Wash me clean

The small machines and centrifuge
in the middle

Washing clothes in Sweden is an activity requiring great precision and timing. Fitting into the schedule for the shared washing machines is quite a task when there are 8 machines for 100 families...

...but thats how the Swedes roll: like all things in the country, washing facilities are built to work well and built to last. Buildings in the country are made solid with all their attachments and peripherals a little bit more heavy duty than needed, so they last for ever.

Underneath apartment blocks in Sweden you will find an equally sturdy laundromat that services the whole building. The machines in there are heavy duty and wash quickly. You can do a whole load (6.5 kg in the normal machines and 10 kg in the big ones) in 37 minutes on normal settings and dry your clothes in as little as 20 minutes.

When you want to wash you need to go downstairs and make an appointment. Usually you can't get a spot on the day, so you need to plan in advance. When it's your turn you get your spot (usually two hours) and then some extra time after that for drying.

The reservation book

There are two washers and a centrifuge in every washroom. Also there is a drying closet, an ironing machine, sinks, a desk, chairs and an ironing board. In the drying room you have three massive tumble driers. Basically everything you need for industrial-scale washing.

By sharing these hardcore washing machines you get to have more space in your flat, more efficient washing, less plumbing problems and so on. It also reduces the risk of fires — when you have 100 washing machines operating in different flats, the chances of an electrical fire that could kill hundreds of people as they sleep increases exponentially, therefore it's better to have a centralized system.

Swedes take the scheduling of the washing very seriously. If you are late to start, you lose your spot. If you are late to finish you are likely to have a run in with an angry Swede. I've never received one personally, but I'm told that the normal way for people to scold each other in the laundry is to leave nasty notes and to handle your clothes for you. This could mean putting them in a basket or throwing them on the floor in the corner. The nasty notes in laundries across the country are so well used that they have inspired books and websites to showcase the brilliant creativity that late washing spurs.

Tumble driers - the one on the right
is somehow special, though I don't
know why...

Speaking of scheduling, sometimes I wonder what people do in there. Given that you can wash 12 kg of clothes from start to finish including drying in less than one hour, I sometimes look at the scheduling book baffled and annoyed when someone takes a six or eight hour block for washing. Either they are helping every pensioner in the housing block to do their sheets or they are just too damn lazy to come back in a timely manner and move their clothes from the machine to the drier.

Drying closet and ironing
machine (click to enlarge)

There is one cool thing that most people in other countries would not have seen: the drying closet. It's a big closet with a massive hair-drier in it. It works at  cooler temperature than the tumble drier so its less likely to destroy your clothes, but it takes 90-100 minutes to dry everything properly. If I have the time and there is no booking after me I use it every now and then.

Washing in Sweden is fun.

Trading places

Since early 2006 I have been on the road more or less constantly, always looking for a new direction or a new way to enjoy the place where I'm at. There was always one rule though: the new place is going to be exiting and better.

Leaving Lithuania after three years living there for yet another new start actually daunted me for the first time. Even though I lived the life of a pauper in Vilnius with a terrible flat filled with appliances that didn't work and a landlord that was such an asshole that he wouldn't fix the lock on the front door, I had sort of settled in there.

Things were familiar and I had my circle of friends and acquaintances. I had also achieved some sort of standing in the local media industry, a very important thing to have in a place like Lithuania where knowing someone is the difference between success and failure.

So when I got on the plane to Sweden I was actually a little anxious for the first time since I started travelling in Europe four years ago. I was wondering whether I'd cope with money given that I would still be writing for Alfa.lt with Lithuanian wages in a Swedish-priced world. I was also anxious about whether Vik would come over and be able to find a job quickly given that Europe is still struggling out of recession.

Denmark

Arriving in Copenhagen was a mixed bag of experiences for me. First of all, people were actually smiling. Its something I had seen rarely in Lithuania, a country so obsessed by its own misery that smiling seems like it must be illegal or something. There was also the excessively well-organised aspect of Denmark that hit me. It was as if I didn't need to struggle to live anymore. I didn't get a sore back riding the bus or have to wait in line only to be yelled at for something I didn't do. Electronic goods were not made 30 years ago. Everything was working with clockwork precision.

Keep in mind though that this sort of level of efficiency comes at a cost. This was a major shock coming from Lithuania. One bus ride in Copenhagen costs more than what it costs to eat for a day in Vilnius. Coffees in Denmark's capital are five times the price of those in Lithuania's, which are already unaffordable for most people there. The new price scheme compared to my bank balance was quite a shock.

After spending a few hours in Copenhagen I made my way to Sweden using the train that goes over the massive bridge to Malmö. It didn't take long to get all the way to the next country and suddenly it was a new language again. Good thing I only picked up a few words of Danish.

Sweden

I arrived in Sweden and went to my new house. It is a clean room and I have my own bathroom next door with an enormous bath I will probably never use. I am living on the top floor of a house owned by a retired doctor who likes sailing a lot. He seems to be a really nice guy who has devoted his life to high education and a functional society.

The town I'm living in is called Lomma (see map) and is something like Palanga in Lithuania. It is the seaside resort town of Skåne, the south-western region of Sweden. There isn't much going on when its raining (as it has been for the last few days), but I'm hoping that there will be at least another hot day or two when I could go for a swim at the beach.

View Larger Map

I also made a quick trip to Lund, the city where I will be studying. It is very picturesque and is full of vibrant student life. The feeling is tangible (and I don't mean that like shitty travel journalists bandy the term 'tangible' about. I actually mean this place was vibrant. No really). In fact, after my initial anxiety from the move wore off, the excited feeling for whats up ahead came back to me in bucket-loads.

After a day of worry, I'm ready for what the future holds. I've turned the page and this is the next phase of my life.