becoming a domestic goddess

Let me start off this post by apologizing for having been MIA for a while. I know I promised to try to update this blog fairly regularly, and believe me, I have been trying to find time to do that this week. It’s just been a bit hectic around here lately. Sadly, none of the things that have been keeping me so busy are truly “blog worthy”, so today’s post isn’t going to be incredibly exciting. Still, I hope it’s at least a little entertaining, and maybe even educational!
Okay, so among other things, one of the “not blog-worthy” ways I’ve been occupying my time lately has been doing laundry. Now for those of you living in the U.S., or probably most other Westernized nations, you’re probably thinking “Laundry has been keeping you busy?!” And to that, dear friends, I reply, “You have no idea….”
You see, doing laundry in India isn’t like doing laundry in the U.S. in almost any way. Let me illustrate: If you were writing a “How To” paper on doing laundry in the United States, what would be the first sentence you might write?
“Throw the clothes in the washing machine….”
Ooops. That’s not happening in India. Because, in order for me to throw my clothes in a washing machine, I would have to actually have a washing machine! But I don’t.
“Not to worry,” you say, “Take them to a laundry mat.”
Strike two. No laundry mats in India.
Hmmm….
Well before you start worrying that I am running around in clothes so dirty they could run around on their own, let me tell you, there is another way! In fact, here’s a picture of it:
This humble bucket, scrub brush, and faucet are my Maytag replacements for the next couple of years. And even though they may not look like much, let me tell you, these guys have been serving me pretty well. While not everyone in India crouches on their bathroom floor and hand washes their clothes with a bar of laundry soap, this method of cleaning seems to be practiced by most of the population. And even though it is pretty common to opt to pay someone else to scrub for you, my experience with that has been “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” (This is especially true when it comes to Westernized clothes like jeans and t-shirts, which Indian washers, called dobis, aren’t used to.) Washing my own clothes here has actually been a really good learning experience for me. My other roommates have given me a few pointers about techniques for getting out stains, and for wringing clothes dry once they’re rinsed. I’ve also figured out which of my clothes have colorfast dyes in them, and which don’t. And, since it’s monsoon (yes, I’m still talking about that!), I’ve become quite adept at learning how to rotate my clothes on the line strung across our bedroom, as it’s kind of hard to line dry clothes outside when it’s pouring rain....
The only problem I’ve been dealing with is that, again, since it’s monsoon, nothing seems to ever really get dry. That means a lot of planning on my part, since if I wait to do all my laundry on one day, I will be without clean, dry clothes for several days. It also means checking the clothes in my wardrobe frequently to make sure they haven’t grown mold. (I’m serious.) But, on the bright side, monsoon ends in September, so I just have one more month to go until having clean, dry, mold-free clothes will be within my reach!
On a different note, I wanted to thank everyone for the comments they leave on my blog. I know I don’t respond publicly ever, and I rarely respond privately, but I really do appreciate you all taking an interest in my life in India. And along those lines, since so many of you have asked, the mouse problem is still in limbo, as we found another furry friend a few days ago. But we are pretty sure we found the hole he was coming in through, so hopefully that will take care of the situation. And, going back to an even older post, I thought I would also tell anyone who is interested that I have decided that I like Banana Corn Flakes even better than Mango ones!