The Power of a Shower

What's the longest you have gone without a shower? You were probably camping, or "roughin' it" somewhere, right? In a regular week (at home, working everyday), how often do you shower? Everyday, or at least every other day? I usually shower everyday, and often twice a day. "Gee, Jess, kinda excessive don't ya think?" Have you seen my hair when I get up in the morning?!? Trust me, the only way to have any hope of taming the beast is to start with a shower. After working/studying all day, it's time to teach fitness classes. I come home dripping in sweat and hop into the shower again. On top of that, ask any one of my past roommates or my family and they will all roll their eyes when they tell you that I have never been known to take a short shower. I really like my "me" time in the shower, no distractions, no interruptions, it's nice and warm and clean. I LOVE my showers! Well, there's been a major paradigm shift living here in Nepal. 

As I mentioned in previous posts, there is both a water shortage and an electricity shortage. The water shortage means that the water you use, for everything - laundry, dishes, showers, toilets, drinking water - must be trucked in to you. Think about that for just a second. It gives new meaning to the tune from Barney "I never let the water run. No! I never let the water run." (I grew up watching Barney, and I can still sing a good handful of the tunes.) Just as an example, the toilet here has a tendency to leak. The water just overfills the tank and runs into the bowl and down the pipes. It isn't making a mess, but it is wasting water. So, you must turn the water on when you need to flush, and then you turn the water back off. Tedious? Not as tedious, or as expensive, as having to truck in that water. 

The electricity shortage has a domino effect and results in a lack of water because the pump from the tank to the shower/faucet has no power. There may be water in the tank, but that's exactly where it is staying until the power comes back on. 

Even before moving to Nepal, I knew about these things and I knew that showering twice a day, or even once every day, was not going to be an option for two reasons. One, there is a shortage and there will inevitably be a time when I literally cannot take a shower. Two, it would be irresponsible and wasteful to continue my habits. I have written about my showering adventures before, but something about my shower this week left such an impression that I felt the need to write about it. So let me tell you...

I have developed a new system where I only shower once or twice a week. In between these days I wash my hair once or twice. This last week though was a rough one. I went 6 days without a shower. Day 0 = shower. Day 1 = Just got my hair wet and scrunched it. Good to go. Day 2 = slow day around the office, no where to go, no one to impress (interpret that as, hair in a ponytail, no make up, t-shirt). No pressing need to take a shower. Day 3 = Wash my hair. Day 4 = no electricity, but I do manage to shave my legs in the evening when the power comes on. Day 5 = no power in the morning, and by the time it comes on and I am back at the house, I am wiped out, so I just go to bed. Day 6 = "Jess, this is getting gross." I know. I took a shower today. There was both electricity and water, even warm water, and I lathered up twice. It was a spiritual experience for me. I felt like I had been reborn, that I could take on the world, that I could do anything! 

Put yourself in my shoes (Dad-grab a towel because just reading this is going to make you sweat) and imagine what it would be like to go about your life for 6 days, but now there is no such thing as air conditioning, it is 83 degrees Fahrenheit everyday, and only gets down to maybe 71 degrees F at night, oh, and the humidity stays pretty consistently at 85%, and there is no ice or cold water. (WHY is drinking water always room temperature?!?) You sweat everyday. Not like, just finished my cross fit set sweat, but you are sticky. everyday. all the time. (Unfortunately I have not been able to exercise as much as I am used to, but that's because I know I will sweat even more here, AND I won't get to jump in the shower after. Jumping back in to teaching 5 fitness classes a week in the Fall is going to be ROUGH!) Now do you understand how finally having water, electricity, and time to shower was such a life-changing, mood-lifting, perspective-shifting experience for me?

I have compiled a list of 10 things that I have learned relating to this topic:
1. headbands = greatest invention EVER
2. ponytail when paired with a headband can make anybody presentable for a day...or three
3. Going a week without shaving your legs won't kill you, no matter how much it scares you
4. That feeling of super soft just-shaven bare legs is euphoric. Go ahead and rub your legs together, who knows when you will shave again.
5. Deodorant can only do so much
6. Putting on clean underwear can do a lot to lift your spirits when you can't shower
7. Humidity is a &!#@/ 
8. You lose a lot of hair everyday. With curly hair, it falls out, but not off. So when you shower, you always end up with a nice little hairball. When you don't shower for a long time, you will be convinced that you are going bald. Take a deep breath, it'll all be okay, you are not bald, but you will have to clean out the drain. 
9. You will never feel completely dry after toweling off if it is a humid day
10. As long as you buy something at the coffee shop, staying there for 4 hours because they have fans, is not rude.

Tune in tomorrow for "Cooking with cockroaches." No, I'm not kidding.