Laundry

Yes, let's talk about laundry. SO. I am quickly realizing that I got quite spoiled at Rhodes with their free laundry machines. Not laundry service or anything, just machines. I am further realizing I was quite spoiled by the American thought that you just need a couple of quarters to throw a load in the wash at a good ole laundromat.

Neither of these American extravagancies are in existence here in Aberdeen.  Here it costs TWO pounds to wash and ONE pound to dry. So, for a normal load of washing, one is looking at four dollars and fifty cents. That alone makes one reconsider the defenition of "dirty." But further, as could be expected, I can't just do a normal load of laundry.

So my first solution to this ridiculous highway robbery was, "I'll handwash!" Yeah. That went well.
I hand washed my first set of clothes but I soon realized that this actually wasn't the best solution. With the sun coming out an average of an hour a day, a space heater under the window, and personal space of about 20 cubic feet (hardly room for a clothesline) I found myself with a pile of wet clothes, smelling faintly of detergent, that dried to be crinkly and somewhat moldy-smelling. (I evidently missed the handwashing lesson in home ec).

So, it came about that I had a second load (I know, I know, "I've only been here two weeks"). Anway, so I deteremined, "This time, I'm just going to use the machine." I resigned myself to one less latte or grocery run and decided to just spend the money.
I got down to the laundry room and both washers were empty. Counterintuitively, I chose the second washer. Someone then walked in and began filling the first machine. I put all my clothes in, then my detergent, closed the door, and put my coin in. Well, I attempted to put my coin in. I pushed, and shoved, then realized I should actually be trying to retract my coin-- the machine was broken. I fiddled about five minutes trying to get my 10p coin out till I finally gave up as I had just shoved it in further. At this point the individual beside me was simultaneously tossing their clothes in and shooting glances at me. They began to fill the machine more quickly and had the detergent and change in before I could fully turn my head. They then looked sadly over at my washing machine, "Is it broken?"
"Yeah," I nodded. They kindly tried to help me with the 10p, but they too succeeded in further feeding my tip to the fallen washer.
The individual said sorry and walked away. I looked around the room and found sitting in the corner a large, metal sink. "Handwashing."

So, since the first go-round of this hadn't taught me well enough that I have NO IDEA how to hand wash, I went for it again. I couldn't make up my mind whether to fill the sink with hot water or cold water, so I filled it with both. It was quite warm, so out of my infinite domestic knowledge, I threw the lighter clothes in first. I then threw my jeans through (including my new jeans). Then I ran my bath towel through, my white bath towel. And I set them all aside together in the washing machine before rinsing them. I rinsed everything through, just wanting to be done (as an hour of my life had now gone by), and I threw everything in the drier. I put in my one pound to dry and walked away.

I came back the next morning to find I owned a new blue tank top, a new blue bath towel, and three new pairs of socks (all blue). On top of this, nothing was dry! SO, I took my jeans out, deciding to let them "air dry" and ran the drier again with the rest of the clothes (another pound). I came back and thought, "Maybe a run through the wash will get the blue out of my whites." So I put everything that used to be white into the washing machine, put the water on hot, and put my two pounds into the machine. After the wash I threw the garments into the drier.

Five pounds (now a week's worth of groceries) and a day and a half of my life later, I now own three pairs of faintly blue socks, a faint blue towel, a tie-dyed tank top, and four pairs of jeans that still aren't dry.

I miss free laundry.