Maintenance - what bloody maintenance.

This morning I visited the office of the secretary to the faculty. It often makes me shudder when I enter this office as their filing system is quite strange. It is hard to see that there is one really, as there are many folders, boxes, etc in a quite chaotic state.

Today there were two broken chairs. We have deduced that the chairs were probably made of "green timber" and as the timber has shrunk the chairs have fallen apart. We have seen the way the "maintenance man" deals with faulty chairs. If he can fix it with hammer and nails - the latter usually being too long for the job in hand - he will do so. Often the nails are sticking dangerously out of some part of the timber and need to be covered, hammered back, or something to prevent damage to us.

I looked at the pile of broken chairs which seemed to be thrust aside - maybe someone was coming to collect them. I don't know, but my guess is that they will still be there when I go to the office in a few days time.

One of the staff was all rugged up against the cold, but was shivering. I looked up and saw the reverse cycle air conditioner on the wall. "Turn it on." I suggested as I indicated the machine.

"No, it is broken. No one can fix it."

Oh, what a common lament I hear here.

My television is broken. No one can fix it. I think it is the cable - maybe a rat ate it. But it is broken. My toilet is broken. The bowl is not well attached to the floor - and "moves" every time I use it. Scary, but I've gotten used to it. The "maintenance man" has "fixed" it twice recently, but uses some weird useless cement.

Over and over again, we hear the lament "it is broken" and no one can fix it.

All around the campus it is the same. Things are broken, and never fixed. We wonder if the other teachers, staff or students ask for things to be repaired. Most likely, I have been told, they give up after asking so many times without result.

It is quite funny really - not what we are used to at all. Perhaps there is a good opportunity for a training school for maintenance men. Sounds like a good idea to me!!!!!