la duchita calientita

Something is wrong with the shower here, which is ´powered´ by a gas operated calefont, or heater. It requires a certain water pressure to turn on the water heater, and for some reason, it will only remain lit for 3 minutes, after which the water turns cold. In the morning, there is water pressure until 9am, but the pressure isn´t enough to light the heater again until 2 or 3pm. This means that I have to take showers in the morning, but Alvaro´s dad uses the bathroom in the morning and generally leaves me only enough time to hurredly put in my contacts and maybe brush my teeth before rushing off to work. Hence, morning showering is out. I usually take my 3 minutes of hot shower time in the afternoon before I start my night class schedule. I should also mention that someone else using water during the shower will cut the pressure, turning it cold immediately. This is like how most people can´t flush a toilet and shower at the same time, except more extreme- even getting a glass of water or brushing teeth can ruin a shower!

This means that I have perfected the art of a 3 minute shower. (This, however, does not mean that I plan to continue this pattern when I´m back in the US.) I remember during the summer (winter for y´all in the northern hemisphere), there were major water cuts in Caracas, Venezuela and Hugo Chavez made a big deal, saying that everyone could do their share by taking 3 minute showers. He said that there was no need to sing in the shower, that it was not the Age of Jacuzzis, and that 3 minutes was enough. I salute the Venezuelans because everyday I secretly bemoan my measly 3 minutes, wishing for more time. Anyway, back to my perfected technique. I immediately start to shampoo, and then soap up, using the last of my hot water time to wash away all of the suds. Sometimes if I´m feeling efficient I´ll even try to see if I can condition fast enough. Occasionally, I don´t finish in time, in which case I have to wait another 2 or 3 minutes and try to turn the water on again, which lasts a little bit less the second time. Unfortunately, this means that I´m wet and cold, waiting in the shower (with the window open because there´s no fan) for water to come back again.

Basically, the point of this is that a hot shower really is one of the luxuries that I really, really like. I can do without hot water washing dishes, and hanging up my clothes to dry (and waiting for days to get my jeans back when it´s raining) without a dryer is OK, but the hot shower is crucial. In Ecuador, I bathed myself in a local river with dishsoap and the indigenous fish. That was slightly tolerable because the humidity made the cold river feel ´refreshing´, but I think the hot shower will be a priority as I search out my next adventure.

lots of love to everyone at home....