Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The Crew Laundry Room

How do 400 people with different personalities, from different countries, living together on one small ship, differ from each other? The options seem endless, but the answer is revealed in one room on the ship on a daily basis. A place where upbringings and habits are exposed, personalities and humours are uncovered, and good and bad days are made obvious. It is the crew laundry room.
Each crew has a one-hour slot per week with which to do one load of laundry and one drying cycle. It is sometimes best to stay in the room the entire hour if personal time keeping is not a strength. It may also be the one place you might run into any department member on the ship. After all, even the Queen makes dirty laundry.
Everyone has theories about the best way to sign up for a space: a week ahead or dropping by to see if there is an opening. Most have differing views on whether or not to fold the laundry of someone who has not shown up but is occupying your machine. Some are laid back and wait 10 minutes for the last person, while others will rush in and move it for them. Some people are meticulous folders and ironers, while others drop socks down the hall as they return to their rooms.
In general it is a hub of activity, a social place, and a main chat point on the ship. At its best it becomes a generous display of human interaction.
Story by Michal, maker of dirty laundry & frequent cleaner of it.
(CLICK ON ABOVE PICTURE TO SEE PUBLISHED STORY).

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