1/15/09 (Thursday): Conserving Water

I gave myself a paper cut today, and I thought: that’s going to sting when I take a shower tonight, but then I grinned. Today is not a shower day. Every other day, I brave the cold and the possibility of a cold shower to take a shower. Before, I had taken a shower every day, but then I saw how my family had to physically pour water into the huge metal container in the bathroom. It’s an endeavor alright. Then, the water in the container is heated by this tiny metal hook. We would light a match to light the hook, which I assume there’s gas coming out of the five holes there. I am not yet familiar with the workings of the shower, but my point is this: hot water is the most prized luxury, and I am aghast at how much hot water I used to waste in the states. Now I try to conserve each drop: when I shampoo my hair, I turn all the water off; when I lather on soap, I turn all the water off; and my showers are usually only 10 minutes long, compared to the hour-long showers I used to take that steamed up the entire bathroom. Now I would rather shiver than let hot water trickle down from the makeshift showerhead because if I use more than my share, my family would take cold showers. You see, they always wait until I take my shower first.