Learning to appreciate things

I never thought that I would be so appreciative of things like: a real bed frame, hot water heaters and sheet rock and insulation. But, like most things in North American life, I realize I have taken these things for granted. Mi casita (my little house) is made of adobe. It is the only housing unit on property that has not been remodeled. Usually the female interns live in the "dorm" next to Casita Juanita and the male interns live in the "dorm" next to the guard house at the front of the property. however, since I am the only female intern and we need more room for North American work teams, the boys are in the former female dorm and I am in Casita Juanita. So begins my journey of learning to appreciate things. We don't have central air or heating and my room isn't insulated so I have this portable heater that runs on propane and I have to light it just like you would your barbecue grill. Well, apparently the little ignition button doesn't like to work all the time and I spent one very cold night in mi casita. The operations director (Howie) showed me how to light it with a match the next day. Then the next day my dehumidifier wasn't working. Since the building is adobe, if it gets moist, it starts to smell funky... so once again I had to cal Howie who explained how to empty the dehumidifier and hookup the hose to it so it just drains outside the casita and doesn't fill up. So, I thought I was in the clear... and then I tried to flush. The chain on the flap in the toilet had broken and I had to take the lid off and flush manually. Howie was off property for the weekend so I had to just wait until he got back. Two days of having to manually flush a toilet is not fun. So, I knew Howie would be back this morning to fix my flapper so I got up and went to take a shower, only to find that I had no hot water. Not like the water was not hot but tolerable... no,no the water is ice cold when it comes out of the tap. So, I went traipsing out of mi casita in my pajamas to find Howie. You see, the hot water heaters are instant. You don't have a tank. There is a propane tank outside the house that attaches to a heater. You turn the water on and the pressure triggers the heater and it instantly heats your water. But, if there is too much water flowing through, it doesn't get very hot, so you have to turn down the water once it starts getting warm. BUT, if you turn it down too low and there is not enough pressure, the heater will shut off. My problem was that my gas tank was empty. So, I found Howie, got a new tank and was finally able to take a hot shower. Oh, and Howie also fixed the chain on the flap on the toilet. Needless to say, I very much appreciate my insulated house, central heating and functional toilets back in the states.