Week 3 (April 11, 2004)
“You know how to urine?” My 16-year-old host brother asked me while holding up a shirt.
Our mama isn’t home and he needed a shirt to be “ironed” because wrinkly clothes mean the woman of the house isn’t taking care of you.
I told him I did know how to iron. I would TEACH him how. At 16, he was quite fascinated with the steam and squirting water. He got into it and wanted to make the shirt look really nice.
That’s right, I taught an Albanian teenage boy how to perform a domestic task that is restricted to women only. Small Success!
Cultural Note: I found out why my underwear gets ironed. Apparently, the little washing machine and line drying make clothes stiff. Ironing clothes softens the fabric.
20-Year Reflection: This memory still makes me laugh. My host brother is now living in England, married, and had a baby girl in 2023. I hope his wife appreciates where he learned how to iron for the first time!
My Journey to a Fulfilled Life 