I FIGURED IT OUT!!!!!!!

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So..... since i have been here i have not been publishing to many blogs. Despite the great responses i normally enjoy and repeated requests to write, WritE, WRITE!!!, i have not been able to sit down and type about my experience here. I could not figure out why this was such a problem until i had a conversation with my father. I realized, after our talk, that there are two things holding me back. First i realized that so many of my stories come from dialog. After i have told someone a story it is a million times easier to sit down and make my story even more granderrerererr. Without this dialog i lose the motivation to sit down and type. The other(and i think more important)reason, i will try to explain using plugs. Interested?........ then read on.

the standard outlet here consists of three holes. Rather than try to explain in detail i will direct your attention to the first picture. The outlets are the same mechanically as the ones in the states except upside down, which makes the top hole for the ground and the bottom two for the power. If your confused dont worry its not that important. What is important is the fact that, similar to home, most electrical appliances do not use the third hole. Now here's where things change from home (and everywhere else i've ever been). In order to plug something in one must depress a small button in the third hole. This button releases a small gate blocking the other two holes and unless it is pressed down nothing is getting plugged in. This turns something like plugging in my computer, normally a process that requires only one step, into a three step procedure.

Step 1. look around the house for anything that might fit into the small hole and that I'm comfortable with sticking into a live electrical
socket

Step 2. Hold the button down long enough and with enough force so that I can plug in my desired appliance.

Step 3. Plug in appliance.

Now in all fairness some of the things in my apartment do have the third prong on the plug. It was no problem plugging in my refrigarator or my washer and dryer. The three steps only apply when plugging in things like; my computer, lamps, stereos, DVD players, cell phone chargers, my shaver, toasters, coffee makers, and my toothbrush. Why every outlet in this entire country has this small button in the third hole but all the appliances have only two prongs is still a mystery to me. I do very much enjoy watching people at my local internet cafe though. The locals are always prepared but the out of towner's usually need a little help.

I tell this story because its a perfect analogy for many of the things i've seen here. There is so much that is different here and so much that i dont understand and the last thing i want is to offend someone with my ignorant perspective. While telling a funny story about and inefficient outlet system might not hurt anyones feelings or insult anyones culture my fear is that the way i write or my lame attempts at humor might just do that. This fear and my lack of motivation have combined for the perfect storm of laziness when it comes to sharing some of my experiences here. My hope is, that when i get home and have a cold beer with my friends some of the stories told there will make their way to my blog, even if it is after the fact. Thats all for now.

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Photos

Standard Plug
Seems normal enough.

Maybe Not
why wont it work? I must need something to push that little button.

A Fork????
Some mistakes you are only allowed to make once. Better keep looking

My Pocket Knife????
Maybe..... but then again it is a live socket, I think ill find something else.

Nail Clippers?
Man!!! Its harder than i thought to find something small enough to fit that dosent have the potential to kill me.

Ahhh Here we go.
This doses the trick nicely....... i think.

Mission Accomplished!!
To bad the book im reading isnt really worth risking my life for. Now for all the electricians out there i know the potential for getting electrocuted by sticking something in the ground socket isnt very high. But if you dont believe that its scary just go stick a fork in the bottom socket of a normal plug.