Miracle of Miracles

After months of empty promises and evasions on behalf of NUS, we came home yesterday to find the house in total disarray, two chairs broken, wall panels in the living room removed and replaced, and... A NEW HOT WATER HEATER!!! After we figured out how they managed to screw up our electricity and undid the damage, we kicked back to wait for our little wonder machine to do its thing. And then we took hot showers. It was one of the strangest sensations I have experienced in this country. I've showered in hot water here, but only on very rare occasions- namely when mom and dad or Andy's parents come and stay at some place where they're paying enough for the hotel to provide hot water. I can't describe how bizarre it is to step into your own shower, where your standard operating procedure usually involves evading the actual stream of water as much as possible whenever not absolutely necessary for rinsing purposes, and standing there feeling uncomfortably warm (after all, it is 85 degrees with 90% humidity here and hot showers are often a silly concept) being drenched by hot water. We both got out of the shower and were making dinner and turned to each other and realized that we were sweating 20 minutes later, from the novelty that our bodies have grown so unaccustomed to. We did agree, however, that it is an adjustment we are both willing to put the energy into working towards. In my own little Peace Corps development world my life just jumped from the stone to the iron age and I can't even begin to describe how shiny the metal is!