Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Dreaded Sink Shower

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There is nothing like waking up in the morning, groggy-eyed and irritable, stumble to the shower and let the hot water soothe your tired eyes and slowly wake you up. I love a nice shower. However, there is a slight complication to this matter in Korea: my bathroom is my shower.

My very own sink showa!
In order to take a shower, I must turn on the sink, wait for the water to heat up, then turn a knob on the side of the sink to divert the water to the shower head on the wall. Then the water sprays all over the floor. I, and many others, must wear shower shoes in my own bathroom to avoid slipping and busting my butt. The worst is when I go into the bathroom with socks on, forgetting that I recently took a shower. Wet socks is a very unpleasant feeling! I also wear the shower shoes to avoid the horrendous cold of the tile floor. In Korea, the heat is radiant, it comes from the floor. This heating system is not extended to the bathroom so, needless to say, the bathroom gets really, really cold.

I'm quite used to the whole sink shower routine now. It works fine. It does its job. I am just not looking forward to one of those days when I forget to turn off the divert knob and I get a surprise shower that ruins your freshly done hair and makeup (just like my Mom did when she came to visit). It happens to the best of us. The fateful moment is lurking out there somewhere. A real shower is something I am eager for when I return to the US - a curtain and a dry bathroom floor is all this waygook desires. And maybe a burrito. Oh sink shower, how you torture me!

1 comment:

  1. Because of accidental sink shower sprays, I have a fear of all faucets. I'm conditioned to flinch and jump out of the way if I turn on the sink!

    I fear that will not go away when I move back stateside.

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