Memories of Switzerland (Laundry) /スイス生活の思い出（洗濯編）
(English Follows）
スイスの思い出第２弾は現地の洗濯について！
これは私が当時住んでいたアパートが特殊だったのだと信じたいですが、当時私が住んでいたアパートは６階くらいの割と大きめな建物で、地下に住民が使える共同のランドリーありました。
が、このシステムが非常に変わっておりました。
まず、全住人に対して洗濯機は２つのみ、乾燥機はなく、その代わりに乾燥部屋なるものが２つあるのです。洗濯機（と乾燥部屋）を使うにはあらかじめ時間帯を予約しておく必要があり、半日ごとで時間を予約します（これは洗濯機の置いてある部屋のドアに週ごとの日程用紙が貼ってあり、そこに自分の名前を記入をしていくというかなりアナログなもの）
予約は平日の夕方〜夜の時間帯と休日は人気で、２、３週間後まですぐに予約でいっぱいになってしまいます。しかし予約を取る必要があるとは言っても、その日急に夜予定が入るかもしれないし、そもそも２週間後の木曜日のその時間が絶対に空いているかと言われても、答えにくいことこの上ない感じなのですが、それでも洗濯ができそうな日を見繕って予約を入れます。
そして予約日当日は、大量の洗濯物を持って地下室へ。
支払いは全てプリペイドのカードを使います。部屋の前に設置してある小さなマシンにカードを通すと洗濯機のスイッチが入るのですが、最初はこの仕組みがわからず、電源を入れられても洗濯機の使い方がわからず（説明書は全部フランス語だったため）なかなか苦労したのを覚えています。
洗濯は１時間もしないで終わりますが、なんせ地下室にあるものですから、一度部屋に戻ってそろそろかなと思ったらまた地下に下りて、でも行ってみたらまだ終わっていなくてまた部屋に戻って、、、なんてことがよくあり、ちょっとした運動になります。
で、ようやく洗濯が終わったら今度は乾燥なのですが、上にも書いた通り、洗濯機の置いてある部屋の隣部屋にあるのは乾燥機ではなく、「乾燥部屋」なのです。写真がないのが非常に残念ですが、要は一人暮らしできそうなくらいの部屋の上部に沢山のワイヤーがかかっており、そこに洗濯したものを干して部屋の奥の電源を入れると、乾燥マシンが動き出し、部屋丸ごと乾燥させる！という大胆なシステム。
しかーし！この洗濯部屋、乾燥の威力が弱く、半日干してやっと乾くというなんとも時間のかかる代物。洗濯を始める時間が遅くなってしまったが最後、半日も干している時間がないときは（次の予約が入っているので）止むを得ず部屋に洗濯したものを持ち帰り、部屋干しをする羽目になるのです。
中古の安い代物だったけど、この時ほど日本で使っていた「マイ洗濯機」とベランダ乾燥（と浴室乾燥）が恋しかったことはありません。
自分がしたい時にいつでも洗濯できることって、一つの「自由」だったんだな、とつくづく思わされる経験となったのでした。（選択の自由ならぬ洗濯の自由ってね！）
ではまたー！
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Memory of Switzerland #2 is about laundry!
I want to believe that the system I had in my apartment back then was particularly unique, but my apartment building had about 6 floors, relatively bigger size in the area. In the basement, there were shared laundry space for all the residents in the apartment.
This laundry system was ....really something!
For all the residents, there were only 2 washing machines and instead of drying machines, they had "drying rooms". In order to use the machine (and the room) you need to reserve your time in advance by filling your name out in a small reservation calendar attached to the door of the laundry room.
A day was split into 2 time slots, AM and PM (PM means you have to complete washing~drying by 8pm) and naturally PM slots on weekdays and weekends were the most popular ones, which got filled out almost immediately after the reservation calendar was put up for the next 2 to 3 weeks.
But hey, how could I know if I'm for sure available on Thursday 2 weeks from now? What if I have to work late that day or I get a dinner invitation? But if you don't write down your name, there is no way you can use the laundry so I had to guess and hope and cross my fingers so that I can do the laundry on the day I reserved.
On the day of my laundry reservation, I would bring lots of dirty clothes to the basement.
Payment is all done by prepaid card and by inserting the card to the small machine located in front of the washing machine room, it turns on the power. It took me a while to figure this out, and even after I successfully turned on the machine, I had hard time figuring out how to operate the machine itself as the instruction was all written in French🇫🇷
Washing itself generally took about an hour but as it is located in the basement, I would go down stairs thinking it would be done by now, and found out I have another 20 minutes to go so I would go back to my room climbing up the stairs and come back again...ending up quite an exercise.
Once washing part is done, next is the drying part but as I mentioned earlier, there is no drying machines. Instead you have a full use of the drying rooms! Too bad I don't have any pictures to show this but it is basically a room that is big enough for one person to live (at least in my Japanese perspective) which has many wires across the room that you can hang your clothes and turn on the power to make the heating system start.
However, Both heating systems in the rooms were not strong enough, and unless I had luxury to keep the entire 6hour slot for laundry, there was no way to dry everything before next reservation. Hence I often had to bring my wet clothes back into my room and hung them till they were completely dried.
This was the only time I missed my second-hand washing machine and drying my clothes in my balcony back in Japan...
This laundry experience in Switzerland made me realize that "being able to wash your clothes any time I want to" was a part of freedom I was given....and now I'm so happy that I have much easier access!
See you next time!
