My phone and my Ladrone

Colonial Zone Santo Domingo Dominican Republic pictures
This picture is what I saw from my balcony. There was a big tree in the way but I could still see the statue when I was on the balcony.I was content.
There was a problem with the phone after I moved in. I was so excited that I had the phone and internet and electric all connected before I moved in. Mamita kept saying that I was sooo lucky. Well, my luck ran out fast. The phone disconnected 2 days after I moved in.
I called Codetel (now Verizon) and told them the phone went out. They said they didn't understand and wanted to know the name of my business. I told them I didn't have a business (I didn't want to pay higher rates for a business phone anyhow). They kept telling me that I had a business number. I can't help that's the number they gave me! So they came back out and connected the phone. It was good for maybe a week then it went out again.
I went through the same crap again. Not a business phone. They connected the phone again. # mre times this happened. Then People were talking on my line. They said that the number was not mine. Its the number they gave me and it worked at my home for a month, at least when the phone was working.
Then they said they would look into it. They came back that since I didn't have a business that they didn't have a line for me and I would have to wait until they put more lines in and assigned new numbers to the area. I told them why couldn't they just give me the line I had with a regular number. They told me they already gave that to someone else! In one day they gave that connection to another person. I paid for it. It was mine.
I couldn't fight about it. It wouldn't do any good so I had to wait for about a month to get the phone hooked back up but I did get a phone bill for the entire time I didn't have a phone. I marked on the calendar everyday I didn't have a phone and fought to get the bill fixed. They ended up giving me a half month free. I couldn't believe it!
So I was happy in my new place. I only had water half the day. In the morning there was water. I could adjust to that.
I got my wash machine ready but there was no place to run the drain. Later I relieved that I should have just ran it into the hall and down the outside steps like everyone else did. But I was still thinking like an American. I got my trusty hammer and my chisel and started whacking away at the thick cement wall to put a hole in it to put the drain pipe through. So it could go into the drain.
I pounded away for probably 2 hours and made a nice hole where the hose fit into prefect. Calked around the hose when I found that the water was leaking through back into the kitchen floor. I did good!
There was what I called the hole outside the kitchen window. It was the size of 2 refrigerator boxes in width and opened to the sky. I have no idea what it was for. But that's where the drain was for the washer. I got a big garbage can and put it out there with water for the times I didn't have water. That was my stash. Anyhow...I usually forgot to shut that window. I didn't think anyone could get in there anyhow. I was wrong.
One night Sniffy (the blind dog) and I went out to the neighbors Colmado to have a few beers. I had gotten to know some of the people around the area a little now. There was this guy, Victor. He was a guy that did the errands for the Colmado and also did stuff for the people living around the area. He also worked at the ship yard when they needed him. He could speak English fairly well. He was a nice human. A little obnoxious sometimes, especially when he got drunk. (little story...One night Victor was drinking a lot and I told him he should go home. He was so worried about walking me home. I told him I would take him to his home. Can't talk to a drunk. He started walking me through the park. I had to stop and talk to someone. When I turned around he was sprawled out on the ground. I tried to get him up but he wasn't moving. Since many of the neighbors were out I told them to watch out for him. I went home. Next afternoon Victor came to me laughing. Someone stole one of his shoes when he was out! Just one shoe. I was laughing so hard when he told me this. He was laughing too. It was too funny)
So back to the story. I went home and realized I locked my key in the apartment. I brought the front gate key but forgot the door to my apartment key. Just wasn't used to all the keys yet I guess. So I went back to the Colmado. I was just going to hang out until morning and when Mamita and Jimmy went to work get my spare key off them.
Anyhow, Victor said he might be able to help me. He looked at the door and then he realized the kitchen window was open. He climbed up the neighbors gate covering their patio onto the roof. Then he went to the hole. But it was really high for him to jump. So he went and got a ladder. He took the ladder onto the roof but it was too short. So he left again and got a rope. He tied the rope onto the ladder. Lowered the ladder down to the ground in the hole. Lowered himself down so he could drop onto the top rung of the ladder. Then he climbed down and into my apartment and unlocked the door!
I'm happy I left the window open but I never did that again and I never forgot my keys again. Victor got the name My Ladrone (Robber). He was so happy to have helped. He spent about 2 hours getting into my place. Thank goodness everytime he returned he brought me a grande beer! Sniffy and I were content.