On Hand Washing or The Value of Synthetics

So although our host families are paid to take care of our laundry for us, I’ve decided that a part of my cultural adaptation will be to wash my own clothes by hand. I figure, I’ve gotta learn this skill in order to live on my own in a few months. Plus, its darn good exercise.

First a few words about the machinery. The pila (pronounced pee-lah) is a big stone trough that has three parts. The middle is a big pool, in which water is stored because it is often scarce. When the town water is on, families will fill this pool with water to be used when the water is imminently turned off. The sides are shallow sink-shaped fixtures where on one side dishes are washed, and on the other, everything else is washed (clothes, false teeth, hair, etc.)

So to begin your hand-washing experience, you first must soak your clothes in a giant bucket for no less than an hour (much more if you allow your clothes to reach the level of grimyness that I have). You then lay your clothes flat on the stone pila. The soap is a softball-sized orange ball that you roll all over your clothes. This is when the fun begins. You then commence with grinding your clothes into the stones to work in the soap and scare out the dirt. Note: when first using this method you will fear for the life if your clothes. However, I’ve found that mine can withstand the abuse. Once the clothes are sufficiently scrubbed, you then rinse several times, wring dry, and hang on a clothes-line, which likely will be in full view of anyone passing through or by your house and elicit giggles from the neighborhood kids.

In closing, let me make an argument against the use of cotton in places where a pila/clothesline are the washing implements. Without a dryer, cotton will NEVER, never go back to its original size. I’m starting to look like a little girl in my dad’s clothes. However, my sturdy synthetics have remained their faithful to their tagged sizes. A word to the wise: stick with syntheticsJ