Most people in Russia live in apartments, and that, of course, means that most people live in apartment buildings. These buildings can be small or large, nice or disastrous, new or old. The majority of these buildings were built during the Soviet Union, and therefore most of them are standardized. Most buildings are rather unattractive grey boxes, although there is some variation.

Living in an apartment building is different from living in your own house. You have neighbors under you, all around you, and above you. And you can hear all of your neighbors. Some buildings are more solid and soundproof than others, but the sounds of neighbors are always present. Maybe its the sound of the little kid who lives upstairs pushing a chair around the kitchen. Or maybe it's the downstairs neighbors using a drill at 9am to hang something from their ceiling. The bathroom is the place where the neighbors are most audible--I think it has to do with the way the pipes run and how sound travels in the ventilation shaft. You can hear all kinds of things, though, when you're sitting on the toilet. I've heard arguments, singing, laughing, fights, and--my personal favorite--someone say "Hallelujah--I can finally use the f---ing toliet." People generally try to be kind to their neighbors and not be too loud, although loud neighbors are a constant topic for complaints. For example, this morning I was awoken by the sounds of the upstairs neighbors running the vacuum cleaner at 8:30am....