Life at Tudor and laundry day

Here at Tudor, we have it pretty good. Our first week in a tent – which during the winds from 8:30-11:00 p.m. seemed as if it would collapse – was actually quite cool and our room now is more than nice, mosquito nets, spiders and all. We wake up around 7:30 every morning and have breakfast, which consists of white bread and peanut butter, a banana and if we are lucky, beans or eggs or little hot dogs that we would never think of eating in the U.S. – not even after several cocktails. This past week, we have filled our days with playing with the children either here (spending the majority of the time with the toddlers) or at Pilgrams, the boys home about a 10-minute walk away. For lunch we have bread and peanut butter again, and dinner is warm. We are most excited for African night, where we get rice, meat, beans, as well as a delicious chapatti flatbread. The kids here eat very, very well, too – with huge helpings for every meal.
Armed with bug spray, sunglasses, and sunscreen everyday (and never forgetting to take our doxycycline) we go about our day among the strangest insects you’ve ever seen, birds, geckos, and the new village kittens. By the end, we not only have disgustingly dirty feet and dust everywhere, but are also covered in children wee, as our Brit friend Polly would call it, slobber and God know what else. However, just to see one of those smiles on these kids makes it all more than worth it.
Our first Sunday was also our first laundry day. Sara and I both realized, we had never hand washed our own laundry. Moms, you can save your comments, we know we are spoiled. Little did we know, we had three little girls – Jackie, Elisabeth, and Amina – who eagerly wanted to help us. Not only did they help, they taught us a lesson or two, laughing at Sara and I’s ignorance. First, you must wash your whites, getting the next lightest and so on. Rinsing is done in another bucket, and we also proved to be inept in ringing out our clothes, and were told how to do so properly. After hanging the clothes out to dry, and both of us happy not only to have the help but also the wonderful company, we figured out that our clothes were whiter than we’d seen them. In fact, I had not been able to get stains out on my white shirt for months, now – gone! And this without hot water – instead brown water – and a spin cycle. It reminded me of the laundry facilities in Bombay, where clothes came out spotless, although washed in seemingly dirty water. We decided not to think about how much soap is actually still on the clothes, as the girls insisted on pouring in loads of our concentrated soap.
--Abby