This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes.

Unlike in the mystical and half-remembered place called Alabama, we do not have such devices as "washing machines" here in Nairobi. When our clothes get dirty, and boy do they get dirty with the walking and the "mud" in the slums and the dust on the sides of the roads and the dirt on the autos and the walking, they end up in a pile in the bathroom.

At some magical moment when it is determined that they need to be cleaned (someone runs out of clean socks or underwear, or someone has to stay in PJs all day because all 3 of their pairs of pants are dirty, or we need to go somewhere and will need clean clothes, or the pile is approaching the point of critical mass), one of us (us = Toni or myself) will venture forth into the bathroom and begin the cleaning process.

Set under the sink are 2 buckets (they came with the flat). The washer places the buckets into the bathtub and fills each to about half full with water. A sprinkle of washing powder added into the "wash" bucket causes suds to spring forth.

The process is simple enough:

• soak the dirty clothes in the wash bucket
• take each out in turn and clean any spots with the bar of washing soap and scrub brush
• ring out the wash water
• place the item in the rinse bucket
• repeat until all the clothes from the wash bucket are in the rinse bucket
• remove each item in the rinse bucket, in turn
• dunk it in the rinse water a couple of times
• ring out all water possible from the item
• place the item on the side of the tub
• repeat until the rinse bucket is empty but for somewhat dirty water

The wash cycle is now complete. Now on to drying.

Likewise, we have no clothes drying machine in our flat, so the washed clothes must hang out to dry. Luckily for us, the roof is flat and has clothes lines strung across the space for our use.  Other than socks and underwear, which are hung in the bathroom, clothes are taken to the roof and hung out on the lines using clothes pegs.

Assuming they do not get an extra rinse cycle (rain), the clothes dry in a few hours. Lastly, just like normal, the dry clothes are collected, folded and given to the various family members for their placing in their closets.

I like the hanging out of clothes to dry, but the washing by hand has really gotten old. It will be good to be home.