5 THINGS TO KEEP ME HUMBLE

Here are five parts of my daily life here that serve as frequent reminders to always strive to be humble:

1) Drinking water
I retract my previous statement about Steri-pens. (Mine stopped working exactly one week after my arrival.) After that, I began drinking boiled tap water, but it was a bit murky and occasionally contained small black worm-like bugs. After that discovery plus a 5-day bout of fevers, vomiting, etc. I’ve succumbed to drinking bottled water. I’m lucky I can afford it- the locals don’t ever drink it.

2) Showers
In the beginning, I prepared myself for the freezing cold shower by doing squats, push-ups, plyometrics, etc. before bolting in and out. My housemates thought I was crazy. However, it’s not hot here yet and the showers still leave me shivering for the rest of the day. So, I’ve given in and now take a bucket shower twice a week, as do the members of my familia. I mix boiled and cold water and use a little plastic cup to dump it over my head!

3) Toilets
A lot of the toilets here don’t have toilet seats, including mine, which makes life interesting. Also, the plumbing systems are such that you dispose of all toilet paper into a bucket next to the toilet instead. But hey, beats the dark night trek to the outhouse in Mexico! :)

4) Garbage
No trash cans here... Just small plastic bags on the countertops that attract bugs. Every day the trash truck comes by, announcing its arrival with a loud clanging bell. People rush outside with their trash from the day before and leave it in the streets. It seems that a lot of it never actually makes it into the truck, as the streets are covered in litter. with accompanying odors, in my neighborhood (less so in Trujillo). (However, random side note, Peruvians take great pride in their sidewalks, and every day they are out there sweeping the dirt aside.)

5) Hand Sanitation
Hand-washing seems optional, and soap even more optional, expensive, and rarely utilized here. I feel like a complete germ-a-phobe carrying around my little hand sanitizer bottle, but it does come in handy, especially at work. With all of the above issues related to sanitation in general, I can’t help but wonder exactly how many of the minor (and major!) health problems here are preventable.