The TELSTAR War

My first blog... bear with me please. Zoey secretly loves this, but writing for me is like pulling teeth. I’ve tried my best, so here goes nothing…

For nearly a decade I have prided myself on a skill I have always felt to be unique of someone at such a young age… that is, my ability to do laundry. However, not only can I simply DO laundry, I actually believe I am rather talented when it comes to laundry… whites with whites, darks with darks, new tie-dyes completely solo for the first cycle. It’s been ages since I’ve slipped and ended up with a load of freshly washed pink laundry or a favorite pair of jeans five sizes too small. Where did I acquire such a useful talent you may ask? Well, the answer is my dear mother. However, let me provide some laundry history, if you will.

At the age of fourteen, just as any other fourteen year old’s room should be, my closet had become the floor of my bedroom. Frustrated with the mounds of laundry that came down the stairs every two weeks and the weekends wasted in a sea of dirty clothes, my mother threw in the towel… my sister and I were on our own. The rule was laundry could decorate our rooms in any fashion we chose as long as there was a clear path to reach our beds in case of emergencies. No big deal right? Who needs clean laundry anyway? Unfortunately, the “smell test” soon failed and I quickly realized that clean clothes were in fact a precious commodity.

My laundry skills improved and I continued to hone my talent throughout college. So much so that our very own Zoey Bouchelle would stand in awe of my flawless wash cycles. I attempted to pass along my gift but even though she is one of the most intelligent people I know, it just never clicked… I never quite understood that. Let’s just say she wore a lot of pink in college.

Upon arriving in Granada, I felt confident that laundry would be one aspect of our daily lives that I would have complete control over, and then the time came for… BUM BUM BUM (dramatic background music)…la lavadora, TELSTAR IMC 125.

Behold.

Considered a luxury here in Nicaragua, I can honestly say that I have met my match. Fill water half way, add detergent, throw in ocho o doce artículos de ropa (8-12 pieces of clothing), and set the tiempo de lavado: seis minutos (wash time: 6 minutes). Transfer the wet, soapy clothing to the rinse-and-spin portion of the machine and set the tiempo de centrifugado at tres minutos (rinse and spin time: 3 minutes, but be sure to turn off the water spicket when 2 have elapsed - crucial). It seemed simple enough and we smiled as our beloved Doña Chilo explained the rather painless process. ¿Trabajando en equipo aprendemos más? Two college degrees - we should be able to do this, right?

Hours later, after many blank stares and loud, unusual noises, the saying, “There’s nothing like a mother’s touch,” again proved true… Many thanks to Doña Chilo who ran back and forth from her room to assist with the TELSTAR IMC 125, which proved rather testy at the hands of its new operators. She would pick up the soapy, sopping wet nest of clothes and gently reposition it in the centrifugal dry compartment, and voila…the TELSTAR would obey her command. This woman’s got experience. I still cannot pinpoint exactly what we were doing wrong or why the whole big box would shake and shiver and screech at us.

The next week, when the clothes had once again piled up, we carried them dejectedly out to the kitchen, again ready to do battle. The TELSTAR glared back at us. Grr.

But this time, Gracias a Dios, out popped Doña Chilo from her room…arms out wide to welcome us and our pile of grossness. We could not have been more grateful that second go-around, believe me. Language barriers, extreme heat, long days… I can handle you. But TELSTAR IMC 125… you win.