Welcome to Balad

Featuring guest writer MSgt Sue Piasecki.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
I may have mentioned at some point that one of the "services" we'd get during my tenure here is a new laundry facility. Well...I mentioned it to somebody.

When I first got here, I shared a large tent with several other females, but as they say when you go real estate shopping, there are only three really important things to look for in a home: location, location, location. I was within spitting distance of very nice latrines ("cadillacs"), and the laundry tent--which featured rows of large load American washers and dryers--was right behind them.

About the time I slipped into my routine and became spoiled to carrying my laundry, oh, 50 feet to wash them, I was placed in modular housing in the back forty. I was lucky enough (rank having a bit to do with it) to not have a roommate, so I had privacy (something you can never count on while deployed). However, the nearest shower was now a good hike away (150 yds?), and the laundry facility hadn't moved. The projected opening date kept slipping, so for a couple of months, I have hauled my laundry roughly half a mile one way to use the facilities (so to speak).

The much-anticipated new facilities, in the middle of the modular housing, just opened. I haven't had the, uh, pleasure of using them yet. I've strolled through and noted that the dryers are just about the right size to fluff a housecat. Also, I got the email notification that was sent out to "332 AEW All" that translates the washer directions (in Turkish) and the dryer directions (in German), along with a couple of helpful tips on making the machines do their thing.

Shirt tried them out this morning. This is her report (which I took the liberty of formatting for my blog):

Good afternoon,

Ok, so I have to admit, since the mention of a new laundry facility I have been anxiously awaiting its opening. Just imagine, I wouldn't have to walk for 20 mins with a heavy bag of clothes, wait in a hot tent, and use broken down washers and dryers.....this is big news. So this morning, I decide to take that 2 minute walk down a nice boardwalk, and hit up the new facility. Now, if you don't know, the washers are Turkish, and no, they didn't do us Americans the favor of putting any English on the machines....what were they thinking? So, each machine has an instruction sheet on top to help translate directions. This seems like an easy task; however, there are many *thingys on the machines we are not used to. Some include a water temperature in Celsius *thingy, a flower *thingy, and a door opener *thingy.

*thingy= term used when I don't know the technical term

Ok, now I've read the directions, and 1/2 way through figured out where to start. (I might add I spent 4 years stationed in Turkey, but we had American washers...what's up with that? So anyway, while in Turkey, I did learn some Turkish, but only enough to order a kebob and beer, neither of which were listed on this washer). So I turn it to "A", turn it on, and away she goes.

Now, one important thing about these washers is once you start the cycle, the door is locked. Think of it like a prison sentence for your clothes: there is no parole, and your clothes are not released until the cycle is completely over.

I might add, much like many things in Europe, this washer takes its time, and lots of it. A word of advice: nothing makes these washers speed up or the cycle go by quicker. A few things may seem like they help but do not. Some examples: pushing the door opener thingy, trying to open the door in between what looks like a cycle being done, trying to spin the cycle selector to speed it to the next cycle, and my favorite, staring at it with your arms crossed, and using very descriptive expletives as to why it is taking so long to finish.

So 2 hours later, my clothes are done and the beloved red light illuminates saying "your clothes have officially been paroled," so I pack it on over to the dryers.

Ok, now the dryers are a whole other story. They have these water catcher thingys that have to be emptied prior to using the dryer if you want your clothes to dry, which is the point of the dryer in the first place. Of course they were all full of water, so I emptied them out, and put 3 pcs of clothes each in them, because that's about all that will fit. I went off to the gym and returned 1 1/2 hours later, and my clothes were mostly dry with a few heavier items still damp. I cut my losses and took them out anyway, because I now have just about 4 hours invested in clean clothes. In between all this, I did take the time to call my shop and tell them the reason I was gone so long. Luckily I have a forgiving boss with a sense of humor who excused my absence with a smile.

Moral of this story: be careful what your wish for. My Command Chief back home always said this annoying phrase, and now I finally know what he meant. On a lighter side, this is the cleanest my clothes have ever been in Iraq, they actually smelled like clean clothes. Imagine that. I didn't have to wear my gear as the building has T-barriers surrounding it and I also fit in breakfast, a 3-mile run and a shower, so my day was not lost. Hope yours will not be either!

Please feel free to fwd this story so everyone understands the time and patience necessary to get laundry done.

MSgt Sue Piasecki
332 ECS First Sergeant

I'm thinking I might need to take tomorrow off completely and camp out in the laundry facilities with a good book.

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