I keep forgetting that little thing about Third World Countries and toilets. Like, the fact that you're not supposed to flush anything down them.
Because my foreign mind cannot remember the trash can next to the toilet serves a purpose, I just experienced my first clogged toilet. I was not happy about it. I went to Wal-Mart and spent nearly Y100 on stuff to fix it. None of it worked.
I was resigning myself to use that awful line in my phrasebook about the mess that was about to come. But I came across a Chinese friend and grilled her about what to do.
"We usually have a tool for this. Like a pump."
"A plunger?"
"Yes."
"It's not working. My toilet is oddly shaped."
"I saw someone try with a mop once."
"A mop? Like just shove the mop down there and see what happens?"
"The mop has the similar function of a plunger. It attracts the water."
"Ok. I'm going to try it. Don't go anywhere."
"LOL. I stay put."
"IT WORKED!"
That was more than excitement as I was less than looking forward to such an awkward Chinese conversation. And now I've learned a new home remedy. And I officially have dubbed Kim, my Chinese friend, a genius.
By the way, Kim is probably the cutest person I've ever met in my life. And the way she speaks English makes chatting with her so entertaining. She never says something the way I would expect, and she rarely uses the traditional Chinglish ways of saying things. It's almost always 100% correct, just a more literary or musical phrasing. It's quite pleasant.
