How to Avoid Being a Terrible Neighbor
I never thought I’d have to write this
I was giddy when I got off the plane in Seville where I came to get my master’s degree. I was loving the balmy winter temperatures, the cheap food, and the walkability of the city.
…until…I discovered I have terrible neighbors.
What I thought would be a dream come true became a nightmare.
I started losing sleep, my concentration began waning, and I started feeling perpetually hungover and irritable.
First, let me clarify: I don’t think my neighbors are wholly “terrible” but rather possess terrible qualities. If you’ve lived near terrible neighbors, I’m sure you’ll sympathize with this list. If you do any of the following actions, please stop.
The List of Things to Stop Doing to be a Good Neighbor
The extremely concise list of things that make you a bad upstairs neighbor.
- Stomping (especially at night, duh!). I thought this goes without saying, but apparently, it doesn’t. If you are letting your kids run, dance, skip and jump at night (often until 2 am), you’re a bad neighbor.
- Not stopping stomping after your neighbors let you know how it’s affecting them. I get it — nobody likes being called out. But with a behavior so selfish, so egocentric it obviously needs to stop. After the offers to buy slippers for your family, and the gentle reminder that busy college students live below (who often wake up early), only a bad neighbor would continue the thumping.
Avoiding stomping is so easy. You can wear slippers to absorb impact. You can walk gently, instead of striking your heels on the floor. You can get a carpet. But these solutions aren’t enough for bad neighbors — apparently, their presence must be known to those beneath them.
Farewell, Neighbors
Alas, I moved out…If something costs your peace, it’s too expensive (cliché, but true). I tried earplugs and white noise, but these were no match to the overpowering noise pollution that came crashing down from above.
Tread lightly — you might be stealing your neighbor's sleep if not.
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