I have heard from many people that once you buy a house, things start to break, one at a time. I knew it to be truth, and unfortunately, that painful truth is setting in for Drew and I. (Please no comments like I told you so. Yes Mom, I mean you. 🙂 ) The garage door, the A/C, and now our dryer. I was drying some towels the other night when I realized the dryer had been running a really long time. When I checked on, the timer had not moved, and there was no heat when I opened the door. And I still had wet sheets in the washer. Doh!

My handy hubby checked on it and discovered several things wrong with it. Fixable, but costing a couple hundred dollars, and probably taking a couple weeks to get parts in. He began researching new dryers, and we decided we might as well purchase a washer as well, especially after we talked about getting the stackable kind and creating more room in our very cramped laundry area. We’re still looking (okay, Drew’s doing all the work) but will probably purchase a set before the weekend is over.

As we wandered through Sears (and laughed when we saw the same couple that had just been at Best Buy looking at washers and dryers as well), I began thinking back to my time on mission trips. In Uganda, there are very few washers, and probably not a single dryer. Everything is hand washed. During my time in Makindye, at the training academy for the choir children, every Saturday was laundry day. The lawn was covered in bed linens drying in the sun, and the lines were covered end to end in tiny little t-shirts and pants. And these kids were good at washing… and quick. When it came time for me to wash clothes, the children stood off to the side and laughed at this clueless mzungu. One of the girls actually took my laundry from me, declaring, “No Auntie, like this.” I watched in amazement at her quick hands and how she wrung the clothes practically dry. This was an eight year old.

Likewise, when we arrived in America, they were just as amazed at all the machines that did all the washing. When they were told about machines that washed clothes, they laughed. When they saw it actually work, their eyes got bigger and bigger. They were amazed.

However, their amazement soon wore off. Some of the kids complained that their clothes weren’t clean. They claimed that they could get them cleaner with their hands. And they could. I watched them. They’d take it to the sink, and within a few minutes, have that stain completely gone.

My question is, when did these machines become a necessity?

I walked the many aisles at Sears, overwhelmed by steam technology and sanitizing rinses. We are so spoiled by our gadgets. I’m sure the folding robot isn’t too far behind. I say we are spoiled, and I include myself in that. I like my washer. I like throwing clothes in and walking away. I have washed clothes by hand; an entire suitcase full. My back ached from bending over the tub, my hands were raw from rubbing, and my clothes still reeked of B.O. I don’t know how those Ugandans do it, and do it so well. They truly amaze me.

For me, I will stick with my steam technology. And hopefully get the pile of laundry done in my closet. Soon.