Hot Agua

My husband tried to prepare me for the move to Costa Rica...you know, the part that's not all beaches and palm trees. The poverty and bars on all windows, the blatant disregard for all traffic laws, the corruption, etc. One thing he failed to prepare me for was the cold water. In Costa Rica there is one knob for the water faucet, and it's the cold water knob. We bought a little machine called a Therma Ducha and it hooks up to the shower head and heats up the water as it comes out. If you turn on too much water it won't heat up so there's not a lot of pressure, but a few strands of hot water is better than a full stream of cold water. Well yesterday was a very traumatic day for me. The Therma Ducha STOPPED WORKING. So once again I was back to heating water on the stove to bathe with, just like when I first moved here...which made me think to when I first moved here. I always think of myself as an open-minded-ready-for-anything kind of person...but moving to a different country takes more than being open-minded. My pride (and my Mom not sending me a plane ticket) kept me here and I'm glad I stuck it out. Now I have a great job, home, car, and my husband just installed a new Therma Ducha. I guess the point of this is to say that I'm really grateful for all that I have, and yes, I took a lot for granted when I was in the States...no, not just the hot water...but when you turn that hot water knob be sure and do a little hot water dance and think about me.