…Wipes.
Gotcha! This isn't a blog about my love life or finding the perfect African baby to adopt. So, sorry about that. It's a blog about personal hygiene on the World Race. Sounds interesting, huh? Believe me, it IS.
I grew up in a household where you showered everyday. Daily baths weren’t an option for the Woods family. When my sister and I were toddlers, Jan wouldn’t even let us in the house when we came home from daycare with the usual layer of playground dirt adorning our skin and clothes. She’d grab the hose, throw some bubbles in the baby pool, and bathe us toddlers right there in the front yard, much to the horror of our neighbors.
The rules were simple. You wash your body and your hair every night. You change your underwear in the morning and at night. It took me until college to find out that this is not how all children were brought up. I blame having a germo-phobic nurse as a mother. (I love you, Jan) “What if you’re in an accident, and you go to the hospital and they find out you’re wearing dirty underwear?” she’d say. What??
My nightly baths were fun as a child, I’d pour in lots of bubbles and a bucket load of Barbies or My Little Ponies. As I aged, I graduated to showers, but those didn’t seem nearly as exciting. I’d see if I could shower in the 2 or 3 minutes allotted for a commercial break during my favorite TV show. I’d sprint back into the family room with dripping hair, probably not quite as squeaky-clean as my mom would have hoped.
But somewhere along the road I adopted Jan’s germo-phobic ways. I avoid touching public door handles, I am an avid hand-washer, and I am far too fond of hand-sanitizer. Believe me, if you worked in an elementary school, Germex would be your best friend too. Kids, though I love them dearly, are gross. I have never missed a daily shower, minus my four-day camping trip my senior year of high school, and trust me, I was miserable without my shower.
I knew coming on the Race, I’d have to adjust to a different lifestyle and level of personal hygiene. I attempted to prepare myself by washing my hair every otherday. This proved helpful because during our first two months on the field, we were only allowed a shower every two days. This is when I was when my love affair with baby wipes began.
You think baby wipes are just for changing diapers? Oh, but how mistaken you are! On the Race, they serve a multitude of purposes, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Baths.Yep, it just takes about 3 wipes, but you can get “clean” all over.
- Cleaning pee off your sleeping bag.Yes, pee. Maybe it’s from a puppy you let inside your tent. Maybe it’s from the 3-year-old child of your host family who wet his pants.
- Washing your face.It’s kind of like a Neutrogena cleansing towelette?
- Cleaning your makeup brushes.Yep, a girl’s still got to take proper care of her makeup accessories.
- Washing your hands.When you shake every child’s hand in the village, it’s probably a good idea to do a little wipey-wipe afterward.
- TOILET PAPER.When you have to pee in a hole or squatty potty, I promise you feel way cleaner afterward with a baby wipe.
- Cleaning the inside of your tent.No matter how hard you try, you will track dirt inside your tent. Now, just baby wipe that mess right out the door (flap).
- Cleaning exploding products in your pack. It happens. Lip gloss explodes. Body spray explodes. Shampoo explodes. Never fear, you’ve got baby wipes.
- Disinfect a phone after dropping it a toilet(Thanks to Ash for this contribution). Don’t worry, it was a western toilet, but still.
- Disinfect earphones when borrowing them from a friend.
- Wipe off dirty shoes.Not all sidewalks in foreign countries are as squeaky clean as in the states. Most of the time, sidewalks don’t exist. But there are plenty of opportunities to play dodge the mud puddle!
- Cleaning off a shelf for storing your products. Occasionally, we’re blessed with an actual area to place our belongings for the month. Sometimes it’s small square of floor in the corner, sometimes it’s a chair. If we’re really lucky it’s a real, live shelf!
- Cleaning toothpaste off the floor.We all miss our toothbrush every now and then.
- Cleaning a dirty computer keyboard.Crazily enough, my white Macbook has gotten a little dingy whilst on the Race. But don’t worry about that, one little baby wipe, and she’s good as new!
- Cleaning stains off of your clothes.Need to re-wear that part of REI capris for the 5th time, but they have a toothpaste stain? No problem. Your teammate spills coffee on your lap during home fellowship? Not to worry.
Somehow, with a little help from a jumbo pack of baby wipes, I’ve become a true World Racer. Guys, I sometimes go for 3 or 4 days without a shower. Not because there’s no water or because we’ve been asked to, but by choice.Sometimes, it’s just too much of a hassle! Who am I???
I took longer than most of my fellow Racers, but 7 months later, I’ve finally become a trueWorld Racer. I wear shirts a minimum of 2 to 3 times before washing them. Pants, 4 to 5 times. I’ll wear the same pajamas for a week. Underwear must still be changed everyday!! Hostel beds don’t gross me out anymore, they are a welcome luxury when the other option is the floor. I only wash my face once a day, when it used to be two. Ok, ok, I still wear flip-flops every time I shower. But I only wash my Nalgene water bottle maybe once a month.
Are you grossed out yet? I’m kind of grossing myself out. But this is my life these days. My germ-related OCD has become much more manageable. I just have to sit back, relax, and say, “Hey, when you’re on the World Race… do as the World Racers do.” I promise, I’ll try to practice better hygiene when I’m back in the States. Well, maybe…
