The adventure began as soon as I undressed and grabbed the
towel I had been given. It was so tiny- I would probably use it to swaddle an
infant. It really didn’t cover everything that a towel should cover, but since
I was alone I just scurried over to the bathroom and figured I could air dry a
little if I needed. In the shower, I followed the instructions exactly, turning
the left knob all the way to the left. I expected a nice stream of hot water to
come pouring out. You know, standard business. Nah-ah, my friend, nah-ah. What
I got instead was a dribble of freezing cold water. I started fiddling with the
right knob hoping I had heard the directions wrong. I was able to get a volume
of water that was almost semi-decent, but was still so cold. After standing
there shivering for a few minutes, I gave up and washed up as best I could. I
was going to have to man up fast (or just be really smelly) if this was the
norm for showering. Wishing I had savored a little more in America what was possibly
my last hot shower for a long time, I got out of the shower with my mini-towel.
I was semi-clean and semi-dry, but still totally okay with life as I climbed
into bed to catch up on sleep after traveling. It was all good, I could deal.
The next morning, I went into the bathroom to brush my
teeth. I turned the faucet tap on the sink, but no water came out! Since
turning the sink on is so hard, I figured I might have done something wrong and
tried again. Still nothing. I tried the shower. Nada. I tried the toiled. Zip.
I tried other bathrooms. Zilch. (My thoughts: “Guatemala, I don’t play these
games. Knock it off.”) Feeling entirely silly, I asked the maid, Rosaria, if she
knew why there wasn’t water. She just said sometimes that happens and that it
will be back in a few hours. Alrightyyyyy then, sounds good- gracias Rosaria!
All I could do was smile and shake my head- this was so different than home.
And hey, it wasn’t going to last forever. I know a lack of running water is not
something to laugh at, but in the moment the difference between home and here
was kind of fun, just a new little part of the journey.
Rosaria was spot on with her prediction- the water did come
back in a few hours. Even better, I think my awful shower situation the
previous night was tied up with the water issues the following morning. I tried
the shower again tonight and was able to get a decent stream of hot water- YES!
I don’t really know what the deal with the water was but I’m glad it worked
itself out. Not that I couldn’t have handled it if I had to go without hot
showers for a year, but I won’t lie that I’m grateful that I don’t have to. Also,
as I was getting dressed that morning I couldn’t help but realize the irony of
one of my favorite ND t-shirts. It says, “1 in 6 people in the world don’t have
access to clean drinking water.” Luckily, I do have drinking water and the
shortage on running water was only a few hours, but I know there are many
people who are not as fortunate as I am. I had never felt closer to being a
part of that statistic than I did that morning. Anyways, say a little prayer of
gratitude next time you turn your sink on because you never know when it might
just take a break for a bit!
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| ¡Un milagro! Never again will I take this for granted :) |
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