It must be hereditary! My grandmother would always include a detailed description of when and how much laundry she did in the weekly letter she wrote (yes, hand wrote) and mailed to our family.
The good old days of postage stamps and handwritten letters might be gone, but I can still talk about doing laundry!
The "point" of this entry isn't so much the laundry, but the fact that after 14 months here in Taiwan (and 4 months living here in GueiShan) I have developed a weekly routine. Unlike the semester I spent as an exchange student, when every week was filled with traveling and exploring, this time I am "living", being immersed in Taiwan's culture and learning to live Taiwan-style.
I can now "cook" a decent meal with only hot water from my water purifier, my toaster and my coffee pot. Ok- "decent meal" might be stretching it, but instant soup, oatmeal, various toasted sandwhiches, etc. can be very satisfying-- and a good change of pace from rice!!
Back to the laundry. I must coordinate my "warsh" with the weather, because just like millions of other people I don't have a clothes dryer. During the sweltering, hot summer months this isn't too much of a problem. Just avoid the typhoons! However, Taiwan's "winter" season can be tricky. It rains for days on end, and when it does stop raining the weather is still cool and HUMID. (Emphasis on HUMID) Wet to the point that sometimes you clothes just don't dry completely. A little creativity can easily overcome this problem. For instance, last year I hung my clothes up in my bedroom and let my trusty fan blow dry them for two days. The lack of clothes dryers in "regular" households explains why finding dryer sheets is almost impossible here! :-) There are washers and dryers available at the local laundry mat-- but I am too cheap (and lazy!) to use them (especially when I can do my laundry here for "free"!) Come to think of it, clothes dryers really do waste a lot of electricity! I'm "going green"!
Although I don't have a clothes dryer, I do use one ingenious invention, the "spin machine". This little wonder turbo spins your clothes, wringing out the majority of the water WAY better than the washing machine OR than you could ever hope to by hand! It's also a life-saver when you only want to wash one or two pieces of clothing... those of you who know me will remember that I am prone to spilling things on myself (especially anything that will stain when I am wearing white!) Now instead of soaking, soaking, soaking clothes and waiting for laundry day, I can wash them by hand (scrubbing out those stubborn stains!) and put them in the TURBO SPINNER before hanging them out to dry! :-)
