My apartment is lovely on the inside, but that doesn't mean that the walls in the corridor outside aren't dirty and crumbling, and that the lift doesn't look like it's about to snap off its wire! Every single lift in the buildings here (apart from the posh hotels) are nasty looking death-traps with doors that only half close and a faint smell of piss. The stairwells aren't much better, though I usually opt for these above the lifts (at least I can get off the stairs in a powercut!). In addition, every 'courtyard' in the centre of the buildings basically doubles up as a rubbish tip/ cat paradise. These photographs were taken from the 'courtyard' in the offices of AMERA, the refugee non-profit where I am doing some work. The building itself has a beautiful marble staircase and is located in the prestigious embassy district in Garden City. The British Embassy is directly opposite. But, as usual, there is a rubbish dump right in the middle of the building (and this is an exact replica of the 'courtyard' in my apartment complex). The keen-sighted blog readers can try to spot all the cats!
