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Cold Weather in Jiangxi
Saturday, February 12, 2005-8:46 PM
There are two places I can go to keep warm here; my bed, heated by an electric blanket, and the shower.
I got out of bed this morning only when I had to. Right after I put my contact lenses in, I headed for the shower in the bathroom.
The bathroom is right next to the kitchen, and the water for the shower is heated by a gas heater hung on the wall in the kitchen. It's a little touchy to get the hot water running, so someone from the family usually starts the shower for me.
I was showering for a couple of minutes when suddenly there was no water pressure. I prayed that Natasha was close to the bathroom door, because I wasn't keen on the idea of running around the apartment half naked and covered in lather.
Natasha came a minute or two later. I could barely hear her quiet voice through the bathroom door. She let me know there was no hot water, and that I'd have to finish with water from the sink.
My feet were ice cold on the bathroom tiles. I gave in and put on the plastic sandals their family had given me even though they're a little bit two small.
The water from the sink was equally cold. Moreover, there was no mechanism for getting the water from the faucet to my body. I had to cup my hands together and see how much I could splash on my body. Slowly, I rinsed the lather from my body.
Apparently, the hose to the heater in the kitchen had ruptured and flooded the kitchen with water. Natasha's father was already at the store getting a replacement.
Natasha solved the cold water problem by bringing me a thermos of hot water. She poored it in a small tub for me to use.
The water was too precious to squander, so I used it sparingly. In spite of the water shortage, I decided I decided I had enough to shampoo my hair.
I lathered up my hair, then tried to wash as much of the shampoo out under the faucet, without wasting the rest of the hot water.
When I was ready to finish, I poored the rest of the hot water over my body for a few seconds of relative comfort.
As I was drying myself off, Natasha let me know that her father had returned and the hot water was fixed, and I could use the shower if I wanted.
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