Yes! We Have Hot Water

We have been back in Kiev for two weeks and it feels like we never left.  We have settled back into our routine of going to school, walking to the grocery store, keeping up with the laundry (the drying rack only holds one load at a time), and other daily chores. 

Of course we started back this year with a lot more knowledge about our jobs, where to shop, how to use the public transportation, etc.  The one thing that was the same as it was last year when we arrived is that there was no hot water.  We expected this because it happens every summer in Kiev, but we were hoping that just maybe it would be turned back on by the time we got here.  Unfortunately, we were told that this year no one knows when, or if, it will be turned on again.  Because Ukraine is no longer receiving gas from Russia, the country is trying to conserve energy so that the homes and apartment buildings that use hot water for heating will have enough to get through the winter.

Fortunately, we returned to a surprise.  The first week we were back, our landlord installed two hot water tanks in our apartment: one for the bathroom, and one for the laundry room and kitchen.  Now we do not have to rely on the city for hot water.  It's been wonderful, but also been a bit ironic.  Since we've been back, the weather has been so hot and sunny that a cool shower actually feels pretty good.  Don't misunderstand; I have welcomed the hot water and used it many times already.  Now we just have to pray for another mild winter in case Kiev shortens the number of months we are provided with heat.  I guess if we get cold, we can just sit in a tub of hot water for a while.

 Hooray for hot water tanks mounted to the walls in the laundry room and bathroom!