Doing my laundry here wasn’t something I really thought
about before I arrived. At home, it was such a normal, everyday experience that
I didn’t put much thought into it.
During in-country orientation, new questions kept popping
into my mind, such as “Do I have to provide my own toilet paper?” “When a light
bulb goes out, where do I get a new one to replace it?” and “How will I do my
laundry?”
For the last question, Tessa (my country coordinator) said
something like this. “There is a washing machine there for you to use, but I
was told that it also requires some ‘manual labor’ to wash your clothes.”
What??
Based on that answer, I had no idea what to expect. I was
honestly picturing myself having to literally shake the machine to imitate the
churning of clothes inside. For something that I never gave a second thought,
the thought of doing laundry was suddenly daunting.
When I arrived in Soweto, I asked the German volunteers here
for advice on doing laundry. They said that there is a washing machine for the
volunteers to use located directly behind our flat, but it is broken. Luckily,
there is another machine, but we have to share it with other people, so
sometimes it is hard to find a good time to wash. Finally, the machine works
pretty well when actually washing the clothes, but it struggles during the spin
cycle.
When I needed to attempt my first load of laundry, I had
Giulia, my flat mate, show me how to run the machine. She said that I should turn on the machine, push every button once, and then hit start. I
have no idea why we have to push every button once, but I just go with it and
it works pretty well. After starting the machine, I wait for about 45 minutes,
then go to check.
just outside of the main kitchen at DAM.
Usually, I find my clothes sitting in a pool of water. This
shows that the wash cycle is complete, but the ever-cumbersome drainage and
spin cycle is struggling to begin. One of my neighbors said that the best way
to make the spin cycle work is to have a small child sit on the machine. Since
I am lacking in the “small child department” I simply lean on the machine and
put pressure on the lid, which usually makes it spin for about two minutes
before it stops again. This process of leaning, spinning, stopping, and leaning
again continues until 1) my clothes are no longer soaking or 2) I am sick of
leaning on the machine. Usually it is the latter.
Finally, it is time to hang my clothes on the line outside.
Our clothesline is located just behind my flat in the garden. So far, it has
been pretty windy here, which is good for quickly drying clothes, but creates a
new challenge for keeping my clothes on the line and off the ground.
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Some of my laundry hanging on the line behind our flat.
I have discovered which clothespins are the strongest, and
therefore work best for heavy items, such as jeans. I came upon that discovery after having many
items fall from the line onto the dry, dusty ground, which caused the items to
now be muddy and almost as dirty as before I started laundry.
Luckily, the warm and breezy weather makes for very fast
drying. For most items, about an hour on the line is enough. For others, I must
leave them out there longer, and hope to remember to get them later.
Fortunately, I live with some pretty great people who bring my jeans to my door
should I forget them on the line for an extended period of time.
I have heard many stories about fellow YAGMs learning how to
properly hand-wash their clothes, and I am extremely grateful to have the
almost-fully-functioning washing machine that I have. In the few times that I
have hand-washed my clothes, I think they end up smelling worse than before I
started washing them.
Basically, doing my laundry here is different than it was back home, but I have learned to adjust and be flexible. Isn't it strange how even the most mundane activities can teach us lessons in life? Way to go, YAGM program. I have even learned lessons by doing my laundry.
J
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