It takes a lot of patience and “in your head cursing” to survive India.

The dryer got fixed on Tuesday.  It took them several days to find time to come to our house, but they finally did.  Twice.  A first team of two arrived, dissected the machine and found the problem. “Madam, the dryer had some screw loose”. (You don’t say?).  It is fixed now.  Thank you.  Not five minutes later, another team of two arrived to fix the dryer.  It took a while, and a phone call to their manager since their English was equal to my Kannada, to explain they were too late.  Disappointed, back on their motorcycle they went.

I have not used the dryer since. 

E. was in Hyderabad this week, and came back tonight.  Tomorrow we are leaving for Mumbai.  There isn’t enough time to send the laundry to the laundry man so we have to do it ourselves, old-fashioned American style.  The wash goes fine.  Then hell broke loose.  The dryer stopped.

(Insert a long list of your very favorite curse words here.  Breathe.  Now insert some more).  Open the front door.  Unplug and replug the stupid machine.  Press the reset button.  Kick it (not hard), because sometimes it works.  Not this time.

Text the owner.  Owner texts back, he called the repairman.  Repairman says to press the reset button.  We have done that.  Press it twice.  You (bad words), I will press it until the cows come home.  Cows not coming home.  “You put too much clothes in it, take some off”.  Taking some clothes off.  Not working.  “You can’t take all of them out or the sensor thinks it’s empty”.  MY JEANS WERE IN IT!  “So there is a problem”.  (You dimwit we told you so!).

In the meanwhile, I had contacted our laundry person and asked for a huge favor.  Would they be willing and able to dry our clothes before closing tonight?  “No problem Madam, we will do that for you.  Would you like them ironed too?”  Put clothes in University of Texas gym bag (Go Longhorns!), hop on Vespa, go to laundry place.  Go home.  Later, get back on Vespa and come back with dry laundry. 

Guess what I am doing next week? Waiting for the (insert curse words in French this time, yes I am that mad) dryer repair guy.