So within the first week we learned some valuable things about our house.
1) There is no central heating. Four space heaters just don't quite cut it. We do have a fireplace...that is if you have the skills to keep a fire going with such little oxygen. Good thing Tim is an Eagle Scout ;). Jackets, sweaters, and thick socks are good things to pack if you come visit. Its not quite as bad now as it was the first week, but it is winter here so the mornings and nights get cold. It is good to brace yourself when you first sit on the toilet seat...its a little shocking. I did go out and buy an extra space heater for our bathroom though and that brings me joy.
2) Even though we live in a nice home, I sometimes get a little reminiscent about camping trips growing up. Why, you ask? The water is the biggest reason. Our tap water isn't so clean. In the beginning I was really paranoid about showering and washing our dishes. (We have a purifier for drinking and cooking so that wasn't a worry.) I was actually using the purified water for washing dishes the first few days, but that was a pain, and people told us as long as you let your dishes get completely dry after washing them you should be okay. Still, I can't help but think of camping trips with my dad washing dishes in the lake or river water, but at least he boiled it. :) When we went camping we always had clean water to use for brushing our teeth...its not much different here we have two liter water bottles in each bathroom for this purpose. A time or two I have forgotten and stuck my toothbrush under the tap. We've spent several nights huddled around our fireplace to stay warm. By the end of the night we have a little bit of that campfire smell I love so dearly.
3) A couple days after getting here I noticed a drip coming from the bidet sprayer mounted on the wall in the kids' bathroom. Lesson learned: Make sure sprayer is pointing away from you when you don't know which way is off and which is on. It was a good laugh after the initial shock of cold water in the face wore off!
Nice gotta love bidets So do you have to turn on the electricity on the shower head so that the electric current can heat up the water like in Peru... it's amazing I'm still alive
ReplyDeleteShowered by the bidet!!! Nice, Jackie! It looks and sounds like you guys are doing great. I was grocery shopping a few days ago and thought of you, and wondered how that goes for you. I'm sooooo glad you started this blog so we can have a glimpse of your cool adventures! Love you and so glad you're loving Bolivia.
ReplyDeleteI know...I'm a nerd! No we don't have to turn the electricity on our shower head. Our shower in the basement for the maid is wired like that, but I don't think you have to do it to that one anymore either. Grocery shopping isn't too bad. There is a pretty normal grocery store I shop at down here. I'm still a little nervous buying meat, but it is atleast refrigerated there which is more than I can say about the market down the road. I do miss powdered sugar and the brown sugar we have in the states. It is dry with big granules down here. It just doesn't cook the same. I heard there is a Wilton store here though (the cake supplier). I was told they have powdered sugar. I really need to find it for my baking needs. Especially since the RS asked me to teach them how to make a dessert in a couple weeks!
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie,
ReplyDeleteI miss you so much. It feels so much different knowing that you live in another country! I love your blog! I am going to check it often...so keep posting. You have lots of spare time now... right? I can't wait to talk to you!
Oh, and for the record...Dad doesn't boil water when he camps anymore. Just sand and river water!
I am so so glad you started a blog. I am a lot better at this than facebook. Bolivia looks like such an incredible journey. We just moved from our pink house. Ahhh... those pink houses:) keep the posts coming I can't wait to see more pictures
ReplyDeleteWhat a time you are having! How long are you going to be down there? It will be so fun to follow your adventures!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! I love that you got sprayed. That's pretty funny. I would have loved to see it more actually. It's fun reading about your adventures. I can't believe it's winter there. That seems so weird. We're baking over here and will be for months.
ReplyDelete