I've been living in apartments for five years now (more if you include summer stints), so I've gotten pretty used to the whole rent-paying song and dance. I have to say, now that I've gotten past the "find an apartment" stage and am semi-finished with the whole "furnish an apartment stage", it's way more fun in Bangladesh than in New York or Boston.
There is no sticking a check in an envelope a few days before the end of the month here. Oh no. I don't have a local account or checkbook, so I pay in cold, hard, unmarked bills. Gangsta style. The highest bill here is the tk 1000 (about US $12), so it's literally a wad of cash that I hand over monthly. Gas and electricity come to about US $7 a month, combined. Paying for the three guards and handy men downstairs is a bit more, about US $50 a month. I've decided that the US $1.50 that they ask for in exchange for me just sitting my trash outside the door instead of carrying it downstairs (yes, in the elevator) is not to steep for me.
So, every month, usually the first Friday since that's our weekend, I stop by my landlord's brother's (on the first floor) to get my bill. Then I come upstairs, count out the cash and take it back down. He signs the bill and gives it to me for my records. Then he counts the cash. And then, he says, "Have a cup of tea?" and before I answer he's giving orders for the tea to be prepared. BUT, as devoted readers will have noted by now, tea does not mean "tea." It means a huge selection of foods and a cup of tea. Today I had a small bowl of soup and some delicious sweet that his daughter had made (they have an oven! I must infiltrate!). Other times the options have included apples and french fries. And "options" is not really the right word, because I'm expected to have a "yes, m'am," as in, all that is offered. Good incentive to pay my rent! I'll have to start using my nose to figure out what's cooking and choose the best day to drop by!
There is no sticking a check in an envelope a few days before the end of the month here. Oh no. I don't have a local account or checkbook, so I pay in cold, hard, unmarked bills. Gangsta style. The highest bill here is the tk 1000 (about US $12), so it's literally a wad of cash that I hand over monthly. Gas and electricity come to about US $7 a month, combined. Paying for the three guards and handy men downstairs is a bit more, about US $50 a month. I've decided that the US $1.50 that they ask for in exchange for me just sitting my trash outside the door instead of carrying it downstairs (yes, in the elevator) is not to steep for me.
So, every month, usually the first Friday since that's our weekend, I stop by my landlord's brother's (on the first floor) to get my bill. Then I come upstairs, count out the cash and take it back down. He signs the bill and gives it to me for my records. Then he counts the cash. And then, he says, "Have a cup of tea?" and before I answer he's giving orders for the tea to be prepared. BUT, as devoted readers will have noted by now, tea does not mean "tea." It means a huge selection of foods and a cup of tea. Today I had a small bowl of soup and some delicious sweet that his daughter had made (they have an oven! I must infiltrate!). Other times the options have included apples and french fries. And "options" is not really the right word, because I'm expected to have a "yes, m'am," as in, all that is offered. Good incentive to pay my rent! I'll have to start using my nose to figure out what's cooking and choose the best day to drop by!
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