I've become Laura Ingalls

I never tried washing my clothes in the machines here. There's a set of machines in my apartment building as well as a dry cleaner's on the corner of my block so it's not like the option doesn't exist. When I moved into my apartment, I thought hard about the cost of washing and drying using the machines versus how many crepes I could eat with said cost. Wisely, I chose crepes.
After a trip to the supermarket where a kind lady pointed out the 'meilleur'  washing powder (brand name: Genie),  I came home prepared to learn to wash clothes by hand in my bathroom sink (since I have no tub). I'm not talking about just my delicates....nope, I was committed to washing EVERYTHING in my bathroom sink. And for the last few months I've become very experienced with the process.
It sounds like I've lost my marbles but really washing my clothes in the sink is relaxing. There's something about plunging my hands into the hot soapy water. I pretend I'm kneading dough as I smush and swoosh my clothes against each other. I even bought a little cleaning brush to scrub any spots or stains. It only takes minutes as opposed to a half hour washing cycle in a machine and I can attack the parts of the garment that are dirtiest. I listen to music or tape up note cards I'm studying to the bathroom mirror..... I multitask.
 After washing my clothes I hang them on the special rack that I also picked up at the supermarket which stands diagonally in my shower. It takes a few days for really heavy items like jeans to dry, but I usually speed up the process by bringing said rack into my living space and setting it in front of the heater. 
The other day I realized my sheets and blankets needed to be washed....a task impossible for my little sink and rack in the bathroom. So, I payed 14 euros to watch the machine brutally attack my linens and dry them to a crisp. Besides the obscene price for my one sheet, two towels, and two tiny throw blankets to wash and dry, it occurred to me that I prefer my laid back bathroom method.
  I think I'll definitely be sticking to those crepes and to hand washing for the duration of my time here. :-)
~Tam in Toulouse