het portiek
No old furniture, bikes, or other junk in the foyer.
Houd samen met de buren het portiek schoon
Clean the foyer with your neighbors.
Heeft u ergens problemen mee? Spreek uw buren hier op een rustige manier over aan
Do you have problems (with your neighbor)? Talk to your neighbor in a calm manner about it.
Is er iets stuk in het portiek? Meld dit via 0900-1434
Is there something broken in the foyer? Report it [call] 0900-1434.
