WAY-OF-LIFE SURPRISES

 SOME WAY-OF-LIFE SURPRISES

Besides the very "elephant-in-the-room" wake up with the driving and traffic!, there have been some other initial surprises in just how we handle daily living. (See separate post just on driving!.....and apparently we hit the less busy time with a holiday going on and many gone to visit their home provinces.  Uh oh!  What's ahead!?!)

The water must be boiled or come bottled to intake. We have a water tank unit that we attach jugs to. The regular water is fine for showers and brushing teeth; just not drinking.  Washing dishes is interesting because there are no dishwashers and no hot water.  (There are individual hot water heaters in each bathroom that need to be turned on each time you want to use it).  We have worked out a system for dishwashing that works well so that we feel things are disinfected.  After rinsing, soaping, and rinsing again, we pour boiled water with a tiny amount of bleach over the dishes, then air dry in the baskets.   

Another thing is no ovens.  And honestly, it would just heat things up too much!  Most homes have a little back-alley outside kitchen where some of the hotter things can be cooked.  Also, many cook with big propane tanks - that would be illegal in the U.S. because of being highly flammable!  We do have a little toaster oven that can meet our needs.  Mostly we cook on an induction stove top burner that heats up with connection to the metals in certain pans.  And a microwave aids, of course!  Also, we have a fridge, which many homes do not.  We are lucky!

Washing clothes - again, no hot water.  And, there are no dryers.  The washer is outside and drains the water directly into a channel that flows into a street drain.  We simply hang our clothes on racks, and the warm air dries them.  Most have them on their outdoor front patios, but we have our rack inside and use a little fan by it. It surprisingly works just fine!

Air conditioner is a must and is handled by having individually controlled vent units in each desired room.  We just turn on the ones we are currently using and don't leave them on all day.  They cool down a room pretty fast when restarted.  They just cool the direct area they are in, so some rooms stay warm.  Fans are always frequently around.  Our kitchen is not air conditioned, but the fan keeps it comfortable.

Garbage - we are fortunate to have our bags collected twice a day right outside our gate. However, around the public areas, garbage piles are everywhere. We have often seen people throwing garbage off to the side of the road. When we are walking on the roads and markets, we watch our steps carefully. How does a country go about fixing a garbage problem and change habits?

How about hundreds of exposed wires and cables coming together?! And so many partially started construction buildings that seem to have stopped midway in the project. Hmmm. Wish I knew more! Also, it seems like there are little pharmacies, health clinic "hospitals," and dental offices everywhere. I am so glad I had my dental work before I came! Looks rather questionable!

And a word on toilets. :)  Our home ones are pretty normal, although there are many bathrooms.  It seems to be the norm to have a full bathroom attached with every bedroom (making 5 for our place, including one 1/2 bath).  They apparently use toilet paper more sparingly; instead they have a hose sink sprayer by the toilet for cleaning yourself and for cleaning the toilet. As we've gone around, however, all toilets are not the same!  Many are a porcelain low-to-the floor seat that you squat over.  One included a channel kind of thing.  Some do not flush - instead, you fill it with water from a sprayer into a little bucket and then keep filling the bowl until the color is clear again.  It just drains out somewhere.  And, men are often seen relieving themselves at the side of the road. (Where do the women go?) Okay!  There you go!