A Princess In Her Pink Palace

      My night of sleep was less than restful. The heat and humidity were relentless. I wanted to toss and turn, but opted for laying still, hoping in that position I would cool off and find some relief from the heat swarming around my body. It didn’t work. As I lay on my bed sweating and itching my mosquito bites I decided to get up and go to the bathroom, hoping if I emptied my bladder I would sleep better. I slowly walked through my bedroom, trying not to wake my roommates that were naturally more accustomed to the heat and were sleeping soundly. I prayed there weren’t any cockroaches or spiders lurking in the dark waiting to surprise me. I made it safely to the bathroom. I finished my business and then realized I had a problem. “Oh, man,” I said out loud. I couldn’t believe it, I had done it again! Once again, I was caught in the bathroom without toilet paper. Man, it was like the 3rd time in a matter of days. It wasn’t as if there was toilet paper in the hall closet and someone had forgotten to restock the bathroom supply, no, the fact was, I was still struggling to remember toilet paper isn’t supplied or provided for me here (room and board here in Bolivia doesn’t include toilet paper). There is no toilet paper on the dispenser next to the toilet, you have to provide your own paper and remember to bring it with you on each trip you take to relieve yourself. I will spare you of the details of what I did when I realized I had nothing to wipe with, but needless to say, my brief moment of relief and relaxation quickly left when I realized I had nothing to wipe with. Still hot and sticky, I stumbled back to my bed and attempted to sleep again.

     After a few days of being in Bolivia, I was getting better at remembering to bring my toilet paper with me everywhere, but I was still roasting at night, and not sleeping the best. I decided I HAD to find a fan. I contemplated attempting to be brave, strong, and like a real missionary, taking the heat, and making the best of it, but quickly dismissed that thought and decided if I didn’t sleep well each night, I would be worthless during the day. I determined my only free day for the week would be spent searching high and low for a fan! I also decided to put a mosquito net on my list of things to buy. Considering my current mosquito bite count was 50 (yes, I actually counted all my bites one by one!) 50 bites in less than 3 days!
     The days and nights seemed to pass so slowly, but finally my first weekend arrived. I was exhausted from the travel from the States, the sleepless nights, intense classroom sessions, and language challenges, and all I want to do was sleep for hours, but I shrugged off my tiredness for the greater good of obtaining a fan! I traveled to the market and praise God; I found a fan and a mosquito net too! Mission accomplished! I thought about exploring town a little more, but all I really wanted to do was return back to the YWAM base, to set up my mosquito net and fan, so that’s what I did.
     As soon as I got back to the base, I assembled my fan and obtained instructions on how to hang my mosquito net. I eagerly anticipated bedtime. Finally, a few hours later, bedtime arrived. I climbed into bed grinning from ear to ear. I turned on my new fan, that I had conveniently positioned at my feet, I tucked myself in, making sure my mosquito net was securely tucked around my entire bed, I was determined to ensure I would no longer be mosquito meat, and I rested my head on my pillow. Glorious! Awesome! I felt like a princess as I lay on my bed surrounded by my pink-mosquito net canopy, which coordinated nicely with my sheets, I might add. Excellent! And with the cool air of my fan sending soothing breezes in my direction, I fell asleep in my pink palace.