So this morning the gas inspectors came. They were supposed to come on Tuesday, but instead of inspecting our gas appliances, they put up notices saying, sorry, the higher-ups ordered us to do something else for Olympic safety. Then a notice appeared saying they’d be here this morning. Based on previous experience, I didn’t believe them and so didn’t bother translating it for the other foreign teachers. And besides, last time I did that somebody tore the translations down…..
Anyway, so they came and pronounced our place safe. Cool. Then I saw they were going into door 6, which we just moved out of, and which Roubaozi will move into soon, into our old place, for which I still have keys, so I ran around there to let them in. It’s leaking, they said, so I left them with my cellphone number and they said they’d call when the repairman came. And only half an hour later the repairman came and they phoned asking why I wasn’t home….. Well, I was home, just in the one it should’ve been fairly obvious I live in, not in the one that was leaking and which was fairly obviously not inhabited. So I ran back over and let the repairman in.
No leak. Great. Well, at least it is officially pronounced safe. And the repairman did show up ready with tools and a length of replacement pipe and did check it properly- well, so far as I can tell he checked it properly.
But I’m not sure how many apartments were checked. Somehow my downstairs neighbour didn’t hear them knocking on his door, and so his place wasn’t checked. Nobody was home on the entire third floor of door 6.
Oh well, at least our and Roubaozi’s apartments are safe.
I think the other tenants should also check their appliances. Any accident in other flats can endanger the whole building.
Take Care and good luck
Fernando
You’re absolutely right, Fernando. I hate to think what the consequences of a gas leak in my downstairs- or next door- neighbours kitchens could be. And yes, I am quietly kicking myself for not making more of our foreign residents aware of the gas company inspectors’ visits. I guess, considering how many of our residents are university staff and therefore away for the summer holidays, we’re just going to have to trust it to luck for now, and trust it to their noses when they get back.