The Great Leak of 2011

There was a plumbing leak in the wall of my apartment. I didn't know until a few weeks ago, because it didn't affect the inside of my apartment, just the external wall in the stairwell. I finally noticed it when said wall started to fall apart:

I still wouldn't have cared (I've lived with leaks before) but in less than a week, it spread downstairs; it wouldn't have been fair to the person below me to neglect it:

I told the school, and they sent repair men yesterday. Without warning, because that is how China operates. They ripped up the bathroom floor:

I was like, "Whatev! I can take a bucket bath, wash my hair in the sink- old school!" But then they shut off my water. I understand why, and I figured they would at some point, but I also figured I'd be given a chance to stock up on water first! To, you know, wash my hands, brush my teeth, flush the toilet. The basics.

This morning they tore out the wall:

And there is the leak:

Also, the repair guys smoke in my apartment. And I can't ask that they not, because, ultimately, they control my water.

In related news, while everything was being organized yesterday morning, my boss recommended I lock-up valuables in the bedroom. We located the key, locked and shut the door for a test-run, and then broke the key in the lock. And of course we had not put someone inside the room, in case the lock didn't work properly. So the troops were called in:

It did not take five guys to break the knob (that was actually pretty cool- the guy just whacked it with a hammer a few times and it came apart) and install a new one; that's why I took the photo :) .