airing some dirty laundry

Warning: due to the graphic and rather gross nature of this post, reader discretion is advised.

Another ex-pat teacher and I were recently discussing how horrible we smell. We've got extra deodorant at school, we shower in the morning and bathe at night...and still we reek. There must be something in the food here. (We don't drink the water, so it's not that...) It's not that we eat "Russian" by any means. We're eating chicken, rice, pasta, fruit and veg, skim milk when it's available fresh...all foods we eat in the US. But here we're staring to smell native.

And this isn't any ordinary "glistening". This stuff is toxic. If you even start to "glisten" (horses sweat, men perspire, ladies glisten) in a shirt, you might as well throw it out. You will NEVER get the smell out. You can douse it with Febreeze (brought from home) wash it immediately in hot or cold water, dry it or not...and it doesn't matter. When it's clean and dry, it will smell like it's fine. You will rejoice. You will think you have conquered. But as soon as you put it on the toxic smell is body-heat re-activated.

Bet those of who were wishing I'd hurry up and post an update are re-considering your wish, aren't you?

So, if anyone has any great laundry insights, puzhalsta pass it on to us poor ex-pats in St. P.