Grocery Store Trip 2 / Laundry Adventure

One of the first things I learned about living in Gent/Belgium/Europe is how crazy they are about their garbage and recycling efforts.  The day I moved in the landlord was trying to explain me this detailed complex spreadsheet about the trash pick up, the multiple colored garbage bags you need to buy, and what types of items can go in each bag and what days they are picked up on – looked like something consultants would make to “make the problem simpler.”  Since I only had three nights left before heading back to Chicago I wanted to make sure I had garbage bags, laundry detergent, etc so I could do some stuff around the apartment so I wouldn’t have to do it when I returned.  So I go back to the Colruyt and buy some milk (6 bottles come in a pack and the expiration date isn’t until May!!), cereal (honey nut clusters are made by Nestle over here!), nutella, etc.  Inlcuding garbage bags – a roll of yellow and a roll of blue.  Yellow is the regular trash and the recyclables go in the blue bag.  Come to find out that they don’t have brands of garbage bags like we have, they just have rolls of them you can buy and they aren’t cheap – 12 euro for a pack of 10 small bags.  I also finally picked some detergent that looked the safest as they were all brands I have never heard of and also all in Dutch but I was able to find one that said ‘Colors’ on it.  When I arrived back at my apartment I was eager to get some of the massive heap of laundry done.  But it wasn’t until around 10 o clock after work, store, dinner with colleague (getting a parking ticket in Aalst), and the trip back to Gent.  So I tried figuring out this washing machine that only has symbols on it and it has time wash options or temperatures (I think).  However, the 60 degrees option for example is 60 minutes – they sure mix their degrees, percents, and time over here.  The washer just wouldn’t stop; I kept hitting buttons moving the dial trying to get them done so I could dry them.  After the washer stopped, it took me another ten minutes to figure out how to get my clothes out as the door was locked, evidently until a certain cycle I took my clothes out and put them in the dryer, only to find out they were still a bit soapy.  At this point I didn’t care as it was midnight and I just wanted them dry as I had no clean clothes for the next day of work.  However, the chick that lives on the first floor, right next to the laundry room sure cared.  She came out and told me not to run the dryer because she can’t fall asleep if it’s on.  So, I took my wet clothes upstairs (but boy did they smell good), threw a pair of boxers on the heater, the rest of them on a towel and went to bed.  To be continued in the next post…