Chinese Laundry

The honeymoon is over. No more clean socks or underwear- in other words: time to do the laundry. But that is no problem, we have a nice little front-loaded washing machine in the back kitchen. It is a Siemens, a well respected brand. So I get the dirty clothes, throw them in, close the door. And then it dawns on me. Other than the brand name, there is not one even vaguely familiar letter on the command dial. I put the washing powder in one of three optional slots, that seems fine. Then I turn the dial- nothing happens. Another try, again nothing seems to change. On the second round I notice that there is a blinking blue light on a different panel. I push that button as well, and a welcoming sound of water gently filling the drum reaches my ears.
About an hour later, soft parlor music suddenly fills the apartment. Am I dreaming? As the music continues, I decide to find it's source. It is the washer that suddenly has become a musical instrument The cycle is over. I go to open the door, but no, it will not budge. Perhaps there is a built-in dryer as well, so I turn the dial again and press the blinking light. Again the gushing of water starts- another cycle. At least the clothes will get clean.
As the concert starts up again, I again approach the washer, again it stubbornly refuses to open. I start looking for panels that may be opened if I had a screw-driver. No, that does not look good. Perhaps this time I should try a button opposite of the starting position, and suddenly the drum goes faster and faster- a great sign. And as the third concert of the day starts, the door happily yields..
I remove the clothes and turn the apartment into a drying rack. And even the heaviest cotton clothing is completely dry after 8 hour thanks to the dry Beijing air.And I have learned a valuable lesson, it is not over until the washing machine sings.