The following are strictly personal views/observations and in no way reflect the views of the Peace Corp nor the federal government of the United States.
Apparently the shower curtain is an invention which has not yet made its way to Moldova. They have computers, mp3 players, and hi-tech cell phones, but not shower curtains. I assume this is because there are few actual showers, as Americans typically use, in Moldova.
There are two primary styles of personal cleaning systems. One is the standard bathtub with a shower head attached to a hose. To wash your hair with this variety of cleaning system requires getting down on your knees, which results in dreadful knee bruises. The other style of cleaning system is the hose and hole variety. There are two knobs, one for hot water and one for cold water. However, the water comes out of an instrument closely resembling a garden hose without a nozzle and the water disappears down a hole in the floor. The hole is very unassuming, not even a grate over the hole. Both of these personal cleaning structures require an amount of skill when washing your body, because there is no way to mount the hose while utilizing the soap. Thus the two options are either to turn the water off, which is a deplorable option because once the water flow is discontinued it generally takes about 10-15 minutes for the hot water to recommence. The second option for managing the hose while soaping the body is to hold the hose in a creative fashion. The water spraying device must be controlled at all times because if the hose is released while the water is on, the result is the hose undulating about with no semblance of control. My personal tactic for hose control is to hold the hose between my knees. (If from this description you have surmised that ‘showering’ in Moldova is neither the least bit sexual nor appealing to a spectator, you are correct. The pornography business in Moldova does not include shower scenes in their videos.)
Usually both styles of cleaning system, no matter how experienced the user, result in an entirely wetted bathroom. Therefore, it is wise decision to make sure the toilet paper and towels are outside the bathroom area before proceeding with the personal cleaning process.
To get clean here it is a process that must take place in stages. Because outside the months of June and July, when one can comfortably use a sun shower, a person never takes off all their clothes to get clean. You either just wash your hair, or just wash your body, but the only regularly washed areas are the armpits and feet. It probably sounds like I am implying that everyone in Moldova is unclean, which is partially true in comparison with American standards of cleanliness. But when everyone smells a little bit and always looks a little dirty, no one notices if you are smelly and dirty.
Apparently the shower curtain is an invention which has not yet made its way to Moldova. They have computers, mp3 players, and hi-tech cell phones, but not shower curtains. I assume this is because there are few actual showers, as Americans typically use, in Moldova.
There are two primary styles of personal cleaning systems. One is the standard bathtub with a shower head attached to a hose. To wash your hair with this variety of cleaning system requires getting down on your knees, which results in dreadful knee bruises. The other style of cleaning system is the hose and hole variety. There are two knobs, one for hot water and one for cold water. However, the water comes out of an instrument closely resembling a garden hose without a nozzle and the water disappears down a hole in the floor. The hole is very unassuming, not even a grate over the hole. Both of these personal cleaning structures require an amount of skill when washing your body, because there is no way to mount the hose while utilizing the soap. Thus the two options are either to turn the water off, which is a deplorable option because once the water flow is discontinued it generally takes about 10-15 minutes for the hot water to recommence. The second option for managing the hose while soaping the body is to hold the hose in a creative fashion. The water spraying device must be controlled at all times because if the hose is released while the water is on, the result is the hose undulating about with no semblance of control. My personal tactic for hose control is to hold the hose between my knees. (If from this description you have surmised that ‘showering’ in Moldova is neither the least bit sexual nor appealing to a spectator, you are correct. The pornography business in Moldova does not include shower scenes in their videos.)
Usually both styles of cleaning system, no matter how experienced the user, result in an entirely wetted bathroom. Therefore, it is wise decision to make sure the toilet paper and towels are outside the bathroom area before proceeding with the personal cleaning process.
To get clean here it is a process that must take place in stages. Because outside the months of June and July, when one can comfortably use a sun shower, a person never takes off all their clothes to get clean. You either just wash your hair, or just wash your body, but the only regularly washed areas are the armpits and feet. It probably sounds like I am implying that everyone in Moldova is unclean, which is partially true in comparison with American standards of cleanliness. But when everyone smells a little bit and always looks a little dirty, no one notices if you are smelly and dirty.
posted by Klharmon | 3:25 AM
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