Missionary Midwife: May 1, 2011

This chore is much more time consuming and complicated here…First, I have to put my dirty clothes in the washing machine than fill it up with water from a hose and add soap. Now, the philippinos call it a washing machine, but its more like a big basin that will swish around your clothes in soapy cold water for about 10 minutes. Once my clothes were throughouly “swished” I had to turn the knob to "drain" which drains all of the water out through a hose, then I grab my soaking wet laundry put it in a basket to take to the shower where I have a big and small bucket full of yet again cold water. I put my clothes in the big bucket and let them soak for awhile, then hand wash them before I dip them into the smaller bucket of water to rinse the article. After I am done with that whole process I take my laundry and put it into the dryer (which is like a salad spinner, and spin dries the clothing for 5 minutes) once that is done I hang up my still wet laundry on the clothesline to fully dry, and of course for everyone to see all my pretty clothes hahaha…now if that process isn’t hard enough already I forgot to mention that the washing/spinning machine is located out back in an alleyway type thing that is full of mosquitoes. So, I have to douse myself in “off” every time I go out there, and then when it is time for me to get my clothes off the line, I never come out of it without at least one bite, because for some reason the little buggers love hanging out inside my clothing and start going crazy attacking me when I shake my clothes to get them off and put them in my basket to bring inside…Mom: when I get back home I wont mind doing laundry anymore, because in America it truly is such an easy choreJ At least I don’t have to handwash my clothes with rocks in a creek…