A Guide to Laundry in Ecuador
Wait until the only clean clothes you have are your yoga pants, running shirt, and a dress. Wear everything because it´s pretty chilly high up in the mountains (though that doesn´t mean you won´t get sunburned).
1. Dump everything into a large plastic bucket with cold water and pinch of granular laundry soap.
2. Select a pair of socks and place on a large rock (preferably clean).
3. Take the bar of laundry soap and scrub the socks. Make sure you get a sufficient amount of soap on the clothes you are wearing as well.
4. Take the socks and rub them as hard as you can on the rock. Realize you should be scrubbing the socks against each other instead of the rock only after you´ve torn a hole in your socks.
5. Pick up the hose from the mud puddle you unthinkingly dropped it in, and spend about 2 minutes cleaning up your hands and the hose, but still get mud on your socks. Repeat steps 3 and 4 (minus ripping a hole in your socks).
6. Scrub and rinse your socks.
7. Hold them up for inspection by your host sister. They don´t pass. Repeat step 6.
8. Live in a family with several kids. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Otherwise, your landry will take 3-4 hours. While you washed your one pair of socks, your host sister has washed two pairs of your jeans and one of your shirts. Your younger host sister has also washed several pairs of your socks.
9. Feel SUPER proud of yourself for washing that one pair of socks. Celebrate the small successes!
The Hokey-Pokey Shower Song (yeah, kind of cheesy. But this is the song that comes into my head every time I shower).
You put your left arm in,
you take your left arm out,
you put your left arm in,
and you shake it all about.
You´re freezing and your shivering,
and you want to just get out.
That´s what a cold shower´s about!
You put your right arm in,
you take your right arm out,
you put your right arm in,
and you shake it all about.
You´re freezing and you´re shivering,
and you want to just get out.
That´s what a cold shower´s about!
.....and.....
you think about it for a second...
you put your body in,
you take your body out,
you put your body in,
and you shake it all about.
You´re freezing and your shivering,
but now you can get out,
....YES!.....
Congratulations on washing your first pair of socks. :) And on milking a cow. I'm so proud of all the things you are learning. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteOoh...sounds pretty primitive to me! Do you always have a Hokey Pokey shower, or is there an occasional warm drop that comes out of the shower head?! Makes me feel pretty spoiled and coddled here in NE.
ReplyDeletegreat to hear you are doing well, Lauren! I had a couple months worth of cold showers while living in a dilapidated trailer in rural Kentucky. I ended up paying $3 per HOT shower a few times per week at the truck stop. can you post a map to show us where you are? you're family sounds awesome, and I hope you enjoy your roasted guinea piggies!
ReplyDeleteWe just got back from a week in Haiti where it was 98 deg. with 80% humidity. We felt very fortunate to be able to shower every day, but the water was icy, having come from the mountains. Even with all the sweat, it took me a couple days to get used to that icy blast every night! Our lives are pretty cushy here, huh?
ReplyDeleteAnn