preparation for the flight - by Tracy Guthrie, CE Adviser in Africa

I am getting ready to leave for the airport. Because we didn't have electricty on Tuesday and Wednesday, I haven't showered since Monday. Without electricity to boil the water, it is a very cold shower! So I opted to wait until today.

The "shower" is an outside stall the size of my linen closet with no running water and I have to calculate each move when preparing for a shower:

1. fill up hot water kettle and plug in so it can boil
2. Put on flip flops
3. fill my randall's re-useable grocery bag with towel, change of clothes, shampoo and conditioner, loofah, and sometimes a razor
4. grab my bucket and cup
5. Take the bag to the "shower" and turn the sign on the door to "busy"
6. check on hot water to see if boiling
7. start filling up bucket with regular water
8. take boiling water and combine it with the bucket water
9. fill up kettle again so I can have hot water the entire "shower"
10. carry bucket full of to shower - about 30 yards away from where I fill the water

Once in shower -
1. get undressed, except for flip flops
2. make sure towel is hanging on the back of the door so I can easily wipe my eyes
3. throw loofah in to the bucket along with a cup
4. put soap on loofah and start to wash
5. rinse off soap with cup
6. fill cup with water and pour over my head to wash and condition my hair
7. dry myself off, and step into the bucket without flipflops on to clean my feet
8. while standing in water, put clothes on (which means I have to balance on one foot at time
9. wrap towel around my head
10. put flipflops on and wash them in water

I will need to do all of these steps before leaving for airport, which is no big deal. I have been doing it for 5 weeks. HOWEVER, this time I have to add a few more calculated steps. My clothes and shoes are dirtier than an XXX rated film. Fortunately, I kept one outfit and pair of flip-flops tucked away in my suitcase for this occasion. They will not be brought out until I leave for the airport. I am so EXCITED to put these clothes on!!! The clothes I will put on right after the shower are different than my airplane clothes. I will also take extreme caution when washing my feet (they are so dirty it looks like I have a tan line). Once I get them as clean as possible I will put on a pair of socks and my tennis shoes. I won't change into my flip flops until I get the Nairobi Airport.