The Washing Machine Incident

Nick and I were having the most delightful day yesterday.  We had just returned home from a dinner of Spanish Tapas and I thought I’d do a quick load of laundry.  All was seemingly fine until I went to move it to the dryer and realized that the washing machine had discharged the water all over the floor instead of draining properly.  There was water everywhere!  We were storing lots of things in the room as well because we’re not having our helper live there…

We learned pretty quickly that tile floor + soapy water = slip ‘n slide.  Nick had the great idea of slipping on our scuba booties that had just arrived.  With the rubber traction on the bottom, they ended up being a very creative solution.  Then there was the question of how to clean it up.  We rummaged around and found a mop (but nothing to wring it out) and a dustpan in our welcome kit.  I scooped water with the dustpan and Nick did his best to mop.  It was a pretty funny sight… we did manage to get it cleaned up in time, but what I wouldn’t have given for a helper at that moment!

This morning I woke up with new resolve- we were not going to get stuck without the necessary tools for “accidents” anymore.  I marched over to Landmark Department store which is a clothing store/toy store/electronics store/housewares store/grocery store and hardware store all in one.  It’s massive and I honestly think it has 2 employees for each shopper.

Undeterred by the fact that I didn’t know where to buy quality mops or brooms or rags, I picked the first friendly employee that I saw (not hard in Manila) and inquired if she could assist me.  And assist she did.  I had about 10 random household things on my list and she accompanied me all over the 3 levels of the store to find what I needed.  Who knew you could get a personal shopper for free here?  If we were stopped long enough in one stop, additional employees would inevitably show up and offer their perspective on favorite mop, dishcloth, etc.  I think I’ll have to do that more often, as I truly enjoyed all the attention.  Never lacking for attention here, that’s for sure.  Thank you Manila for continuing to surpass my shopping expectations!