I had to renew my passport in Dubai a few weeks ago. You may sleep well at night confident that the US Consulate in Dubai is well guarded. There are at least five security searches. (Including at least one pat down.) Even then you are only allowed to take your passport and relevant documents “upstairs” on the special access elevator. Purses, wallets, cell phones etc are placed in a cubicle for which the guard gives you a tag to claim later. I’m not sure if that security guard would appreciate the name I have for him—“Coat Check Dude.”
It is SUCH a hassle. I’m surprised we don’t have to do a naked chemical peel. There are women who wand the women, and men who wand the men, strictly segregated, of course, after all we ARE in the UAE. The lady cops fascinate me. It’s entertaining to see an officer wear a black abaya with the little green beret and combat pants and boots under it. Kind of like a Ninja Bedouin.
I just learned something NEW that I didn't read about in ANY of my research before coming here. In the summer, the tap water gets BOILING HOT. You have to run water in the tub and let it cool off. It's too hot to take a shower with-- CRAZY! I guess it is really a pain in the ass. If you shower at like 5 am or something, you might not cook your gonads off. IF we were in Japan, they would have invented "water chillers.” I'm just sayin', because look how fancy the Japanese toilets are. The Japanese are all about bathroom comfort. But unfortunately, no Japanese ingenuity here in the UAE. That means you will also get a nice butt facial every time you sit. Gotta keep those pores clean. AND you have to run water and save it to cool it off to brush your teeth, wash your hands, wash dishes, etc.
Of course, we have hot water HEATERS in the ghetto. Each room with water has it’s own little hot water heater mounted near the ceiling. Our flat has four of them. (Each bathroom plus one in the kitchen.) And NOW I understand why all the hot water heaters have a wall switch that turns off electricity to them. I thought it was to save money, but it's because everyone turns them off for the summer!
That said, two weeks ago my personal hot water heater sprung a major leak. Since it is strategically located directly above my toilet, I was happy that I wasn’t perched there when it burst. I called the landlord, who came quickly to survey the geyser of boiling water pouring down on my commode and creating a lovely sauna in my bathroom. I rather enjoyed seeing him wade in there to turn off the water supply.
A plumber was consulted. Since there was a plumber handy, I felt free to point out my other plumbing issues, still not solved since the Christmas Plumbing Debacle. (See December 25 blog post) I had long since abandoned my efforts to repair the bathroom sink, and my various tools and parts were still laying next to it gathering dust. My landlord approved the repairs, so I took advantage of the momentum and trotted the plumber into the kitchen. I asked him to fix the faucet, which had been repaired by the ladies with string and plastic. These measures, while clever and imaginative, really weren’t doing the trick.
My bathroom faucet was repaired beautifully and the kitchen faucet works very well now, however the prognosis for my hot water heater was a different story. It seems that it must be replaced. My landlord cheerfully told me that he would replace it next fall. NEXT FALL?? I hate cold showers! Smiling and nodding he reassured me, “Hot water is coming soon, and it is summer time. Next September, when winter is coming, I will replace hot water heater.”
After a week, I discovered the best time for a shower is two in the afternoon. In the mornings the water is downright cold, and in the evenings it’s already chilly. The middle of the afternoon seems to be when the water is at least lukewarm. Sabi showed me the water tanks on the roof of every building, and that is why the temperature fluctuates so quickly.
Yesterday afternoon I washed my hands and noticed the water was actually nice and hot. I didn’t waste any time, and jumped into the shower immediately. I closed my eyes in bliss as hot water cascaded down for the first time since my hot water heater burst. Never mind that it was all coming from the cold water tap--
Dear Dr. Bezzic,
ReplyDeleteI've sat up through the night and read you blog from the time of your fist post in Portland, OR to the one about your water heater! :-) And I have to say I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Thanks for the great read and I look forward to more.