A New Low

(From August 8th)

Is this is a low?

I washed my clothes yesterday, hung them out to dry, and then left my house, intending to return before the afternoon rains. So of course it rained about three hours earlier than is usual, which means I came home to lines of dripping clothing. The only option at that point is to move them under the roof and wait till the next day to try and dry them. It often takes a third day to fully dry some of the thicker clothes. This multi-day drying process has happened to me many, many times in my service and has contributed to the general moldy stench of all of my clothing.

Wet, smelly clothes; plus, white man thigh

This time, however, is a more challenging situation. I don't have that third day to finish drying everything, because I'm leaving on a week-long trip. If I leave my stuff on the line, even under cover, it will probably dry, just to get wet again when the rain falls sideways. If I just hang everything in the house, it will cease drying. Either way, I pretty much guarantee returning to a line of freshly molded clothes.

I did think of a third alternative: put the clothes on and dry them with my body heat. So, tonight, while I read about evolutionary psychology, I'm pausing about every ten minutes to put on a new pair of damp boxers and socks. All of them smell bad.

I have thus reached my newest low: sitting in my house, alone, in the dark, reading a nerdy book and cycling damp, smelly clothing on and off my body. There are certain things I won't miss about the Peace Corps.