Emma Clippinger has arrived and quickly immersed herself in the surprisingly beautiful landscapes and culture of Dakar, Senegal. After realizing her French wasn't as good as she had hoped, her communication style with her host family changed dramatically. Since arrival she has quickly adapted to her new lifestyle. One of her posts even centers around a laundry lesson. Only the lesson didn't involve how much fabric softener to place in a washing machine. It was a bit more primitive:
1) Clean telephone wires crossing your roof area with rag.
2) Fill two tubs with water.
3) Sort your clothes into four piles: whites, lights, darks, and blacks.
4) Immerse whites in tub #1.
5) Rub big bar of soap (hand soap? special soap?) all over clothing item #1.
Scrub. Scrub. Scrub. Use knuckles and make squelching noise that I seem incapable of producing. Be prepared for bubbles up to your armpits.
6) Artfully twist item #1 into compact circle of sorts and rid of all water.
7) Submerge item #1 into water of tub #2.
8) Dunk repeatedly until free of soapsuds.
9) Wring thoroughly.
10) Turn inside out and hang on telephone lines with two brightly colored laundry pins.
11) Repeat steps 1-10 for all clothing items, moving from whites to blacks as such thorough washing will cause the dye to run in even the most well loved of shirts. (I was amazed to see my ancient Cambridge Youth Soccer Shirt leave the soapy water a lovely shade of teal.)
12) If possible, look out over the other rooftops and enjoy the myriad colors and patterns strung across the village like prayer flags.
There are many more valuable life lessons waiting for the reader of Emma's extraordinary entries.
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