My own May Day
No content with having three bank holidays this week (it's Golden Week in Japan), I decide to take the other days, Monday and Friday, off too and have a week's holiday. I have no plans for this week, other than seeing the Kimono festival tomorrow, so for the first time in a long while,I can totally relax without having to worry about lesson plans or travel plans.
So what did I do today? Well, I woke up around 10ish without the sound of election campaigns (voting day was yesterday, the guy in green who spoke outside my apartment on Friday has been elected as the new mayor of Tokamachi). I had a shower, ate some breakfast and did a few chores.
In teh afternoon I went climbing, which felt weird because I was there on my own; no-one else there to give me tips or shout "gamba, gamba!" I'm getting better at the overhangs, so maybe next week I can finish one. After that I went to Komeri and bought so hose and things for an idea I had.
One of the strangest things about Japan has been washing machines. I'm in a country that has more than it's fair share of decent kitchen gadgets, but for some reason they insist on using cold water in their single tub washing machines. As a consequence all my shirts have developed sweat stains. Every other ALT I talk to has teh same problem. This winter, Ive been able to get away with wearing a jumper which neatly hids the armpits, but now teh weather is getting warmer, it'll no longer be an option. So, what to do?
Well, first off, I tried soaking my shirts in wash powder and hot water overnight. Th epatches faded a little, but not enough. If only there was a way to get hot water into the washing machine, then the shirts would wash properly. And there is a way.
The washing machine takes its water through a hose from a cold tap on teh wall. If i could plug the hose into a hot water tap, then the washing machine would fill with hot water and hey presto! a decent wash.
And I'm proud to say, I've managed to do it. WIth some hose, a laundry hose connector and a couple of wingnut hose clamps, I was able to fill my washing machine with hot water. And the shirts came out a lot better than when they went in, so job done.
I wonder what other DIY I can do while I'm on holiday.
So what did I do today? Well, I woke up around 10ish without the sound of election campaigns (voting day was yesterday, the guy in green who spoke outside my apartment on Friday has been elected as the new mayor of Tokamachi). I had a shower, ate some breakfast and did a few chores.
In teh afternoon I went climbing, which felt weird because I was there on my own; no-one else there to give me tips or shout "gamba, gamba!" I'm getting better at the overhangs, so maybe next week I can finish one. After that I went to Komeri and bought so hose and things for an idea I had.
One of the strangest things about Japan has been washing machines. I'm in a country that has more than it's fair share of decent kitchen gadgets, but for some reason they insist on using cold water in their single tub washing machines. As a consequence all my shirts have developed sweat stains. Every other ALT I talk to has teh same problem. This winter, Ive been able to get away with wearing a jumper which neatly hids the armpits, but now teh weather is getting warmer, it'll no longer be an option. So, what to do?
Well, first off, I tried soaking my shirts in wash powder and hot water overnight. Th epatches faded a little, but not enough. If only there was a way to get hot water into the washing machine, then the shirts would wash properly. And there is a way.
The washing machine takes its water through a hose from a cold tap on teh wall. If i could plug the hose into a hot water tap, then the washing machine would fill with hot water and hey presto! a decent wash.
And I'm proud to say, I've managed to do it. WIth some hose, a laundry hose connector and a couple of wingnut hose clamps, I was able to fill my washing machine with hot water. And the shirts came out a lot better than when they went in, so job done.
I wonder what other DIY I can do while I'm on holiday.
Niigata JET Blogs
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