I finally figured out how to work my German stove. I bought a lighter, but still couldn’t light the damn burner because lighters go out when you turn them sideways, and you must turn them sideways to light the burner. I also really hate using lighters as a general rule (they hurt my fingers, they make me extremely nervous, and I’ve never smoked so I’m just uncomfortable with them), and I don’t like having my hand close to the stove when I’m lighting gas and starting a flame that may be kind of big. So I scrounged around the kitchen and found some thin wooden skewer sticks. I lit the end of one of them and used it like an extra-long match. And presto, it worked, I did not burn down the apartment, and I’m now happily boiling water. A million thanks to Azundris who taught me the hold-the-button-in-for-five-seconds trick. I would not have guessed that.
Next up: Figuring out how to open the door to my porch.
Here’s to small victories.