July 28, 2008
Keepin’
Kleen Kyrgyz Style
There was a time when I would go crazy if I
didn't shower every day. How could I put on clothes without a thorough
scrubbing and hair washing? And shave with cold water? Unthinkable. Put on
socks over feet with dust ingrained in my heels from walking the dirt roads of
the village? Are you kidding me? While it seems longer, that time was only a
few weeks ago. Suffice it to say, since arriving in Kyrgyzstan, my acceptable
standards of hygiene have shifted downward. This does not mean I traipse around
my village looking like Pigpen from Peanuts. Far from it. But, two sun showers
a week are a treat and daily (cold water) bucket baths are the norm for
starting the day. A sun shower is washing with water from a small barrel,
suspended above my head, which has been heated by the sun. They're actually
pretty neat. Oh, and did I mention I may wear the same clothes a few times
before washing them? Yup. And it doesn't matter, because while they may have
some miles on them between washings, they're pressed and really don't smell so
bad, at least not to me. Of course, one thing I learned is that if you wear the
same pair of pants for too many days in a row, when you take them off they will
take a few additional steps on their own. And it’s convenient to put them back
on because they are standing where you left them. There are other reasons for
multiple donnings (is that a word?!). I brought three pairs of pants and only
slightly more shirts and since there's not a laundromat for miles, I have to
wash my clothes by hand. It's damn hard work and not something I want to do
more than once every ten days or so. I'm not sure why I'm writing about this
except that I have an altered perspective on life ever since I began brushing
my teeth every morning, standing in the backyard, while gazing at majestic
snow-capped mountains.
How well did I adapt to showering daily after my PC days? Also, in the book, why I never want to hand-wash clothes again.
