AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!! Do you remember that $10 plumbing repair? Well...the saying "you get what you pay for" applies here. This morning we had another flood in Abi's bathroom. This time water was coming out of the overflow drain. Her shower had standing water in it (which was supposedly fixed the day before) and when she ran water in her sink.....water started coming out of the floor drain. She quickly covered the drain with the plunger and called me for help. I called the front desk several times....no answer.... Abi moved the plunger...water is still flooding out of the drain. I tried to call the front desk again...no answer...agian....no answer. Okay...one of us needs to go to the management office. So....I am still in my pajamas, Abi is dressed for school so I take over the plunger holding and she goes to the management office. I move the plunger...water is still flooding out. Abi gets down stairs....no one at the front desk...goes to the management office...several people in the office...no one speaks English...and they do not understand her urgency or her expressive Charade actions. She goes back to the front desk....no one home...goes to the door person...tries to tell them we have a problem....blank stare... Finally a young boy asks if she needs help....he speaks Chinese and English...he explains to the door people what has happened...they radio someone and Abi returns to our apartment. I am still in my pajamas holding the plunger over the drain. By now the water is getting close to the door. A repair person comes....I lift the plunger off the drain to show him the gushing water...no water comes out of the drain. Can you believe it? He does not grasp the urgency of the situation and starts to fix the drain like it is no big problem. All the while he is standing in an inch of water. He works in the bathroom for a few minutes....comes out and is ready to leave. Meanwhile the repairman that supposedly fixed this problem the day before arrives. As you can imagine I am not happy!!!!!!!!!!! Two floods in 2 1/2 days makes me very grumpy. Actually grumpy is too mild of a word so you can replace that with any word that comes to mind. That way I will not have to type it and I can keep this PG. Mr. "first on the scene" repairman assures me it is fixed. I do not believe him. I require a demonstration. So....he turns on the shower full blast...fills the sink with water and lets it run for about three minutes. Nothing floods....now I am satisfied. From the body language and communication between.....Mr."First on the scene" and Mr. "I fixed it yesterday"guy....I believe "yesterday guy" forgot some important step in fixing the problem. Now they are ready to leave....Water is everywhere....I do not have enough towels in our house to soak up all this water. I ask them about this....they shrug and leave. (please fill in this blank with a long list of expressive words)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What am I supposed to do with all this water? Evidently...clean up water is not their "specialty". Abi gets her stuff ready for school....is very frazzled...and has a test today. This was not a good way to start her day and she is late for school. She leaves and I get dressed. I call the front desk...no answer. I go downstairs...still no one.....I go to the management office...doors open...no one in the office. How is it when I bring home a few boards from the hardware store there are thousands of people around....when I have a flood.....the place is vacant? In the office there is a place card with a 24 hour hotline phone number. I call the number from the phone in the office. A person answers.....I ask if he can speak English...he hangs up. I knock on the back door to the office...no answer. Finally a worker comes into the office...I tell him what I need....blank stare. He goes in the back room and gets someone else....I show him the paper that I have translated on my computer translator thing.....He says....You need someone to clean up water? Oh My Gosh....someone understands me!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes....please send someone to clean up the water. I leave the office....I am wound up so tight I think I am going to explode. I really want to yell at someone but who would I yell at?....and it would be wasted energy because they wouldn't understand me anyway. I go get back to our apartment....wonder how long it will be before someone comes....can't take a shower until they get there because I don't want to miss them.....so.......I eat four cookies and a bowl of oatmeal. So much for the morning walk and fitting into my swim suit next week. Did I mention that next week is a national holiday? It is Chinese Labor Day (week). We are going to Hianan Island for the entire week and plan to do nothing except lay on the beach and play tennis. We are all looking forward to a break. It will just be us and a few other expats and probably a small group of 10 million or so Chinese vacationers. Back to the story......while I am thinking about the swimsuit and the four cookies I just eat the "clean up crew" arrives. It is one lady with a bucket and a wet rag. Now I really just want to cry. I show her to the bathroom....she says something that I think was a swear word.....assesses the situation....and wades into the bathroom with her bucket and rag. I am not sure how she did it but she cleaned up all the water. I said Xiexie...which is thank you....she smiled...and went away as happy as could be. My day can only get better from here...right? That is the only thought that gives me the energy to get in the shower.