Ok so after only 2 cold showers, I’ve made
an executive decision to never take one again. Seriously there is no way you
can wash off even 50% of the soap when you’re that eager to get out of the
water. And it's winter here (by winter I mean 70s during the day but it legit gets cold at night). So I am now officially a bucket bath participant, which I didn’t think I
would be so quickly but just trying to get down like the locals, ya dig? And
honestly it’s so much better – I literally fill a bucket up half way with cold
water and then boil water on the stove and add it to it. Hilarious. Just to be clear, I am not standing in a bucket nor am I using dirty water over and over again. I say this because that is initially how I envisioned this activity. But that's gross and you all know how I feel about germs. I'm not THAT Peace Corps yet. Pero en realidad, you stand in a shower next to the bucket of clean water and scoop it on you like mini waterfalls. Peace Corps, bro.
And about my Spanish…Spanish is hard. Like
at the training center I understand casi todo, but speaking to my family is a
whole other matter. First of all, the speak very quickly and softly and the end
of their sentences drop off so I often have a deer in the headlights look after
they’ve completed whatever they’re trying to say to me. I feel like an idiot
most of the time but I’m just going with it – gotta learn sometime! And besides
language barriers lead to hilarious misunderstandings. There are many things I
say and that my family says to me that are completely lost in translation. The
other night I didn’t get dinner because when my host mom asked me if I wanted
anything I said no, thinking she meant like right that instant. I later
realized she meant for dinner in general but was way too embarrassed to renig
on that so I decided it was best to go to bed hungry and save face. Good
decision or great decision?
Also, things are more expensive here than I
thought, or could just feel that way on my Peace Corps budget. Last week I went
crazy and bought shampoo, conditioner, and soap and totally broke the bank. I
mean, who do I think I am buying soap??? So snobby. But anyhow, I’m having a
frikken amazing time getting to know all of my fellow volunteers, it’s such a
cool group of people, and exploring all the neighborhoods around the training
center and my own barrio.
Hasta pronto!
Kimberly
Great decisions all around! Saving face, breaking the bank for necessities and dropping cold showers like a bad habit. Livin large dude... Muy bien!!
ReplyDeleteshowering is overrated, not to mention a complete waste of water, an extremely scare resource on our earth as it is! Not only are you becoming one with the Peruvian way of life, you are saving the world one bucket wash down at a time. Stay true to your superhero self yo! #FreindsDon'tLetFriendsTakeRealShowers #BucketShowers4Lyfe #PeterPan
ReplyDeleteDanni - Your reply just made me laugh out loud. And I agree, showers are overrated... I limit my showers as much as possible, even here in the US. And Kim - since you are in Peru, this could be the perfect time to try the "no shampoo thing" now that you are doing the whole bucket-bath thing. I know... your probably like what the hell are you talking about, not using shampoo, have you lost your mind?!?! Well, I have partially lost my mind, but there may still be validity to the whole concept. Apparently, after a few weeks of not shampooing/conditioning your hair, the natural oils actually make your hair look healthier and supposedly its doesn't smell bad. I was very skeptical about this but John has been doing it for like 8 months now... ( DONT TELL HIM I TOLD YOU GUYS OR HE WOULD KILL ME!!) My initial instinct was to be disgusted, but now I am genuinely jealous of his hair. It looks better than mine, wtf. And my girlfriend who is doing has had the same result. Her hair is softer, shinier and just overall in better condition after she stopped shampooing. It took a few weeks to get over the initial hump of just feeling dirty, but once she said she got past that, there was no turning back. Its not ideal for those who use hairspray or product (the # 1 reason I havnt converted yet), but if your in Peru and not using that stuff anyways, it might be the best time to give it a trial run!! :)!!!
ReplyDelete