July 31, 2011
If I was the kind of person who relished in TMI and was a fiber freak (reader, you know who you are) I could probably do a bathroom post everyday. Luckily for you, I'm not so you just get them now and again. I've now got running water in the bathroom. Note: running water and shower are not the same thing. I'm not sure what sparked the change, but the electric pump is set up (Get it? Spark, electric?) So, if I have power, I can turn on the faucet, to fill the bucket, to flush the toilet. We've got running water in the kitchen also. This completely revolutionizes brushing my teeth and washing my face (yes, I do these both in the kitchen, bathroom doesn't have a sink) Moving on up people!
We've had typhoons moving on up through the Philippines, which for me means rain all night. Which means it waits to get super hot. Which means I don't have to wake up so early to run (on the weekends that is, when I don't have places and times to be). Which means when I get back from the run people are up and about. Which means kids our out playing games with their tsinellas. Which means I run the risk of getting hit with foot wear. Read: Which means I got hit with a flying flip flop. Which means I got the cutest apology ever. No complaints.
A quick complaint. On my phone I don't have a plan. I buy a load card and then just spend away until i need more load. It costs me a peso to send a text, but luckily they have promos. For 60 pesos I can buy unlimited texts for five days. Which is a great deal and let's me text with reckless abandon. However the system to sign up for promos never works. I shouldn't have to pay for texts when they wont let me sign up for promos. You're wasting my load Smart!
And now for something completely random. My Auntie has a niece from Las Vegas coming for lunch. She doesn't know when, just that she will come. Could be today, could be next friday. Would that drive any one else nuts? Or is that just a me thing? We've got a super clean house because of it though.
Showing posts with label bathrooms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bathrooms. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, June 03, 2011
more from my bathroom series
Here I am a solid 9 months into service and stepping into the bathroom is still an adventure.
The other day I lifted the lid to my clean bucket water to take my bath and wouldn't you know there was a frog swimming in it. So I took his picture, dragged the bucket outside, dumped him into the jungle back there, cleaned the bucket, refilled and started all over.
Today was a spider. A new spider I've never seen before. I just finished washing my hair, flipped my head up and there it was. Black, yellow, and ominous. I'm not sure if it is a good guy, or one of the good guys that could drop all 120 pounds of me in 45 seconds flat with just one bite. Those of you with fast Internet connection should find out for me.
Had I not gone running this morning I would have jumped ship then and there, but I really stank! So I crouched down and did a weird Russian dance of a shower looking up the whole time.
I managed to get clean enough and then bolted out of there, returning only to take bad pictures of it. I really need to use a flash but didn't want to get close enough to hold he camera still enough.
What a life, eh?
Ps. Thanks to my good friend MO I learned that I now can blog from my iPod. Not my favorite thing to type on, but pretty cool. So, sorry for any painful typos I missed. Also couldn't post the pictures but I will, promise!
The other day I lifted the lid to my clean bucket water to take my bath and wouldn't you know there was a frog swimming in it. So I took his picture, dragged the bucket outside, dumped him into the jungle back there, cleaned the bucket, refilled and started all over.
Today was a spider. A new spider I've never seen before. I just finished washing my hair, flipped my head up and there it was. Black, yellow, and ominous. I'm not sure if it is a good guy, or one of the good guys that could drop all 120 pounds of me in 45 seconds flat with just one bite. Those of you with fast Internet connection should find out for me.
Had I not gone running this morning I would have jumped ship then and there, but I really stank! So I crouched down and did a weird Russian dance of a shower looking up the whole time.
I managed to get clean enough and then bolted out of there, returning only to take bad pictures of it. I really need to use a flash but didn't want to get close enough to hold he camera still enough.
What a life, eh?
Ps. Thanks to my good friend MO I learned that I now can blog from my iPod. Not my favorite thing to type on, but pretty cool. So, sorry for any painful typos I missed. Also couldn't post the pictures but I will, promise!
Friday, September 10, 2010
check out dem gams!
september 2, 2010
i am not afraid of spiders, or bugs really. i mean sure i hate a mosquito, cock roaches are beyond disgusting and moths give me the willies, but afraid? no.
however, i am a little bit afraid to go to the bathroom with this gal hanging over the toilet. i know she is not the biggest spider they have here, i myself have seen bigger desert spiders. this however is the biggest spider i have seen suspended in the air (big spiders that i know of stick to the ground and spin traps not webs), and she is suspended over my toilet!
now for a name, i’m thinking she looks like a hazel.
p.s. i just remembered i am afraid of getting bot flies (look them up).
making friends
September 6, 2010
remember hazel? well i think i trumped her. meet oswald.
i went to the bathroom when i woke up and it was friend free. went on my run, and when i got back and hopped (no pun intended) in the shower i noticed i was not alone. he kept to himself over in the toilet area and even turned his back while i got dressed.
i thought the spider was normal and didn’t say anything about it, accept to my cluster folk. they all wanted to see so i took them into to meet hazel. my host family gave me a funny look. i said there is a spider in there. they laughed and said good morning and we went to school. when i got home at lunch, the spider was gone and they were all up in my grill (not in a mean way, it was funny) about not telling them. hahaha i assured them it wasn’t a big deal, and didn’t mention i actually did try to convey the message. then i learned about spider fighting, a popular sport with the kids. they catch spiders and keep them in match boxes (not as big as my hazel) and don’t feed them. then they find a kid with a spider put them on a stick and let them have at each other. i also learned they do different things with hazel and all her sisters. they take them and remove the egg sack. where the sack was is an impression or marking. they try to see what number it most resembles and boom they have a new lucky number.
