Bathroom Antics

An event of a most extraordinary nature has just occurred.

I, Juliet Miriam Clark, have achieved an action that mere mortals can only dream of.

I got the hot water in the shower to work.

Now, before you start planning to throw me a parade and celebration at which I am knighted in honour of my efforts, I shall tell you the entire story - just so you are aware of how much society is indebted to me.

*****

We arrived in Cambodge, pleasantly happy with our abode for the next 4 months. We had a bed each, fully-functioning air-conditioning, and no bugs to be seen. A place to put our clothes, a kitchen down only a flight of stairs complete with stove, oven and fridge, we even had a bathroom off our room!

Life was sweet, and we proceeded to live our (now 11 whole days!) subsequent time in our comfortable surroundings in the BABC office.

Yet one evening a few days ago, the girls suddenly discovered a rather disastrous truth.

The girl's room (Bonteay Srey) and boy's room (Preah Vihear) are opposite from one another on the same level and one day, the girl's bathroom was occupied when I needed to visit it.


I strolled over to Preah Vihear and opened the door (to find all the males using their laptops, as usual) and, being such gentlemen that they are, they immediately welcomed me to use their bathroom whilst the ladies' was unavailable (simultaneously apologising for the smell). 

None of us had ever been into the boy's bathroom but we just assumed it to be the exact same as ours - just over a metre in width and a few metres in length - toilet, sink and shower head grouped around a relatively small vicinity. It wasn't ideal, but we'd learned to use it and never thought to complain.

Imagine the boy's surprise when they heard me cry out - "WHAAAAAAAT!"

It appeared that the boy's bathroom was not only twice, but three times the size of the girl's. Of course, this was a mistake, a terrible mistake - an insult to humanity in general. Why do boys need a bathroom that size? They just stick their heads under the shower, and then drown their skin in deodorant and cologne (and in Will's case, suncream), surely?

I quickly recruited my fellow women to take a look at this atrocity. Their horror was equal, if not bigger than mine. But lo and behold, it got worse.

"It's not all bad for you girls though, I mean, at least the shower water is hot and everything."

Hot? HOT?!?!

It was too much to take in. Firstly, their bathroom was huge; secondly - they had hot water?!

Sigh.

Being the peaceful, calm and content females we are, we decided to completely let it go and never mention it again. Well. Almost never.

*****

Yet today - joyous of days, calloh callay and all that rubbish, I began to take my evening shower as to revive myself after the weekend, before teaching again the next day.

"Tumm-tee-tumm...showering in the shower...singing along...tum tum tum- Hmmmm? Why, what's this? A reset button? Oh, maybe we need to press that..."

KABOOM. HOT WATER.

So there. The most exciting thing that happened to me this weekend (not true - I had a great Friday, although Saturday was mostly spent writing my personal statement, whoopee) and an excellent start to the week ahead.

Better cease blogging for now - it's already 9pm and I need to do some lesson planning.

Much love,

Juliet; Water Goddess