When I was a little girl I longed to travel–and I still love it. I love meeting new people, hearing new languages spoken, admiring new wonderful things from mushroom dumplings to mermaids.
But oh! I’ll be glad to say good-bye to Swedish laundries, which have frayed all my sleeve-cuffs and thinned down my favorite old black pants until they just ripped straight across the now paper-thin seat…blessedly, on a cold day when I also had on black longjohns.
Laundry day here in Sweden is a much bigger event than it would be at home. In our Stockholm building, there are just four washers (and only two dryers), so everyone signs up for once-weekly, to do stuff all at once.
That means, when our day comes, I have, in a literal sense, almost nothing to wear.
Today, for example, my outfit was long underwear, dryclean-only jacket, and an insane pair of white denim trousers I still can’t imagine why I brought here from the US.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to order a whole pile more turtleneck shirts from Lands End to be waiting for me when I get back to the US next month. But if you happen to meet me between now and then and notice the slightly frayed cuffs on a shirt that I’m anyway wearing…blame Swedish washing machines like those you see in this picture.
They look very tough…and believe me, that’s just what they are!
4 responses so far ↓
1 TA // Nov 28, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Ah, you’ve discovered the soft underbelly of Swedish collectivism! Try Googling for “tvättstugebråk” (loosely translated, “laundry brawl”) and you’ll find a sizable collection of news pieces about neighbors settling their scheduling differences using (just scanning the first page) fists, knives, arson and ambulances. You don’t really want to read them, but I guess Babelfish could render the general idea. :(
2 Betsy Devine // Nov 29, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Without mentioning anything about the descendants of Vikings, which I wouldn’t dare, I will say that the many posted notes in our building’s laundry about not removing people’s wash from machines if it is during their time…such notes are enough to create a strong sense of caution.
3 Montauk Rider // Nov 30, 2007 at 9:28 pm
He He, it appears that some parts of the world are witnessing “Laundry Rage.” I never would have imagined, though I suppose it’s not all that strange given how others go crazy with “Parking Rage.” At least in Sweden they seem to focus on hygenic activities. Just don’t use the shower when it’s “their time.” LOL
4 Betsy Devine // Dec 1, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Now that you mention it, our building does also have a shared sauna that people sign up for. But I find that idea even more scary than laundry rage!