We Draw the Line at Two Bags

As many of you know, my roommate and I from the United States have been struggling with our two female roommates from Spain. Over the past three months it has become a war of moving miniature Santa Claus figures, trying to wash dishes over their dirty pile left in the sink, hiding dish soap, garbage bags and most recently, tin foil. The list goes on and on. I have pictures listed from some of the other incidences on one of my other posts: Things I've Come to Miss About the USA. 

The thing that draws me to my computer today is the fact that they're now leaving their full, stinking, rotting bags of garbage in our living room. My roommate from the United States can't figure it out either. Why on earth would you want to live with your own filth? Her and I do not use the living room or kitchen other than the fridge and microwave but it's hard to ignore the site and smell of bags of trash left in the apartment. 

Week old garbage? The newest sent for Glade?
I think not...

Last night I was in the living/kitchen area briefly and one of the Spanish girls asked if the other American girl or myself would take out the garbage. I stood there in shock before I looked at her and replied 'no'. I then went on to tell her why. 'My roommate and I have talked about it and we decided against it since you two are the only ones who are ever out here. We have garbage bags in our rooms that we use for our own garbage. Since we only use the fridge and microwave and you cook 4-5 meals a day we thought you'd take out your own trash and we'd take out ours.'

Even though I said this calmly, I was screaming in my head. Like really? How can you be serious right now? Why would either of us take out your trash? After going back to my room, I told my American roommate what they'd just asked us to do. After laughing about how crazy they were to think that is our responsibility, we decided it would be practical--and funny--to make a tiny garbage bag with our names on it, placing it next to the bigger one to show how much garbage we've actually throw into the kitchen bin.

Our solution to prove how much trash we dispose of in the
kitchen. 

This morning we also decided to contact the landlord about the grossness of our apartment since it has been going on three months and we're beyond sick of it. We might as well be able to live in a clean place the last month we're here, right? After sending him pictures and telling him what we've been dealing with, this is what he emailed our roommates.

Maybe it is just me but the bolding on his part really adds
to the message, don't you think?

About an hour after he sent the message, Kelsey and I both had very obnoxious knocking on our doors and a very angry Spanish roommate looking at us. She called us into the living room only to yell at us about how clean the two of them are, how 'messy' we are and how we never take out their trash. Kelsey and I just stood there. Obviously, we have different opinions of 'clean', responsibilities that come with being an adult and living with other people. Next time they leave trash bags in the living room, I'm going to suggest moving it to their own bedrooms. Just because they want to live with trash, doesn't mean I have to.