Language Study – Day 1

Language classes don’t begin until 14 Aug, but the adventure has already begun. Today, I met Sissy, who showed me around the city a bit. Nothing outrageous like falling off a motorbike happened during the morning. But everything unraveled when it came time for me to prepare dinner.

First, came the revelation that I should wash things before use. I discovered that when I poured a precious pouch of Kool-Aid into a pitcher only to discover a neat, now purple, spider web inside. There just was no salvaging that galloon of Kool-Aid.

Then came the making of Mac n Cheese. OK, I cheated a little. I brought this from Singapore. But I actually got some good advice once to bring some food items with you, so you will have something to eat until you find the grocery store and figure out what is and is not available. I was pretty certain that butter and milk were a safe bet. Finding a proper pot on the other hand proved to be a challenge. After determining that rust was not on the list of recommended daily vitamins and minerals, I put the first pot back in the cabinet. My second attempt proved less hazardous to my health, but not exactly a pot you serve guests out of. I did also find in my search a strainer and some Tupperware containers for the leftovers – miracles in my book. Mind you this cabinet is all the size of a small suitcase.

After washing all these dishes it came time to light the stove. I don’t like fire. It makes me really nervous. So, I light my match. Holding the match in my right hand, I turn on the burner with my left hand and cautiously move the match towards the gas. It ignites and suddenly shuts off again. So I repeat. And it happens again. That’s when I realize that after turning on the burner with my left hand, I need to let go of the knob. Right hand lights the fire, brain screams, left hand turns off the fire. I think I got everything working together on the fourth try, and dinner was a success. Except for one last thing . . . are bananas supposed to have crunchy things in them?