Women of Lahijan pose around Grant's washday wonder, which he fashioned from an oil drum. He eiiminated design snags by sacrificing his own laundry, and now the improved machine, which cost about $15, does a passable job of cleaning clothes. Lahijan Co ls a Grant's t=' 731:T' hot, humid day. We paid for our haste and narrow-mindedness. When we finally reached Makhlavan, we were tired, dirty, and anything but calm and contemplative. When we found the official, he told us he couldn't let the farmers cut their trees until he had written permission in his hand. We were at the height of frustration—nothing had gone ri g ht all day. Since we didn't want to encourage law-breaking, we decided to let the matter drop and worry about it the next day when Enshallah (God will- ing) we would have the permission slip. About then. 4000 years of civilization and its myriad charms started taking over. The village councilman ordered us tea and completely changed the sub- ject by asking about our health and thanking us for our efforts to help the villagers. When we had finished tea and were walking away, we heard several more friendly greetings. Halfway up the road we met an Iranian soldier, whose job it was to see that no one cut down a tree without permission. He invited us to his little hut while we waited for a truck to take us across the river. He flagged down a friend of his and helped us into good hanging-on spots on the charcoal truck. Enthusiasm Outweighs Frustration We met John coming back from Resht. and went into the tea house to discuss the events of the day. Inside, we didn't have much of a chance to talk as a group of old men greeted us enthusi- astically and be g an telling us how happy they were that we were here, and how peace was very good and war very bad, and how good Americans were. This flattery and concern made us feel de- cidedly better. Following our good-byes. we began the trip back to Emmen. As we bicycled back. I realized anew that it is the people that make being a Volunteer such a rewarding experience, despite the many everyday frustrations. And who knows—maybe someday a bridge will be built in Makhlavan. Jim Anderson (Se- attle) received a B.A. in English and economics from the Univer- sity of Washington in 1963. Before joining the Peace Corps he traveled widely in North Africa and Europe, and in the U.S. worked at various times as a warehouse- man, a carpenter, a seafood-cannery worker, and as a tallyman and cook aboard a tally scow in Alaskan clam waters. How to make a workable village washin g machine from an old oil drum was the problem posed for Volunteer Jim Grant (Zionsville. Pa.) in Lahijan, 23 miles east of Resht. His answer—still bein g amended— may not give qualms to the Bendix , ' and Whirlpool people, or win any washday- white contests, but it offers practical and economical mechanization for an age- old labor. At the request of a home-economics agent in Lahijan, Grant was presented the problem of constructin g a washer that could be built locally and used in local home-demonstration education. Obtaining a standard 55-gallon oil drum. Grant set out to devise a simple hand-powered system that would keep clothes from being mangled by a wringer or beaten by paddles and still be not too laborious for the operator. To use the principle of circulating water by air pressure. Grant made a cylinder eight inches in diameter with a baffle-plate welded onto one end. Engi- neering the piston-pressure mechanism presented some tricky technical difficul- ties. A connecting rod coupled the piston to a handle. With the help of a local metalsmith. a working model was made. The tub was filled, the piston inserted into the cylinder, and the lid closed. Testin g began and the hand-pump model promptly inhaled and digested Grant's own laundry—socks, underwear. towels came out one solid, shredded mass. Back at the drawing board, Grant de- cided that the piston needed a valve. similar to the ones on bicycle pumps. Holes were drilled in the piston top and a rubber disc installed. Pumping be- came easier and results were fairly good. Grant's tub washer had to survive a 30-day trial and durability test, so the machine was sent out into a village for demonstrations. Washer water was heated by building a coal fire or placing a kerosene burner under the machine. Hot-water washing with sudsy detergents produced clothes that were much cleaner than those washed in river or well water. The home- demonstration department was pleased, but some unsolved difficulties remained. Grant continued to experiment. Wheels were put on the sturdy legs so that the machine could be more easily handled when full of water. The bottom drain was improved so the tub could be better cleaned. Other minor internal changes made the action more efficient and wash time was cut to just 20 minutes. After closely watching the machine and its results durin g the trial period. Grant corrected a few more minor faults and is now able to make a satisfactory washing machine for about 200 tornans ($15) giving the Iranian village house- wife a new outlook towards washday. 10