When it comes to deciding how to approach a problem, people typically belong on a spectrum. On one end of the spectrum, there’s the people who like to dive into it head first and figure it out as they go. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the people who like to develop a plan of attack before attempting to solve the issue.
I always considered myself to be somewhat in the middle, a good mix of bold yet calculated, someone who is willing to try new things but do it with caution. However, as I settle into life in a new country, I’ve noticed just how false this is. I really am far more wary than I realized.
For example, I spent 45 minutes staring at the manual of the washer/dryer machine in my Airbnb trying to figure out how to start it. You’d think there’d be buttons that just say “Auto” and “Start,” but instead there’s only a knob that’s surrounded by no words, only numbers and icons. Even after reading the manual, the icons were still unclear. Left with no other option, I had to take my best guess at where to set the knob, and then hit the “Play” button.
And can you guess what happened? The washer started, and 45 minutes later, I had clean clothes (to be honest, I’m not sure if they actually got clean but they seemed clean to me).
Ok great, step one complete. Now it was time to dry the clothes. I took a guess, turning the knob to what looked like a dryer setting, set the dry time to 60 minutes, and… I found wet clothes in the dryer when I came back an hour later. Either the dryer didn’t work well, or I had just accidentally washed my clothes twice. I pulled the clothes out of the dryer and hung them out to dry, accepting defeat.
Doing laundry is such a trivial matter. You may be wondering—why are you writing about this at all?
When we are in strange places and new environments, our senses become heightened. What once was a dull yet simple task is now shrouded in confusion. Instead of wasting time trying to perfect it the first time, it might have been better to act first and learn as I go. The truth is that this approach creates a lot of anxiety for me.
What knob do I need to turn this to to get these clothes to dry? How do I clean the lint trap? Oh wait, there doesn’t seem to be a lint trap—why isn’t there one? What if the dryer catches fire because I couldn’t figure out where the lint trap is? Where is the fire extinguisher in this apartment anyway? Oh shit—there isn’t one, what am I going to do if there’s a fire? Maybe I shouldn’t use this dryer at all. I will just hang the clothes.
This was my exact thought process earlier. One moment, I’m trying to figure out what setting to turn the knob to and the next moment I’m preparing for an inferno. If you let the mind spiral, it will.
When these moments come, I need to remind myself: there is no amount of caution or preparation that will make something foolproof. Everything requires a bit of trial and error. You will learn, you will adapt; the same way you and everyone you know has your entire life.
.png)
When it comes to deciding how to approach a problem, people typically belong on a spectrum. On one end of the spectrum, there’s the people who like to dive into it head first and figure it out as they go. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the people who like to develop a plan of attack before attempting to solve the issue.
I always considered myself to be somewhat in the middle, a good mix of bold yet calculated, someone who is willing to try new things but do it with caution. However, as I settle into life in a new country, I’ve noticed just how false this is. I really am far more wary than I realized.
For example, I spent 45 minutes staring at the manual of the washer/dryer machine in my Airbnb trying to figure out how to start it. You’d think there’d be buttons that just say “Auto” and “Start,” but instead there’s only a knob that’s surrounded by no words, only numbers and icons. Even after reading the manual, the icons were still unclear. Left with no other option, I had to take my best guess at where to set the knob, and then hit the “Play” button.
And can you guess what happened? The washer started, and 45 minutes later, I had clean clothes (to be honest, I’m not sure if they actually got clean but they seemed clean to me).
Ok great, step one complete. Now it was time to dry the clothes. I took a guess, turning the knob to what looked like a dryer setting, set the dry time to 60 minutes, and… I found wet clothes in the dryer when I came back an hour later. Either the dryer didn’t work well, or I had just accidentally washed my clothes twice. I pulled the clothes out of the dryer and hung them out to dry, accepting defeat.
Doing laundry is such a trivial matter. You may be wondering—why are you writing about this at all?
When we are in strange places and new environments, our senses become heightened. What once was a dull yet simple task is now shrouded in confusion. Instead of wasting time trying to perfect it the first time, it might have been better to act first and learn as I go. The truth is that this approach creates a lot of anxiety for me.
What knob do I need to turn this to to get these clothes to dry? How do I clean the lint trap? Oh wait, there doesn’t seem to be a lint trap—why isn’t there one? What if the dryer catches fire because I couldn’t figure out where the lint trap is? Where is the fire extinguisher in this apartment anyway? Oh shit—there isn’t one, what am I going to do if there’s a fire? Maybe I shouldn’t use this dryer at all. I will just hang the clothes.
This was my exact thought process earlier. One moment, I’m trying to figure out what setting to turn the knob to and the next moment I’m preparing for an inferno. If you let the mind spiral, it will.
When these moments come, I need to remind myself: there is no amount of caution or preparation that will make something foolproof. Everything requires a bit of trial and error. You will learn, you will adapt; the same way you and everyone you know has your entire life.
