Carpet Washing and Gas Shortages

If you happen to be from the United States and have lived in pretty much any other country you can’t help but appreciate how well American’s have it.  I lived for years in Japan and used kerosene heaters for warmth in the winter in drafty houses.  I lived for years in Italy and put up with summer water rationing and poor electrical systems.  Now I live in Pakistan and put up with “load shedding” (pre-scheduled brown-outs).  Luckily we also have a backup generator.  Lately the new issue is gas pressure, or the lack thereof.   A few days ago our cook had to shut off the houses two heating systems in order to use the oven.  For the past several days only one of the heating systems has been operating since the pressure is not high enough to support both systems. 

 It doesn’t make much sense to complain about these inconveniences as they are the norm here in Pakistan.  I am one of the lucky ones.  When my time is done here I’ll travel back to California where a two hour electrical outage is national news.  I think it is a shame more of my countrymen don’t spend time in foreign lands.  Living abroad lends perspective.  Perhaps this is why new immigrants to America have always done so well.  They have perspective on just how blessed they are in America and don’t take the opportunity for granted.

 Now, I don’t quite know how to explain why I like living abroad so much.  I greatly appreciate all America has to offer, but at the same time, I appreciate how well the rest of the planet gets on with what they have to work with.  Recently I went to the workshop of one of the carpet merchants I frequent.  It was somewhere south of Lake Rawal in a small village.  The building is just a concrete slab on pillars.  Not the best work, too much aggregate and probably no re-bar at all, open to the elements with only one small room actually enclosed.  I went there to see how carpets are washed and stretched.  Wool carpets can be cleaned quite effectively by beating them.  But when they get quite old and have been used in dirty conditions they occasionally need a more in depth cleaning.  Wool shrinks when it gets wet so when carpets are cleaned they also have to be stretched back into shape.  Carpets have been used for well over 2,700 years.  I imagine the way I saw them being cleaned and stretched is as old.  The process is simple: soak the carpet and scrub it with stiff brushes and soap, rinse, repeat.  When it is clean, nail it to boards and begin stretching it by lengthening the distance between the boards with large rocks.  Keep wetting the carpet as you stretch it until it is the size desired.  Then just leave it to dry.  The impressive thing to see is just how much abuse these pieces can take.  The brushed used look like they should tear the carpet apart but no damage is done.  Watching this process and knowing these pieces can withstand high traffic areas for over 100 years really lets you appreciate the craftsmanship involved in their manufacture.  I suppose this is just one aspect of my carpet addiction.  :0