Figuring out the basics

I am living in Mainland China where the national language is Mandarin. Because my exposure to the language is quite limited and this is my first time in this part of the world, the first week is a time of experimentation within the apartment. Living abroad requires innovative thinking, patience and a sense of humor. Fortunately my roommates and I possess these qualities.

Honestly it’s the little things that make us pause and laugh like doing laundry. We are relived that we have a washing machine and dryer in our apartment. The challenge is that all of the instructions on the detergent and most of the instructions on the machines is in Mandarin and there are no images. We get to interpret Chinese characters. Laura was brave enough to attempt the first load. We examined the buttons carefully, pushed a couple so they were all set on medium (we think) and then pressed start on the washing machine. We randomly measured an amount of detergent and poured it in. We also had to make some guesses when using the dryer. (It may be a good thing that we don’t have a dishwasher or an oven.) Thankfully everything worked out the first time, and we have clean clothes now.

One of the first mornings Laura wanted to make toast, but we don't have a toaster. Fortunately for her we have a gas stove. Problem solved.

Whoever designed this kitchen was not thinking about electric appliances. There is one usable outlet in our entire kitchen and the refrigerator is currently using it. We also have a microwave. In order to use it, we need to unplug the refrigerator. We have to remember to plug the refrigerator back in when we are done. We thought about getting a power strip, but it would be sitting right next to the sink. Not the best place to put one of those, so we are back to just one outlet. When we purchased our rice cooker, we had to put it in the dinning area because there was no point having it in our kitchen. It all works out in the end. We’ve already cooked a couple of very tasty meals!

Then there is the matter of taking a shower. Our first attempts were miserable because we only had cold water. We then tried turning on the sink first and wait until the temperature is hot, then turn on the shower. This helped. However, when you turn on the shower, it's best if it's not at the highest pressure. With these tricks, we are able to have hot showers.

We laugh, and life goes on.