The following, not necessarily in order of importance, is a list of items and a brief explanation for why we are leaving Forest Village.

The "shared" laundry facilities are 5 washers and 5 dryers per building. They are often not working, are very expensive per load, and for whatever reason, the items washed prior to my use of the machines caused the majority of my laundry to develop stains that I have never been able to remove. I can only imagine it is the result of greasy or paint covered work clothes that have left a residue in the machine. Take extra quarters - inevitably you will choose a machine that is broken but not know it until you've loaded your laundry, put your detergent in and tried to start the machine. Notices on the wall state that you use them at your own risk. Lesson learned.

Roaches come in all shapes and sizes. Small, medium, large and everywhere you look. Regardless of the mandatory pest abatement, traps put out by us at our own expense, and keeping a clean apartment have been effective but I am still greeted by bugs every morning when I go to get my coffee. It is, in a word, disgusting.

Noise is an issue. I can hear the people walking around above me even as I write this. Our floor creaks when we walk around, even though we try to be quiet, surely we annoy those below us. There are serious issues with the upkeep of the quality of workmanship on these buildings and this is just one result.

Speaking of noise... there are loud honking taxis at all hours of the day and night. Many residents do not own their own vehicle. Others who do own a vehicle often use the parking lot as their workshop and rev their engines repeatedly.

Housing inspections and pest abatements are mandatory. You must leave your door unlocked in preparation for these visits. If you lock your door, the lock will be broken. If you fail to comply with the pest abatement "empty everything out of your kitchen and bathroom cabinets" rule, you are fined $50.

Maintenance response time varies. We've had good response at some times and then others our calls have gone unanswered -- even in an emergency situation where we call and leave a message for an on-call person to respond, it can take several hours for a response.

As I've stated, the building is in need of serious repair work. It is old and could be kept much better. The buildings are, my guess, 20 years old. Unfortunately, band aid work has been done here and there and serious issues with structural problems go untouched (i.e., ceilings are bowing, etc.).

Outdoor Lighting exists on the buildings and in the stairwells. Unfortunately they are never adjusted for daylight savings time. They are not well-adjusted.

Expect regular visits by local law enforcement and EMT/Fire Department members. Police arrive once a month, EMT and Fire generally weekly for various emergency situations, including gunshot wounds, children falling from upper story windows, and suspected drug use.

In a nutshell, this is not a safe place to live. It is not a nice apartment. And it is, after a few weeks, no longer my home.

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