Dear Shower, I love you

*I would like to preface this blog. I am a clean person, I swear I don't smell. I don't however bath as regularly as Batswana do or as most Americans do*

I will never take showers for granted again. I will never take showers for granted again. I will never take showers for granted again. 

Showers are one of those things, those things that you don't really think about. You don't think about heating up the water for the shower or how much water you actually use....In reality, you don't think about living a life without a shower.

 This is my bath mo Botswana. Yes, I do have a tub and a facet, the water just dribbles out of it, so its easier for me to fill up the bucket and bucket bath. If I want hot water, I heat up water on the stove. I use an empty Coke can as my "shower" and I pour water on me. Its a strange thing bucket bathing, I never really feel clean after I am done. But my bath water is always....so dirty. Embarrassingly dirty. Winter bathing was just a nightmare, its freezing cold in your bathroom and wet...I tried to limit my bathing as much as possible and filled up my trash with baby wipes. Summer bathing is much more enjoyable and I do take the time and waste the water to fill up a bath.

This is how I have been showering mo America...How could you pass this up? I truthfully think that I have showered more times in the past 10 days than I have for an entire year...
In fact the times I have showered in Botswana are as follows: IST (five times), while showering was nice...I had more important things to do. Maun-Backpackers (once), Zambia (once), Metcourt (twice), Maun-Hotel Ferguson's (thrice).
Showering in America-its been a daily occurrence. Actually, there have been twice daily showers. Just because I can.
YOU GET SO CLEAN when you shower. I just can't get over it. SO CLEAN. Showers just improve your mood, its really more of a mental thing I think. Washing away your sorrows...and gallons of water. But that is neither here nor there.





While we are on the hygiene topic...Can we talk about toilets for a hot second?! Going to the bathroom has been a joy. A complete joy. At my house, I have to venture outside for the bathroom...Lets get real, I pee in a bucket when I don't want to go outside (mainly at night...) Botswana bathroom trips are always an experience...After a while, carrying a role of TP around in your purse is the norm. Having soap and towels to wash your hands never happens--aside from your own house of course. Toilets smell, you have to squat, doors don't shut or lock or they don't unlock when you are on the inside, pit latrines with an army of cockroaches....its just a pain. In America, oh my! They have soap, toilet paper and a hand drying device. Its just amazing. I have thoroughly enjoyed every experience. Even last night at O'Rourkes my favorite dive bar...it was cleaner than the average bathroom in Botswana. And toilet paper. Who knew that it could be such a dream--having TP that is more than one-ply. I had forgotten about that simple joy in life.