Back in America, that would have been such a simple statement. But, in my life now, it's a whole event! From what I've seen, laundry here in Uganda is always done by hand, in buckets or basins. It's a bit more complicated where I am in Eastern Uganda, because there's a water shortage. So, water is brought from the borehole in bright yellow jerrycans—20 liters each! (I can barely pick one up, let alone carry a full one!) We pour the water in the first basin, add in our clothes, and scrub with soap—which is bought here in literal bars, they're about two feet long and you cut off a small chunk with a knife whenever you want to use some. After the first scrubbing, the clothes are dumped into another basin for a second scrubbing, and then back into a basin of clean water to be rinsed.
Luckily, when I got home today I was greeted with my smiling sisters yelling "inacka!" (pronounced ee-nach-ka) which means "my sister!" My two favorite sisters, Maggie and Feli, were already in the courtyard doing laundry. So, I quickly grabbed my laundry and joined in, and we had a great time! As we sat there scrubbing our clothes, they taught me the words for various body parts in Ateso. They laughed along with me as I struggled with some of the pronunciations, and they were proud of me when I remembered the words for "thighs" (amuros) and "fingernails" (abelekeka), which they'd taught me a few days ago. They proceeded to teach me a song in Ateso, one that students apparently sing at the end of the school day to say goodbye to their teacher. We must have been quite the sight: sitting on the ground, scrubbing clothes in basins, and singing children's songs across the courtyard to each other, while surrounded by the plethora of ducks and chickens that wander around freely here.
And after all of this, my wonderful sisters taught me how to tie my underwear to the clothesline, so that it doesn't fall off into the dirt.
So.... after school today, I did laundry.
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| Sitting with my sister, Maggie! |
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Reminds me of the fun I used to have doing dishes with my brothers and sisters when we were young! However, I'm glad we never had to do laundry like that!
ReplyDeleteWow! I could see every action through your words. Now I know why they call it a "chore." But it does indeed sound like you are making the best of it, and what we wouldn't give to have been one of those lucky ducks, to hear the laughter and the singing. Great photos, too! Thank you! Love you!
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