$6 for a Coke?! ...or... Why I don't have any clean clothes to wear

The currency in South Africa is the Rand (R). At present exchange rates, there are about 6.5 R to the U.S. dollar. This is, of course, perfectly normal. The only problem is that price tags are in Rand, so everything looks very expensive. For instance, I was going to buy a Coke yesterday, but the price tag said 6 and I thought "Six dollars for a Coke? Unbelieveable!" before remembering that it was actually only about a dollar for a Coke. This has the effect of making me even less likely to spend money than I usually am. In addition, there are 5 Rand coins, which is almost like having a dollar coin. I am constantly amazed when I can pay for something with just one coin. Change is actually WORTH something here, which is a very strange reality. It'll be nice once I finally make the adjustment to another currencty.

I am also struggling with the present laundry situation. Our house has a washer in the kitchen, which is very convenient. (Except for that time that I made it overflow bubbles all over the floor, but that's another story...) While we have a washer, we unfortunately do not have a dryer. Upon learning this I thought, "Fine, I'll just hang things out to dry on the clothesline in the courtyard. Not a problem." But there is a slight problem: we're in the middle of South Africa's rainy season. That means that it rains 5 out of 7 days in a week. You have to do the laundry when you think the rain will hold off long enough to get your clothes dry. I washed my clothes yesterday, for instance, and all day I've been looking hesitantly at the gray sky and hoping that a sudden downpour doesn't prevent me from having clean clothes to wear tomorrow. Yeesh. I've never been more thankful for having access to a washer and dryer before!

I'm off to check if my clothes are dry yet. More updates soon!