I have an apartment full of language neutral appliances (oh and they are gender neutral as well--they are all silver).  I've got an oven, washing machine and gasp a dryer in my apartment that don't speak any one language.  Instead, they use pictures.  The thing is I can't always read the pictures.

Today I was trying to use my oven and I had to dig out the appliance manual. I had no idea which picture meant what.  Turns out that my oven lets me:
<ol>
	<li> Applying upper and lower heat</li>
	<li>Grill</li>
	<li>Grill with ventilator</li>
	<li>Lower heater and ventilator</li>
	<li>Ventilator with hot air</li>
	<li>Defrosting</li>
	<li>Lower heater and ventilator</li>
	<li>Applying lower heater</li>
</ol>
The problem is that each picture on the knob seems to be only a slight variation of the picture before and after it.  Manuel in hand, I was able to get my oven going--but that was after I dug through three different manuals for my oven because it comes in so many different languages.  Phew.

Cooking dinner went fine once I could kind of make out the settings on my oven.  The thing is that I am pretty sure the next time I use the oven, I'll have to get my manual out again.  That is, unless I decide to simply use the one setting that I know works well--for the record that was the picture for "applying upper and lower heat"--for the rest of the year.  I might do this.

I tried to take a picture of the knob on the oven but with no success because of the way the pictures are put on the knob.

But I did get a couple of good pictures of my washing machine which is much more complex than my oven.

[caption id="attachment_1161" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="My Washing Machine"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-1161" title="Washing Machine " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dsc01085.jpg?w=300" alt="My Washing Machine" width="300" height="225" />[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1162" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Close up of my Washing Machine"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-1162" title="Washing Machine 2 " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/dsc01084.jpg?w=300" alt="Close up of my Washing Machine" width="300" height="225" />[/caption]

The thing about my washing machine is that the first time I used it 100% jet-lagged, I got it work without a problem.  The next time that I tired to use it I couldn't get it to start.  I kept thinking: how did I do this jet-lagged and half brain dead yesterday and today I can't do it?

Well, I never could get it to start.  So I dug out the manual and read up on the three different knobs and 6+ buttons.  The whole time it kind of makes you think: why can't I read these pictures? how is it that I understand each picture but I still can't make this thing go?

Well, I am still not sure that I understand the ins and outs of this machine but what it comes down is that you have to choose how much spin you want, what temperature you want and then you have to squint and try to pick the best cycle based on the clothes that you are washing. The thing is that if you don't pick correctly then you might find that your clothes are soaking wet.

I think that this happens because of something to do with the speed of the spin but this isn't something I've ever had control of in the States so I am figuring this out.  Oh and the machine is front loading--like most in Europe--but this is still rather new to me.   As is trying to puzzle out the pictures on the front of appliances in order to try to use them.

So I am getting better and better at using these language neutral appliances.  Basically I am getting better and better at remembering what each picture is telling me without having to get out my manual each time I want to wash a load of clothes.  But the thing is, I am afraid I've got too many appliances with too many pictures to keep them all straight!