Until living in China, I did not realize how hard it is to buy products when you can’t read the package. In Hong Kong, everything is in English. In Shanghai, most product packaging is in Chinese. Even if I know the Chinese word for the item, I still don’t know the Chinese characters. This shopping trip I needed something to unclog the drain in the girls’ bathroom. No surprise with the amount of hair the girls have that their drain was a bit clogged.

I first looked at Metro and Carrefour because I didn’t want to pay the City Shop western price. When I buy cleaning supplies, I usually buy the bottle that has a picture of a sink or bathtub – close enough! I found what could be a drain cleaner – I saw a picture of a lady on a bottle wondering if that could be a drain declogger since it is women’s hair that causes the problem. It made me think of the popular Mr. Clean in American. What does a big, bald man have to do with cleaning a floor, sink or bathroom? I didn’t buy the bottle because there was no English to guide me. I went to City Shop and paid 68rmb/$10 for a small bottle of Drano – all in English. It said to pour half or the full bottle down the drain…well, there goes my money down the drain in less than a minute!!