When you’re doing heavy manual labor 4-5 days a week for a month in a foreign country, it becomes necessary to figure out how to wash your clothes. Shaking them out on the balcony when you get home only helps so much- when you go back to grab them, they’re still covered in dust and sand, and more than a little smelly. Many of my classmates use the laundry service next door and, I have to admit, it looks convenient. The woman who runs it delivers your clean, folded clothing straight to the apartment lobby, often same day. She even wraps them nicely in a clear plastic bag; there may as well be a bow on it. However, the idea of someone handling my sweaty dig clothes kind of makes me want to die, and I had heard word of a coin operated laundry nearby, so I set out to find it and do my laundry myself.

My classmate Abby told me which shop it was close to, and sure enough, a place called Acropolis popped up on Google Maps a block away from there. Off I went with some 1 and 2 Euro coins and a bag of quarantined dig clothes. I hadn’t brought detergent because I had assumed there would be a way to buy laundry soap at the laundromat, maybe a vending machine with small packets of it or something. I was wrong. I went to a mini mart to see if they had detergent, and to my delight they had some vaguely laundry-looking bottle of liquid! I bought it, went back to the laundromat, and read the label on the bottle once there (helpful hint: most things are in English, but it turns out you do have to actually read the words). It was not detergent.

Okay, third time’s the charm! I went out to another mini mart, inquired with the clerk, and he asked if I was washing by hand or using a machine, as the soaps are a bit different. Everyone is very helpful here. After getting the right soap, I headed back to the laundrette, popped the coins in, poured the soap and the fabric softener (why not, I’m the proud owner now), and I had clean laundry ready in less than an hour! It was only 4 Euro. Drying costs 3 Euro but it’s honestly unnecessary. There’s a drying rack on the balcony, and the sun teams up with a light breeze to dry your clothes in no time. And now, after setting your clothes out there, you get them back clean!

-Rachel