My flat

In many parts of Russia dwelling houses and blocks of flats are built in a long row, each house joined to the next one, and practically each with a yard at the back, or a smaller one at the front. These are the apartments with the latest conveniences, but not so pretty and comfortable as compared with cottages in England, for example. They are often not so roomy or very small and there are often shops in the ground stories of them. Our apartment is on the sunny side of the house. The latter faces the small plant called “The Urals-cable” and I sometimes envy those whose house faces the sea or a garden at least. Ours is the corner house. It is in need of repair and it has to be done up. We don’t occupy communicating rooms, fortunately, they are separate. There are three windows in my flat and they give on in one direction. Our flat is on the fifth floor of a not so big and so beautiful, grey five-storey building. To the right of the entrance door is the door to my own room with a large mirror and a wonderful pot-flower near it.

The living-room isn’t large. Here is the description of it. It has two doors – the one on the left that leads to a small hall and the other one leads to a balcony. There is no fire-place there but dark curtains cover the window at the back and make it very cosy. The room contains a rocking table, some chairs, a television set on the other side, a suite, some armchairs and a couch, one good water-color and the thick carpets on the papered walls and painted floors. It’s a pleasant-looking room, you know. I like a down light of the chandelier and the mild one of the wall lamp. There is a musical centre in the room too and the wall units with books, the tableware and the tea-things in them. The sitting-rooms of well-to-do people, however, are much larger, prettier and more comfortable. Their houses as a whole stand a little way back from the road and some have a rather big garden round it and a smooth lawn in front of the house.

Passing through the entrance door you find yourself in a small hall where there are the racks to hang your coat and hat on. There is the door which leads to the kitchen. A central heating system keeps it warm and cosy during long winter evenings all the year round. There are a lot of useful things there, namely an icebox, a kitchen table, a sink unit with the dish drainer and tea plates, cooking pot, pans and jugs, the revolving shelves, a gas cooker with an oven, a pot plant, a coffee maker, a cooker unit, a wall cupboard, a pot holder, a kitchen lamp and a kitchen clock, a telephone, a spice rack , a set of wooden spoons, forks, knives and many other trifles. In the kitchen we cook, have our meals and wash dishes.

A bathroom is with a lavatory together and at times it seems more comfortable than when they are separate. There is a washbasin there, a ventilator, a mirrored bathroom cabinet, the Dutch tile of rosy color, a bathtub, the bath salts, a washing machine, a bath mat, the loo, a toilet roll holder, a shower, a bath sponge, some fragrant soap, a hand towel, the medicine cabinet.

As for my room I naturally find it the most attractive and quiet. The furniture Is of a nice design here, the style is modern. I know that the built-in 0f furniture gives more space but I haven’t got the one unfortunately, though my room isn’t crowded with furniture at all. I adore the computer corner in it and can spend hours working at the computer. My hobby is computer games and computer programming. The arrangement of a quite an ordinary but pretty furniture in my room makes it look brighter. There is a lot of unused space here. I have a writing table with drawers there as well and it seats two comfortable. The bedclothes, the bedsheets, the blanket covers, the pillows are in the folding furniture, out of sight. The carpet is a good match to the upholstery of the furniture. The curtains harmonize with the carpet perfectly.

The rent comes up to more than a thousand rubles together with electricity and gas. We try to be never behind with our rent. To my mind it’s a marvelous apartment indeed though the house isn’t the last word of comfort. Every time when I look round I feel happy to have the firm roof above my head, and it is not boring at all to me to live with my parents under the same roof.