Rainy Weather + Laundry Days

Currently, it is the rainy season here in Mushullakta, meaning it rains daily five days a week, sometimes up to three rain showers in a single day. It can go from a bright sunny day to a complete storm in less than half an hour, meaning it is very difficult to plan your day according to the weather.

In fact, there have been many times when I decide to laundry, and it rains. Last week it rained for five days straight. As the rain kept coming, so did the amount of dirty laundry, the heap of clothes did not go anywhere, and partially, I am at fault for that.

Usually I am not the kind of person who likes to procrastinate when it comes to laundry, for I always like to have options within my wardrobe, and doing laundry twice a week allows me to do that. So, let’s just say I take my laundry days very seriously. However, due to the rain, I spent about a week waiting for the “perfect” or “right” day to laundry. I did this for multiple reasons.

Foremost, last time I did laundry on a gloomy day, I got rained on. Not fun. Secondly, when I did laundry on a rainy week, it took four days to completely dry. This doesn’t sound that bad, since I would still have enough clothes to last me for the rest of the week. However, due to the humidity, lack of airflow and long drying process, the clothes develop a mildew-like smell. A smell that does not go away until they are washed again. This happened to me once, and the smell got so bad to the point where I just washed my clothes again. Most importantly, my biggest reason for not washing on rainy days was because I just really like the way my clothes come out during nice, sunny, wind filled days. Nothing beats the smell and texture of a clean, air dried cotton T-Shirt that has been drying in the afternoon summer weather.

In many ways, laundry days became a sort of ritual for me. They were days when I got the satisfaction of choosing my schedule, which usually meant I got to have a break along with doing my laundry. Handwashing clothes is hard work, and a lot more time-consuming than machine washing, so it requires a good amount of time to be set aside. However, I really enjoyed this, for it was one of the few times I got to be alone, having the chance to do something for myself. Honestly, now that I write this down, I realize laundry days were my self-care days. Laundry days meant that not only did I get clean clothes, but I also got to do my readings while they dried. I also had the time to listen to music, sometimes it was even a workout where I got to de-stress. All this to say, that I grew to love and appreciate my laundry days, and this gloomy weather was taking it all away from me!

It is because of this that I decided to wait for the perfectly calm, sunny day to do my laundry, and basically everything else that came with it. However, as the rainy season continues, that day never comes. I accepted this last week as I noticed I was running out of clean clothes. While I spent my time trying to schedule my week in accordance to the weather, my laundry pile grew. This need to anticipate, wait, and preprepare for the perfect moment ended up being worse than just doing laundry when I needed to. Because now I was left without clean clothes, and a laundry bin that was filled to the brim.

So basically, I just ended up doing laundry today first thing in the morning, in the middle of a rain shower. Yes, I got soaked, but I used that as an excuse to shower and start my day earlier. This meant I got to do my hair and face routine afterward. Feeling this refreshed also encouraged me to go to the local school to use the Wi-Fi and write this journal. Overall, even with unconventional weather, I was able to be productive and make the most out of the day. If anything, I’ve learned to live in the moment, taking the day as it comes instead of procrastinating while waiting for the “right time”.

This experience reminds me of the Mexican saying that says “al mal tiempo, buena cara”, meaning “During bad times, put on a good face”, something that I truly believe in, and plan on applying during the rest of my time abroad.