Bucket Baths

Americans have it easy. Running water, electricity, toilets, and a place that’s actually designated as a bathroom. I have what some would call a hallway. When I shower I have to open my bedroom window (which faces the courtyard and is where people do dishes) so that light can shine into the hallway I bathe in. It’s been a learning process but I’ve gotten used to heads unexpectedly popping up in front of my window while I’m in the nude bucket bathing. Also, because where I’m bathing is not a bathroom there’s no drain. Instead, there’s a tiny hole where the floor and wall meet, maybe an inch in diameter. So while I’m pouring water all over me it’s just collecting in a puddle on the floor. When I’m done I have to squeegee the water through this hole until it’s all gone. Needless to say, a layer of grime has collected over my body, making it hard to tell if I’m tan or just dirty.