My interpreter Sayuri is folding a piece of notebook paper. She is at step 21, where the crane's body is inflated. The directions show a tiny puff besides an arrow pointing at the bird. It makes sense if you already know what to do. Otherwise, it's wonderfully surreal:
In Mary Roach's "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void," the author describes a scene where Sayuri, the interpreter, is engaged in origami, specifically folding a crane. At this point in her instructions, she is inflating the bird's body, which adds an unexpected element to the process. The directions include a small puff icon next to an arrow, hinting at the next step in the folding sequence.
This moment highlights the contrast between understanding and confusion in tasks that appear simple yet require knowledge. For those familiar with origami, the instruction makes perfect sense, but for those unacquainted, it seems bizarre and dreamlike, emphasizing the surreal nature of following complex instructions.
