Ok, I've been here for over a week now. It's down to the wire on laundry, unless I want to start using unworn t-shirts as underwear. (And I'd really rather not do that, because then it could never be a t-shirt again. I do... unspeakable things to undergarments. It doesn't matter how clean that shirt gets, I'd still know.)
Looking around, laundromats are all full-service. Wash/dry/fold services, etc. There's one that advertises that its machines are "in the front of the shop" as a kind of a gimmick. You still don't get to use the machines, they do it for you. It's just that they let you see what they're doing so you can trust them.
I don't want full-service. I want self-service. It's just part of my culture as an American, I guess. I'd rather just do it myself, pay a bit less, and not talk to anybody. But here it's all about service. Labor is cheaper than materials by an order of magnitude. There are people everywhere with simple jobs that wouldn't exist in the US because of unions and demands and whatnot. They live to serve. That's nice and all, and I can respect that, but I still want to do my own laundry.
When I asked at the front desk if there's any self-service laundry nearby, they said they don't know of any. "Here we do these things for you" was one of the replies. But luckily one person at the front desk had an idea. "What is your room number, please? How long are you staying?" As it turns out, staying for more than a month grants me access to the building's laundry facilities. Sweet.
Actually, I don't know if that's a hard-and-fast rule. They may have just made that up on the spot in order to "serve me better." Which would make me a little uncomfortable. But as they discussed the idea in their own language, I was at a loss to follow their conversation. So all I have to go on is what they told me, which is that I'm allowed to use the laundry room. If anybody asks, that's my story. (Not that anybody will ask, of course.)
Of course, I had to go get some detergent at the 7-11. The guy at the front desk recommended that I go to a proper grocery store because it would cost less per load of laundry. I agree, but right now I don't have the time. I just need to go to the corner store and get supplies for one or two loads. And when I got to the corner store and found the detergent, it came to 6 pesos per load. 6 pesos. Cheaper? Dude, that's like 14 cents. It's close enough to "free" that it doesn't matter.
Anyway, laundry time.
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