There are many things that we do not have to think about on a day to day basis. Where we park our cars, where we keep our keys, the direction of our key turn, the light switch, which side is hot water, the smell of our soap, and what is most likely available to snack on in the fridge.
When arriving here, we know those things are not going to be the same, but there are certain expectations we have or assumptions. They are sometimes deceiving, our preconceived ideas, as they lend us to lack in problem solving.
Locks and keys were a surprise to me. At our apartment we had basic locks, locks with mechanical differences and key patterns, and then inside door keys that were skeleton keys often with plastic covers.
To prepare for a shower, we must flip a red switch on the wall to light the hot water heater 5 - 10 minutes in advance. Then turn it off and take a shower. With the added advantage that most hot water heaters reside outside (most often on the roof) is very efficient. Obviously you have a limit to your usage, but it is more than enough and conservative on energy. We should take note.
Our light switches were more like pads, easy enough, you would think, not so for us. They seemed in odd places (forgetting that many of these building are quite old and most are cement, limiting these issues as they evolve). The light that presented the most trouble was in the shower/bathroom.
A very important room, obviously. with a light on the wall, but no apparent switch. We were sure of it all, as everything was very nice and complete in detail. After a while we resigned, but still needed lighting. My husband had his Chanukiah and a box of candles, so we lit the candles for use of the room. It felt wrong, but provided light. Of course later, once we realized it was a delayed flourescent, we laughed, but then we felt silly explaining to the other boarders why we were lighting the Channkiah in the bathroom each night.
