Many years ago (30 now!) when we first came to Nepal, we were told by the Methodist church (our sending agency) that they would pay for certain appliances and necessary items for our home in Tansen. This list included things like beds, table and chairs, gas cooker/oven, and refrigerator. However – one item was not included – a washing machine. At that time, I will admit that no one had a washing machine in Tansen. That is one of the reasons we had a house helper – to wash all our laundry by hand. I remember getting blisters on my hands from wringing out diapers during the occasional absence of our house helper, so when my parents came to visit us soon after Hannah’s birth, they brought a “mangle” purchased at an Amish store! (For those too young to know what this is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangle_(machine) That was amazingly helpful for our remaining 10 years in Nepal with kids.
During our almost 10 years in the U.S., I once again enjoyed a washer – but I still clung to the habit of hanging our laundry out on lines to dry as much as possible.
In 2012, we returned to Tansen and found that our househelper (same one as before) had aged right along with us, and doing our laundry by hand was harder for her!
So, when a family left Tansen soon after our arrival, we purchased their machine – a simple twin tub washer which you filled with water, washed, moved the clothes to the other tub which was a spinner, then refilled the other side with water to rinse, and then another spin. It was a good system, but still could use quite a bit of water – even though we drained it into buckets and used it on the garden. It was also a bit time consuming.
This machine was kindly paid for by good friend of ours in the U.S. Because, our sending church still did not consider a washing machine as a necessary piece of equipment. Now – I do want to say that Global Ministries and the United Methodist Church are a great supporting agency. They pay us a salary, give us insurance and support us in many other ways. We are so thankful for them and for many people who support us! I just find this particular rule a hard one to understand sometimes.
We used to think that washing machines used more water than by hand – but that isn’t always the case. People here run water from the tap the whole time they are washing – filling bucket after bucket of water. Frustrating in a place where water can run short.
We moved to another house 4 ½ years ago, and got to use the machine left here – a front loader which was amazing! It used so little water and was very efficient. But – it was old, and leaked, and then – right after the lockdown started here – it quit. So – we had no househelper (due to the lockdown), no washing machine, and no shop open in order to purchase a new one! I “borrowed” other people’s machines who lived near us to get through this time. No – I didn’t go back to doing our laundry in buckets. (Even though we were remembering that way back when I used to wash our laundry by hand even on family vacations in Nepal! I was younger then…)
So – imagine my delight this past week when shops opened up, and I found just the type of frontloading washing machine that I wanted! We got our old machine taken out of our house (and had to remove the bathroom door in order to get it out!) and I scrubbed the long-neglected floor under that old machine to prepare to get our new one! The next day, a “bokne manche” (a person who makes a living carrying things on their backs) was dispatched from the store in the bazaar to bring our machine to our house. (That walk takes us about 30 minutes only carrying ourselves!)
They brought the machine to the house, and our workshop guys helped us install it. (They also rehung the door!) Now – I am so happy to be able to put the laundry in our new machine, and not have to run up and down the hill to where I had been using another machine (which was one of the twin tub types so it meant multiple trips per load). Sometimes I go and watch our new washer work – just for entertainment! (Les has threatened to put a bow and ribbon on the machine and say that it is my anniversary/birthday present. Actually – I am okay with that!) 😊
Life in Tansen goes on – and we are thankful for small mercies, like washing machines! If you have the time, watch the “magic washing machine” TED talk. I found it quite fascinating! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sqnptxlCcw
Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for reading this more light-hearted look at our life. During these days of so many difficulties, we hope it brings a smile to your face. We think of you and pray for you. Stay well!
Hope for the Hills 