So clearly my last entry was written in bitter frustration, and now I'm going to write an entry out of the other side of my mouth. I promise I'm not a basket-case swinging back and forth between loving and loathing the TZ characteristic of not knowing everything or not having things work at all or in the way you want to. However, it's what I will seem like after you read this one, but hey, it's a study abroad reality, I guess: your mood really depends on the day, and after getting my Western vent out there, I feel a lot better and more accepting of circumstances.
With that being said.... so I've done enough sessions of hand-washing to have lost count, and I have decided that I really love it. It is so relaxing! Last week (before the water shut off), I spent the afternoon washing my clothes in my bucket while sitting our room's balcony step in the African sunshine, looking out over the Indian Ocean in the quiet of the afternoon, scrubbing and singing until my shirts, shorts and socks were clean. AND I got my very dirty socks back to an almost sparkling white! I totally thought it would be impossible, but with some persistent scrubbing and serious patience, it happened!
The more I do laundry by hand, the more I realize how very philosophical of an experience it truly can be (oh great, here I go again....). :) I'm serious! For example, once I was trying to wash my stuff but was in a bit of a hurry, carrying a long to-do list in my pocket and – as I was currently undergarment-less – trying to get my laundry done quickly (which, by the way, is virtually impossible if you plan on having clothes anywhere close to being clean). As I scrubbed as hard as I could, thinking the harder I scrubbed the faster the dirt would come out (also not true), I became more and more frustrated until finally stopping to realize what I was doing.
Standing in the laundry room amidst the jungle of clotheslines and the dangling contents of other residents' drying wardrobes, I couldn't help but notice that my arms were numb, there was more water on me than in the bucket, my clothes were just as dirty as they were before I tried to imitate a washing machine and I was even sweatier than when I started, which although sweating is just a constant, inevitable state of being here in Dar, you don't exactly go out of your way to do things that compound your likelihood of becoming even more drenched in rivers of sweat.
In rushing to “get things done,” I found that I was actually making more work for myself rather than achieving my goal of getting ahead of the game, not to mention I was a wee bit of what I like to call miserable. Whether or not this idea of setting out with a to-do list in hand and doing whatever necessary to cross off those items is characteristic of only Americans or a Western habit in general, it's definitely a Kate Westby trademark. As such, here in Tanzania I'm finding that even the most basic of tasks – i.e. washing my clothes with a bar of soap and a bucket of water – can give me not only a reality check but also a much-needed “You're a human being” check. I journaled before about frustrations over things just not working out and how hard that adjustment has been for me, but with setback is the reminder that sometimes things don't always happen at the very moment you want them to happen. My socks don't clean themselves, and the dirt just doesn't dance out of the threads when I have other more pressing tasks to which I must attend. But with persistence and patience, things get done that need to get done.
Wasn't it Ben Franklin who still graces quote boards trying to convince people to get on their horse and be proactive and busy-bodies? “Don't put off until tomorrow what can be done today,” isn't that how it goes? I'm a big fan of electricity and all his other discoveries, but I must admit Tanzania is teaching me to adhere to philosophies from the laundry room over his time-honored advice. Speaking from personal experience, a person will find themselves in much higher spirits and positive outlook on life with less detrimental and self-inflicted pressure to attempt accomplishing things that, if necessary, could really wait until tomorrow (I can already see my mother starting to hyperventilate...). :)
*Picture was taken in our tub room where I washed a few articles of clothing yesterday when the water came on for two hours in the afternoon. I used the tub because I filled my bucket with shower water for the next week and didn't want to run the risk of losing such a precious resource! (And I'm only wearing a longsleeve shirt because it was raining and actually cold for once, as in like 70s). :)
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