It's hot water shut-off season in Russia. (This is nothing new - to learn more about this phenomenon, click here: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4066545.html) When I first moved here, the "season" was most of the summer, and I remember vividly the irony of having the hot water come back on the day I moved out of my first flat. These days, it's hardly more than two weeks - in Moscow, anyway - without hot water, and while I don't look forward to having to boil my own bath water, at least I know how to handle it.
I was Skyping with a family member recently, sharing the reality of living without hot water for a spell, and she was incredulous that I could be so cavalier about it. "That's TERRIBLE!" was her commentary on the circumstance. I was inclined to agree with her at that moment, but the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that hot, running water really is a luxury - not a right, or even a necessity.
While traveling across Siberia, I observed several settlements where water was procured at the local pump. There might have been satellite dishes on the roofs, but indoor plumbing had apparently yet to make an appearance. I once stayed with a family who's everyday existence included hauling hundreds of liters across the street just to be able to wash dishes, do the laundry, take a bath, etc.
There are countless places around the world where just having CLEAN water would be considered a privilege - never mind having it come right to your kitchen. Bathing is accomplished in whatever body of water runs past your hut, and if you share it with the neighbors, their animals, and a few fish & crocodiles, so be it.
I've been thinking a great deal about my friends in Joplin, and the reality that there are hundreds of people left without hot water - there are hundreds of people without HOMES. Forget the inconvenience of having to boil water for a bath, what about not even having a bathroom?
When I stop to consider how I am living, I've got a pretty sweet deal. Yes, it's inconvenient to wait for water to boil; the whole tote & carry system adds an extra 30 minutes to my morning. Yes, I find it annoying to still have soap residue in my hair. My American "microwave mentality" wants to assert itself and protest vehemently against this archaic system of shutting off the hot water for the summer! At the same time, it's a great reminder of just how much I really have. I have a flat with 4 walls. Water is plumbed into my home. I don't have to share my bathtub with the neighbors, their children, two hippos and a yak. I can wrap up in my robe & tote my hot water as long as I have to. This is genuine luxury.
I was Skyping with a family member recently, sharing the reality of living without hot water for a spell, and she was incredulous that I could be so cavalier about it. "That's TERRIBLE!" was her commentary on the circumstance. I was inclined to agree with her at that moment, but the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that hot, running water really is a luxury - not a right, or even a necessity.
While traveling across Siberia, I observed several settlements where water was procured at the local pump. There might have been satellite dishes on the roofs, but indoor plumbing had apparently yet to make an appearance. I once stayed with a family who's everyday existence included hauling hundreds of liters across the street just to be able to wash dishes, do the laundry, take a bath, etc.
There are countless places around the world where just having CLEAN water would be considered a privilege - never mind having it come right to your kitchen. Bathing is accomplished in whatever body of water runs past your hut, and if you share it with the neighbors, their animals, and a few fish & crocodiles, so be it.
I've been thinking a great deal about my friends in Joplin, and the reality that there are hundreds of people left without hot water - there are hundreds of people without HOMES. Forget the inconvenience of having to boil water for a bath, what about not even having a bathroom?
When I stop to consider how I am living, I've got a pretty sweet deal. Yes, it's inconvenient to wait for water to boil; the whole tote & carry system adds an extra 30 minutes to my morning. Yes, I find it annoying to still have soap residue in my hair. My American "microwave mentality" wants to assert itself and protest vehemently against this archaic system of shutting off the hot water for the summer! At the same time, it's a great reminder of just how much I really have. I have a flat with 4 walls. Water is plumbed into my home. I don't have to share my bathtub with the neighbors, their children, two hippos and a yak. I can wrap up in my robe & tote my hot water as long as I have to. This is genuine luxury.
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