I Love Hot Water!

Most Guatemalans shower in cold water and do not have hot water in their homes. One of the "house mothers" at the children's home said that she does not feel clean unless she takes a shower in really cold water. Yikes! I tried to fit in by showering in cold water... once!... but I just can't handle that; it takes my breath away. Thankfully, our host family does have hot water. There is a neat little device in the shower that heats the water right there. This device does have a few downfalls -- the water temperature is unpredictable and often scalding hot and it is a little scary to look up and see all of the exposed electrical wires right above you as you are standing in water, but at least it works!

The sink does not have hot water. This is not a problem except for when I want to wash my face at night. Cold water just doesn't seem to work as well for removing makeup. So... I stand on the toilet and wash my face with the water from the shower (as shown below -- just in case anyone is curious). November officially begins the dry season in Guatemala. It is nice that it will no longer rain every day, but it also means occasional water shortages. These have already begun. The water is turned off with no warning and no one knows how long it will stay off. It has been happening in the afternoons. However, the other night Daniel was in the shower, covered in soap and the water stopped. It was out for the rest of the night. I couldn't help but laugh because of the irony of the situation. Of course, I wasn't the one covered in soap though! Daniel was much less thrilled.