i told them about oswald and continued to do my hair with him chilling. then i went and did some stuff and nothing was done about the frog. when i had to pee again (nature calls a lot these days) i checked for him, didn’t find him and sat down. then came in someone to take care of him… despite my announcing my status they came in full force. it was awkward but i really didn’t get too embarrassed (the philipinnes are doing wonders to me). so when i was done we did another search and didn’t see him.
oswald is tricky, because guess what. he came out during breakfast and was doing sprints between the shower and the toilet. what a life i live.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
before my day even begins
August 30, 2010
did you know the creator of netflix was a peace corps volunteer? well he was, and it all makes sense now. i’m sure he came up with the theory all before 6 in the morning. for those who know me, you know just how big this next statement is: i think i may leave here a bit of a morning person. not once since i got here have i slept past 5:30 and i’ve never actually gotten up out of bed past 6:30 (that is the big thing, because i really enjoy the slow get up out of bed).
there are a lot of factors at work here:
• by the end of the day i am exhausted, i think i’ve been asleep by 10:30 every night
• the roosters in the back yard, they crow hours before sunrise, don’t let the jimmy dean commercials fool you, oh and it is not a once and done ordeal—all morning long!
• the sun comes up early here and will always come up early
• since arrival in the philippines I’ve been peeing like a race horse (in fact last night was the first night i made it to 4 with out the morning urge
o part jet lag, part of my extreme efforts to drink lots of water and also
o i’ve not been feeling good. in part a new diet and also my malaria pill gives me stomach cramps and an overall just not feeling good feeling
however there is not much to do between the 5:45 shower (more on that in a different blog) and leaving for class at 7:45. there is breakfast, but that doesn’t take 2 hours. if I was either flexible or could focus and sit still i could yoga. i’ve been reading (a lot, not just in the morning). running just is unthinkable (it is so hot, blog on that also) and i am not quite too the point where i should be walking around by myself yet. i could sleep in, but to be right good and honest i don’t want to get into that habit. it would be hard to break when i got to site. and soon enough i will have a language to study. so for now i will blog away and experience the world before 7:30 a.m. for a change.
maúpay gna ága (good morning)!
did you know the creator of netflix was a peace corps volunteer? well he was, and it all makes sense now. i’m sure he came up with the theory all before 6 in the morning. for those who know me, you know just how big this next statement is: i think i may leave here a bit of a morning person. not once since i got here have i slept past 5:30 and i’ve never actually gotten up out of bed past 6:30 (that is the big thing, because i really enjoy the slow get up out of bed).
there are a lot of factors at work here:
• by the end of the day i am exhausted, i think i’ve been asleep by 10:30 every night
• the roosters in the back yard, they crow hours before sunrise, don’t let the jimmy dean commercials fool you, oh and it is not a once and done ordeal—all morning long!
• the sun comes up early here and will always come up early
• since arrival in the philippines I’ve been peeing like a race horse (in fact last night was the first night i made it to 4 with out the morning urge
o part jet lag, part of my extreme efforts to drink lots of water and also
o i’ve not been feeling good. in part a new diet and also my malaria pill gives me stomach cramps and an overall just not feeling good feeling
however there is not much to do between the 5:45 shower (more on that in a different blog) and leaving for class at 7:45. there is breakfast, but that doesn’t take 2 hours. if I was either flexible or could focus and sit still i could yoga. i’ve been reading (a lot, not just in the morning). running just is unthinkable (it is so hot, blog on that also) and i am not quite too the point where i should be walking around by myself yet. i could sleep in, but to be right good and honest i don’t want to get into that habit. it would be hard to break when i got to site. and soon enough i will have a language to study. so for now i will blog away and experience the world before 7:30 a.m. for a change.
maúpay gna ága (good morning)!
kasílyas (bathrooms)
august 30, 2010
so bathrooms are definitely the first thing the trainees texted each other about. luckily i was able to provide good reports.
• i have a shower (no hot water, but i like it like that) which means i get to learn to bucket showering later on in my pc career
• i have a toilet that flushes, which means i get to learn about bucket flushing later on in my pc career
• i have toilet paper, which means i get to learn about bucket wiping later in my pc career (just kidding! i will leave that to the natives, i’ll choose to wipe throughout the duration)
however speaking of toilet paper, i’m curious how long it takes to get into the habit of throwing it away…. hahahaha just a thought. and another thought, i hope they teach us how to burn just our garbage and not the whole village or town.
so bathrooms are definitely the first thing the trainees texted each other about. luckily i was able to provide good reports.
• i have a shower (no hot water, but i like it like that) which means i get to learn to bucket showering later on in my pc career
• i have a toilet that flushes, which means i get to learn about bucket flushing later on in my pc career
• i have toilet paper, which means i get to learn about bucket wiping later in my pc career (just kidding! i will leave that to the natives, i’ll choose to wipe throughout the duration)
however speaking of toilet paper, i’m curious how long it takes to get into the habit of throwing it away…. hahahaha just a thought. and another thought, i hope they teach us how to burn just our garbage and not the whole village or town.
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