My interesting neighbors in Leipzig

Hi ya’ll,

So from my post from the 2nd of August I stated that I would blog about my neighbors in Leipzig. Well here goes…

In Leipzig I stayed in the suburb of Plagwitz which in located on the southern end of Leipzig about 12 mins tram ride to the city centre. Believe it or not that is considered relatively central. It is the old industrial area of the city and is characterized with some old abandoned factories and some that were converted to lofty offices and trendy apartment blocks.

The majoring of the people that stay here are students and young professionals. But also young couples with babies and young children, this is mainly because of its proximity to parks and it is relatively quiet. Also I have noticed that there were also a number of strange people hanging around there. Strange in the sense that whenever I saw them they always looked like they were doing nothing.

Being the curious cat that I am i started keeping tabs on these people. I came to find out that some where my neighbors, the floors below and directly above my apartment. Also they had parties and barbecues almost the same-time each month. Once by coincidence we met at the teller in a super market and I saw that they were on welfare. I knew this because some of my Germany friends had told me that there were some people that were living on welfare in Germany. You would not believe the amount of stories I heard about this, but the most common one is that they are lazy and are basically freeloaders living off the rest of the productive country. This intrigued me to an extend, keeping my distance I observed them further, I came to notice that one coupled had 5 children and 2 dogs (I knew about the dogs because there was one that couldn’t stop yapping all night long!! grrr). Anyway, that being said, of the stories that I heard, apparently having children in Germany is also one other way the people on social welfare made a living because there is something called Kinder Geld, basically you get money for each child. Also some states give parents some money to stay home with their children because the state run creches are full. However in other parts of Germany the creches are closed down due to the low birthrate etc.

Back to my neighbors, on Christmas eve 2013 a young boy knocked on my door to borrow some butter and the following day to ask for some sugar. Germans love Holidays and gift giving. This was the first time a neighbor has ever borrowed anything from me in Germany, the few times I have interactions with some of my neighbors was when my music was too loud and they wanted to sleep at 20:00 pm on a Saturday or when we shared an awkward elevator ride and exchanged looks accampanied by greetings with long pauses.

After about 4 – 5 months of living there one of the families moved out, the ones that lived above me. The entire building smelled like cigarettes and pee for about a good fortnight. Also the family that lived below me move out later that same month, I cannot remember when exactly it was but I know it was the same month because I had a series of out of town trips that month. Anyway now comes the interesting part.

The guy that moved into the apartment below me was very strange each time we met around the staircase he would either go back into this apartment and wait till he heard the front door of the building close (I tested this theory so I know I am right) or  rush either down or up the stairs (I knew he was rushing because he nearly tripped and fell a few time). The funny thing is that our schedules seem to have been synced and we met often. I would greet and he would ignore or mumble something.

Later on I found out he was a neo-nazi and he was actually on a poster in the neighborhood as a “watch out” neo-nazi in our midst kind of thing. Again I was not rattled but rather bewildered as to why he did not attack me, I wanted to ask but decided it is best not to poke the teddy bear ;).

Ohh I nearly forgot, there was a fight that happened a few days before the family that lived above me moved out. It was a weekend when I was home alone and my roommates had all traveled, yes it was Easter, that’s it. I was being all laid back and king of the castle having a series marathon, eating junk foood and drinking beer mode, when all of a sudden there was loud banging on my apartment door. Man oh man, I took a broom stick went to the door, the moment I opened the door the guy apologized and ran up a floor.  That was when the entire altercation occurred, all I heard were things falling over and something about somebody sleeping with somebody’s woman etc… They were audible but not comprehensible as they spoke a Saxonian Dialect that to date I can merely pick out some words.

This continued for about 30 mins, the next thing that followed was the breaking sound of glass and what seemed to be a huge thunder (I guess it was a supplex slam to the floor). Outside my apartment door I heard somebody running down the stairs, it turned out to be the woman that they were talking about I presumed because she was outside calling the man that was banging on my door to go down the stairs so they could leave. After about 1 -2 mins the gentleman left as well.

That was the last I saw of either one of them. I now ask myself what would I have done with a broom stick hehehehehehehehe

I told ya’ll it was some interesting stuff.

Laterz,

G!