ESK Wohnung - a survival book by Auxane
One day away from leaving Germany and I get the feeling I need to leave some tips about our apartement quirks !
In my survival book to living in Hagebutze, I would like to introduce you to the … part I will be covering :
Outside the apartement.
- Special places
- Living with the community
- Bunch of infos (door, bins)In the apartment.
- Things you’ll find in the commune spaces
- Hard water (calcareous)
- Plants and more tips____________________________________________
Outside the apartment
- Special places
Bike workshop
Ahhhh yes, Germany, bikes ! Don’t say yikes ! You will love your bike ! But will he love you back ? Yes, if you care for it very much in the building’s right in front of ours bike workshop. To enter this bike haven, you can come on Mondays at the time when there will be someone to help you navigate how to change a flat tire or whatnot. But you can also access it every day by entering the building through the main door and going into the basement. At the end of the stairs take a right turn and it’s the door on the left :). The tools can also be useful for other stuff. Especially the keys when you need to clean the bathtub’s or sink’s pipes (it was really dirty and smelly brrrr).
Be sure to always put everything back at its place and have fun getting some dirt on your hands !Climbing bolder
I know ! It’s so random but in the same building in which there’s a bike workshop there’s also a climbing bolder ! Into the basement again where you will, this time take a left turn at the end of the stairs and find this climbing room. I don’t know if it will be of use if you got no climbing shoes but I tried it once, t’was fun.Little Shop
I know there’s also a little shop right next to the outside door of the bike workshop, but I could not tell you more. Never been there.Wood workshop
In the building that is right to ours, enter the first main door and go, yet again, into the basement. At the end of the stairs take a right turn and go all the way to a door labelled “werkstatt”. There you will, unfortunately, not find any carving tools. But, there’s a bunch of useful stuff and machines ; cables, sanding machine, hot glue, saw… Like in the bike workshop you can use and borrow stuff, just keep it clean and organized. ;)Laundry Room
I don’t have much to say, it’s the laundry room. You can use the previous ESC’s detergent and the hangers as you please. Don’t hesitate to leave your hanger outside in the garden. I didn’t do it at first by fear of it being not allowed but it’s totally allowed ! Better than to have this horrible humidity smell that comes with letting your clothes dry in the laundry room (it’s not really lüften down there).
Rabatz
At last, Rabatz, our building’s communal room that is riiiight under us. There are concerts there, you will enjoy them even if you don’t want to ;). Like the other rooms you can use the services that it offers ; the projector or the couches. But my favorite thing about Rabatz, and trust me on this one, is the toilets ! Yes, because in an apartment of three with one toilet in the bathroom, you will find yourself in situation where you REALLY need to go but someone’s taking a shower. In these situations of need I go straight to Rabatz’s toilet. Like always, the important part is to keep it clean ! If you ever dirty something in Rabatz or in the hallway it’s good to know there’s also a closet in Rabatz’s toilet room with cleaning stuff.
- Living with the comunity
You will find that your neighbors are really friendly, they greet you when you cross path with them and they let the door open for you. If you want to fit in don’t hesitate don’t have little small talk, even in English, most people understand. It’s also good to know you can always ask for help if you need to borrow something, for instance I went camping and borrowed a neighbor’s sleeping bag.
The garden is a community space, that means you can use every equipment there, the chairs and tables, the hammock, the trampoline. There are also some delicious fruits when the season comes 😋.
Know that there are also some cleaning days, you will recognize it because everyone is getting busy in the buildings. The dates are posted on the door but if you don’t make it in time for the “Choosing teams meeting”, just ask how you can help, there will always be something to do.
- Bunch of infos (door, bins)
Front door
It is honestly a mystery when the front door will be open or not. I noticed that it will be closed around 21-22h every day. It reopens between 7-10h. Especially on weekends, late in the morning, I think it will be open, BUT NO never trust doors, I swear how many times I got blocked outside is insane.If blocked outside
If blocked outside the building, try every door ; Rabatz, Laundry room, back door. If still blocked outside the building, well ring the bell and pray 🙏
If blocked outside the flat, there are spare keys, ask Uta or Maria ;). I don’t want to say too much on a public blog (we never know u know).Glass bin ? Bulky waste ?
I’m guessing you are already familiar with the normals bins. But here is where to find the other bins.Glass bin : On Esla-Brändström Straße or Billie-Holiday-Straße
Bulky waste : In the bike parking in the corner right besides the exit ramp and the laundry room’s door. (You will probably see bulky waste put there)
In the apartment.
- Things you’ll find in the commune space
Basically, everything you find is free to use ! For those who don’t know there’s a drawer bellow the oven ;).
If you wish to wash the couch’s cover, know that I stuck it under the couch’s backrest. You’ll need to lift it up before taking it off. (great method so it NEVER slips).
The guitar was repared but is unfortunately not the best, cords are way to high on the neck (maybe someone will know how to make it better who knows :3).
If you guys got the guts you should really try skateboarding, it’s really fun !
GOOD TO KNOW : With an HDMI cable you can connect your pc or phone to the TV and make movie night.
- Hard water
The water is VERY hard here. We would advise you to filter the water. We used coal to filter the water before using it for cooking drinking or heating in the kettle. If the kettle gets some white gunks at the bottom, heat up some white vinegar inside with a bit of water and it should do the trick 👍
Now about the toilet, if you don’t wash it and scrub it regularly the hard water will clog up and trap the wastes which stinks.
- Plants and more tips
Plants
Jade plant : Lots of indirect sun, water when completely dry (around 2 weeks in summer, every month in winter)
Begonia : Mostly in the shade, water when completely dry. Make its soil only moist not soggy
Pothos : Indirect sunlight, water every week or two weeks in winter
Cheiridopsis purpurea : Lots of sun, little water
The pans
Having trouble with the stainless steel pans ? Here’s a 3 min guide : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymfg3QKSn1k.
It’s really easy when you get the hang of it.😋
PS : The oven doesn’t heat homogeneously, it’s hotter far inside.Bathroom/sink is clogged/smelly :(
Both are pretty easy to clean.
For the sink, you’ll need a key similar to bike keys but pretty big (try the ones in the bike workshop or werkstatt). And to unscrew a bunch of plastic stuff. Here’s the ikea mounting guide for the kitchen sink :
https://www.ikea.com/de/de/assembly_instructions/lillviken-siphon-1-becken__AA-1989505-6-2.pdf
You will find that it’s pretty straightforward to dismount.
In the bathroom you’ll need a strong flat screwdriver or a coin and pliers to dismount it. Careful not to lose anything inside !