Life As I See It - From Egypt

Just Everyday Living

Friday brings some realities we can no longer ignore. The master bathroom bathtub does not drain. The dishwasher does not work. We can’t figure out how to make the dryer work and are not sure we are running the washer correctly. What a great time to NOT be the Landlord! We call Ron’s assistant at work to find out who to contact. She calls back and says someone will be by tomorrow morning to address the problems. Who knows if that will be “tomorrow tomorrow” or “Sunday or Monday tomorrow?” I’ll hope for the former. The maid is here. She took the laundry with her on Wednesday. It does not come with her when she arrives today. A long verbal exchange ensues with lots of sign language. I gather it will be delivered. Sometime. And she will be here when it is delivered. Okay. I just want my clothes back! I didn’t pack enough for three weeks and no laundry. And yes, I could get them washed in the washer (once we figure out how to make it work) and hang them out to dry. That’s what a majority of people do. However, the balconies in this apartment do not have anything to hang clothes on. Hand washing in the sink will be the next alternative and then I’ll lay them on top of the air conditioner/heater (both are in one unit) to dry! Dinner out at a Chinese restaurant on Friday night with two couples from Ron’s work. All are Brits. Very nice. The British accent takes some getting used to but a very fun evening. Great sense of humor all around. Both couples drove to dinner. Ron wanted to walk back to one of the homes where we were to gather after dinner so he could smoke a cigar on the way. So we walk….. and arrive a good five minutes before they get there! Really, anything within 2 or 3 miles should be walked. It is much faster than driving except in the middle of the night. Saturday the maintenance man does, indeed, arrive. In the morning, even - at 11:50a.m. He and Ron communicate well. Maintenance stuff must be more universal than cleaning and clothing stuff! Now we know the dishwasher has its own electric circuit which was turned off. And, it has its own instant heat tank. That’s why we had no hot water in the kitchen!! They will send a plumber to address the bathtub problem. In the meantime we will shower in the other bath. He had no idea about the washer/dryer (which, by the way is just one machine – washes and dries in the same tub). He will try to locate the manual and thinks the dryer might need some repair. It is probably too much to hope for that this will be taken care of while we are in Marassi this week. But, hope springs eternal! We head out for the coast tomorrow a.m. Can’t wait for another Desert Road Adventure! :)

posted by Teresa @ 10:18 PM