When You Really Want a Washing Machine

So I thought I would write about what I was doing all of last Saturday: washing my clothes. Washing everything by hand can get very annoying, time-consuming, and just downright unpleasant.

When I was still in the US we had many recommendations from Peace Corps Volunteers not to bring white clothing. Sadly, I chose to bring a few articles of white clothing, including two shirts and my socks. These, as you may expect, get very dirty very, very quickly. Of course, my other clothes get dirty but you can't notice it as you can on white cloth. One primary reason for all the dirt is the lack of paved roads and the prevalence of dust and mud. There is also a dog who lives with my neighbor which has taken a liking to me. Whenever he sees me he runs over and tries to jump on me--something I would normally welcome but now try to avoid. Am I a dog hater? No, no, no. It's just that I don't want to have to wash my clothes every single day!

Washing clothes usually takes place on Saturday or Sunday, preferably early in the morning (like 6 AM). There is actually a cool little washing sink outside of my house on the side with a faucet and bumpy surface to scrape your clothes against. Washing things like blankets and sheets is pretty difficult because they are so bug and heavy.

The bad part about washing clothes, at least for me, comes not in the washing but in the process of drying. This process can take a day to several days, depending on the weather. Back in March I was able to dry my clothes pretty quickly, as it was summertime. Now that winter is upon us (southern hemisphere) the air is cold and it can pour down rain in a frighteningly unpredictable manner. Once, I had my clothes out and there was a shower. Additionally, Tzaneen is very humid and even the absence of rain will not guarantee that your clothes will dry that day.

The frightening part of drying your clothes, which I have not experienced yet, is the possibility that a mango fly will lay eggs in your clothing. Don't read the rest of this post if you are going to eat something soon. The previous volunteer here in Tzaneen had one once and it was pretty freaky. These flies come out during the summer months and lay their eggs in the wet clothing. When your warm skin comes in contact with the cloth, the egg will hatch and a small worm will burrow into your skin. Something that looks like a black-headed pimple will emerge at that spot and if you pinch it or try to pop it, the little worm will pop out! It will then try to wiggle away while you scream your head off in horror. The way to solve this problem is to put something like vaseline on the pimple, which will suffocate and kill the worm. To prevent this, people have to iron all their clothing, including their sheets. I'm willing to do this, once I get an iron and place to iron my clothes.

On a completely different note, last weekend I stayed with a farmer who owns several acres of land outside of Tzaneen, growing macadamia nuts and avocados. Her hospitality was extraordinary and I was treated to great meals and drinks. Their family and friends are great rugby fans, and so I watched several games with them. South Africa is a country of great hospitality and I am always amazed at how generous people can be to people they just met.