Laundry in Spain

There are many things that I miss about the USA. First, of course, is my family and friends, but a close second is my laundry room.

Let me tell you about laundry in Spain. When you want to wash your clothes, you must first schedule your laundry time, since there are only three functioning washers to serve a dorm complex of hundreds of students. You get one hour. If you show up 5 minutes late, you miss your chance. However, if you show up on time, you will always have to wait to start your load, because the washers take more than an hour to run a cycle.

So you get to the laundry room with your clothes, ready to wait to start your load. You then find the laundry ladies, who are usually hiding somewhere in the back, smoking or talking on the phone. They will silently glare at you the first few times you say "Perdon" until eventually one of them will get up to come sign your card, which gives you permission to do three loads of laundry per month (no drying included).

When your washer opens up, you put in their nasty soap, which may or may not stain your clothes blue, and start your load. Careful not to turn your back, or the lady may start the load before you put your clothes in, without asking you whether you have colors or whites or what size load you have.

When your washer is done, if you want to use a dryer (which I have to do if I want my jeans to continue fitting), you pay 2 euros and get a dryer coin, which gives you an hour of drying time. There are two dryers: one, which you have to kick to start, makes a horrible screeching sound. The second, as I found out today, does not dry your clothes at all, but rather heats them up to a lukewarm, wet state. Heaven forbid you should ask for a refund or another dryer coin. The unfriendly lady's only response will be (in Spanish, obviously) "It's not my problem if the dryers don't work. I'm leaving."

I hate it! I hate it I hate it I hate it! I can't wait to go home where things and people WORK and I can do my laundry without any "help" from anyone else.

Okay, rant over.