Settling in my simple, upside down new world

After two months of upheaval, my life is finally falling into a familiar and comforting routine. Having moved into the rental, found a place for everything and put everything in its place, we can finally begin to explore and enjoy the city we now call home.

I've found that life in the West is very uncomplicated. That is, of course, if you are willing to put in some hard labour and not whine and complain about all the work that needs to be done around the house. If you keep on top of the chores, there's enough time to relax and unwind. Besides, you're not tense about whether or not help will show up. You're not losing your sanity trying to keep the peace between your driver, maid, cook, gardener and car cleaner. You know you'll get hot water when you turn the tap to the left. You know the light will come on when you flip the switch. You're not left guessing when the gas cylinder will show up at your door. Things are simple that way.

They're also upside down or (to me) the wrong way around. Literally. And that takes some getting used to. Keys go into locks upside down here. Light switches and electrical sockets are all upside down. Some taps move in the opposite direction to the way we've been used to turning them. And because traffic moves on the right side of the road, you're expected to follow the pattern when you're walking. So you take the right escalator instead of the left or keep to the right side of the stairs. I still haven't managed to reorient my instincts of 36 years.