Shower Roulette

Kenya is a country of ill- tempered and sensitive showers.  In fact, I've never known a shower in Kenya that hasn't given me a hard time on one day or another.

It's a question of water-temperature regulation.  I believe you need a degree in engineering or perhaps the delicate fingers of a bomb specialist to perfectly adjust the temperature of Kenyan showers. 

The first time I ever saw my shower...

The showers are also a bit like children.  You know your own the best.  When I travel, I find myself constantly reciting the old rhyme, "Lefty lucy, Righty tighty."  Left lucy is (hopefully) ON and Righty tighty is OFF.  Unfortunately, the dynamics of water temperature regulation is so sensitive to the slightest change in shower knob movement....the smallest movement can result in a temperature change of 30 degrees!  Hence, a shower experience like this:

Before I get in - water is on, shower on - temperature feels like what I would like it to be.

Get in.  Suddenly, there is a random event.  The hot gets hotter...  Uh oh....Dial down the hot.  Righty tighty on the knob 1/8 inch....not enough, still hot.  Uncomfortably so now.  Another 1/8.  No help.  Skin starting to burn a little.  Okay... righty tighty 1/4 inch!

Too far! Cold, cold, cold! Lefty lucy, lefty lucy!  Agh! Too far again!  Scalding!

Sometimes you get the shower that is all hot or all cold.  For this shower, you may need to do a "passive routine."  This is where the temperature is so unhospitable that you can only expose one body part at a time to it and only for a few seconds.  One arm...one leg...just the head.

The dreaded Sudan shower....

Now...some of you may be thinking that I am wrong to complain.  Don't misunderstand this - I am very happy to have running water...hot water...at one time or another most missionaries will learn to do without these convienences as well as electricity, internet or modern appliances. 

So for now, I will continue in my struggle with the ever bipolar Kenyan shower....