One of the most frustrating aspects of traveling to and staying over at unfamiliar places for me is figuring out the settings of the shower. The shower puts us all in a vulnerable position. Sure, we can't cry out for help without getting thoroughly embarrassed, can we? But for a vision challenged person like me it is a classic case of "Markatasya Surapanam ... ".
It always starts with the assumption that maybe this attempt will be easier than the miserable ones I've gone through before. The first few minutes tackling the knobs quickly shatters that assumption. I have to fiddle around with the controls, constantly conscious of the fact that the audience outside the bathroom door can hear my struggle. Every minute feels like an hour.
Inevitably, I either get drenched with cold water or scalded with hot water, hurl a few silent expletives, fetch my glasses which I'd confidentially left behind on the counter (this act alone makes me feel more handicapped than anything else) continue tinkering until there is a Eureka moment (not literally) and a steady stream of tepid warm water finally showers mercy on me.
Inevitably, I either get drenched with cold water or scalded with hot water, hurl a few silent expletives, fetch my glasses which I'd confidentially left behind on the counter (this act alone makes me feel more handicapped than anything else) continue tinkering until there is a Eureka moment (not literally) and a steady stream of tepid warm water finally showers mercy on me.
Totally identify with this! My most recent "Shower, shower some mercy on me" experience was in Denver at a undergrad get-together. I just couldn't get the shower to turn on. The water was running through the lower nozzle, but how do I get it to the shower head. No visible knobs or controls. I had get re-dressed and go out for help!! My classmates probably thought I was dumb. A friend's husband, a mechanical engineer helped figure it out. I felt so embarrased, but only for a little while. Another friend ( who probably had laughed and wondered what kind of an engineer I was if I couldn't figure out how to turn on the shower) came out crying for help too, and I smiled smugly :P
ReplyDeleteTurned out it was the lower tap/nozzle, that you pull down. Was such a seamless design that it fooled quite a few of us!!