Water Pressure

It’s been a week since I returned from Costa Rica for the second time. Apparently there was an earthquake there early this morning near Volcan Poas. I wonder what sort of terrors I would be putting my brain through if it had happened a week ago on the day we left. We still don’t know what the impact has been on the family. I hope we will hear soon.

One of the first things I noticed about Indiana and the United States after we came back is that the water pressure is too freakin’ hard here. I got used to low water pressure and actually appreciate it now. Costa Rica is not very good on the plumbing side of things, and perhaps to its benefit. The morning after we got back I stepped into the shower, turned on the water, and got scalded with a blast of hot water. I used to like the hot and fast water stream. I suppose I still do like the warmth that eases me into the morning, but damn it’s hard. There’s no reason why we need that much water streaming out of a faucet for a single shower.

Conservation is one of the main selling points about Costa Rica. Eco-friendliness is what makes the country so beautiful and popular with tourists. As long as you are comfortable with being gluttonous with exploring the beauty of the region you can tolerate some of the differences in every day plumbing practices. For instance, in the United States, when you flush in a public place, if you aren’t throwing any paper in the toilet you are probably not a citizen. In Costa Rica you can expect to see a trash can in your bathroom to collect the unmentionable paper. It keeps the water more “organic”. This is a tough practice to follow when you have been trained to discard in the swirly pool. I’ll admit that I was forgetful a few times, but I tried to follow the rules. Thank God I didn’t cause a clog – to my knowledge.

This time around I was less shocked/scared/anxiety riddled about being in a different culture. I’ve started to understand the method to the madness a little more. I’ll talk more on this later. But, I miss my growing family and hope I see them all again soon.