Laundry

(Me with my camping backpack in Jerusalem...this is after carrying it around all day, hence, the "mad" face)

To preface this post, I have never been a diligent laundry doer. I am not saying my clothes are dirty, just that I have enough intimates and clothes to wait weeks before doing a load. In college I used to use a dolly to push my clothes to the laundry room and while in Ashkelon I would use my hiking backpack to lug all of my clothes to the washers. People would ask, “Are you going away for the night?” and my response would be “Nope, just doing my laundry”.





Currently in Netivot, we have a tiny washer which shake/rattles/rolls, a rusty clothesline, and a drying rack. The washer actually moves a good foot during the cycle. It’s hard getting used to not having a dryer…You have to consider the tempermental weather for one and also it definitely slows down the process. Since we are in the rainy season, it has rained on my clothes a few times while they are drying. Does this mean you have to re-wash them? Does acid rain really damage your clothes/skin? Thoughts?? Also, word to the wise…NEVER put any cheap Israeli t-shirts or sweatshirts in a dryer, otherwise, they will come out like doll clothes. Many Otzmanikim learned this the hard way. The article of clothing will come out fine if laid on a drying rack! This maybe due to the fact that most Israelis do not have dryers or only use them for emergencies since they are costly to run. Thankfully, I was able to learn from others mistakes and my t-shirts still fit.

( Looking Down...)

Earlier in the week, we used the covered clothesline to hang up our clothes. A few days later, I check the line only to find all of our clothes on our neighbors ledge. Ugh! So Shaina and I decide to head downstairs to try and reclaim our clothes. Our neighbors look confused but agree to let us come in to their apartment. We had to use a broom handle to scoop up the clothes off the bottom of the ledge (…the ledge was too fragile too stand on). Shaina was pretty awesome at grabbing the clothes. The clothes were covered in bird poo and wet…GROSS! I think we all learned our lesson about the necessity of clothespins!

** UPDATE: A BIRD POOPED ON MY PANTS WHILE THEY WERE DRYING...GROSS!!**