our first encounter with a swiss neighbour

At 6 pm in the evening, nothing can be more surprising than the door bell. Well, it was the new neighbour who started to show me a completely incomprehensible drawing he had made on a peice of paper (it looks like 4 squares placed beside each other to me) and started off full swing in Swiss German. I was lost. Prathik thankfully appeared by my side and I threw him a besceeching look. He obliged and translated for me.. There is a noise in his house below every night that keeps him awake he said and he thinks its us!! The neighbour (a 40 year-oldish bald guy with a very intense look) prompted by this translation and the look of understanding that dawned on my face.. turned to me and made this (ooohhhh... oooohhhh... ooooohhhh) sound demonstating the noises that gave him sleepless nights. I looked helplessly at prathik and then quickly turned away. That was a mistake. His was a barely controlled mirth waiting to errupt and if I were infected, as I sometimes am, it would have a diastrous effect on our very upset neighbour. So I attempted to look as sincerely as possible into our very agitated neighbours face!!

Oh.. I am not sure what the noise could be.. I can assure you we do not normally make nosies like that, I said helpfully. Could I come in and have a look he requested, perhaps its some equippment you use. Well, sure I invited. We have no equippment in our place that I could imagine was doing that. Our neighbour walked in a looked around and then finally fixed his eyes on the fans/ventillators we have sitting in each of the three bedrooms we use. Could you turn on one of these he said. It could be these. I switched one on, and it turned around noiselessly blowing air around as it is normally does. No noise at all. The neighbour then went down to his home and requested we follow him. He stood motionlessly and listened, he then put his ear to the wall and listened.. I did the same.. Nothing. Nothing at all. I could hear Nothing. I offered to switch off the fans at night and let him observe if the noise went away. I really could not imagine it was these really noiseless fans that were keeping him awake.

To our surprise he was back last evening. it was really the fans he said that were keeping him up. We had to get rid of them he threatened.. or he was going to call the police. I was really angry too, and it was a herculean effort to be polite. I said I would ask the building administration if such ventilators were allowed or not and do as they suggested. But what about tonite he asked.. what about we said. Will you be switching them on tonight he asked. That was so tempting and I looked at Prathik and answered.. just for the heck of it .. well, I said that really depends on how we feel tonight. If we do we do.. if we dont we dont!! He looked at me. Then I will call the police now he said testily. A man must do what he has to and we will do what we need to, I said with great gentleness. A big smile was now on Prathik's face. And then thankfully our friendly neighbour left.

We havent sorted this out with the building administration; but we decided to keep the ventilators off at night. Wonder if he still went ooooohhhh... oooohhh...oooohhh all night!!!