The Cold Shower?

TOOBER_SDQ

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Nov 19, 2008
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Is it possible for an Expat, previously being accustomed to hot showers ever get used to taking a cold shower without absolutely dreading it?

I have hot water in my house in Santo Domingo, but sometimes I face this cold shower situation when staying a friend?s house, or a cabana, hotel etc.

From observation I see that Dominicans are unfazed by cold showers. Even Dominican toddlers seem to have no problem, which really makes me feel like a wimp.:ermm:

I was present once when a Dominican family from New York tried to bath their American toddler in cold water in Santo Domingo; the toddler screamed and shrieked as though it was being burned alive.

I really don?t understand if this is a learned comfort threshold or not. It is so hard for me to understand how something that is so incredibly unpleasant for me be so tolerable for others. It?s got to be 90% mental.

So, can any Expats or returning Dominicans shed some light on how they deal with this?
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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Sure, you'll get used to it. But is it necessary where you plan to live? If you have running water and electricity you can install a hot water heater.

My wife and I lived on a cruising sailboat for 16 years and our shower was a 2.5 gal garden sprayer used in the cockpit at night. But now that I am in an apartment, I don't have to take cold showers because I have a hot water heater.
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
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If need need to take a bath and there is not HOT water, fill a bucket of fresh water and count 1-2-3 and pour all the water over your head, this way you won't feel the cold.
Remember all the water in one try in the beginning and you will get use to it.

JJ
 

AndyGriffith

New member
Mar 11, 2010
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Cold showers are no problem when you see the reduced electricity bill every month. One approach that works is do a 15 minute intensive workout first. Really get a sweat going, then when you hit the cold water in the shower it's like taking a refreshing dip in the pool. You'll even have fun while you're doing it.
 

sweetdbt

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Sep 17, 2004
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I enjoy a hot shower as much as the next guy, but I can certainly make do with cold if necessary. The main thing is you don't stand under the cold water like you would warm or hot. You get wet, turn off the water and soap up, then rinse off quickly and you are done.
 
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SKing

Silver
Nov 22, 2007
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I can't stand it.....have to have hot water. We burned out our water heater in Santiago within amonth and had to buy electric hot water shower heads.

SHALENA
 

DMV123

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Mar 31, 2010
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You can get used to anything if you HAVE to. Me, I don't have to, I have a hot water heater.

Locals are very used to cold water showers and many in fact prefer it. Some locals don't trust a hot water shower as they just don't understand it or have experience with it.
 

Bernard Jean-Pierre

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Oct 31, 2010
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Believe it or not, you DO get used to it. I would even go so far to say that after a certain amount of time the Cold water almost feels 'warm'. The body adjusts to the temperature after time. Its the exact same process of going to the beach, the people IN the water will say, "cmon in! it feels great", but then you take a few steps in and say, "Dios Mio! Its COLD!!", but the further you go out and get some water above your chest area, you suddenly adjust.
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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Well, there are cold showers, and then there are COLD showers. My mother-in-law has a tinaco on the roof in SD, and the water is not ice cold, it's tepid, and I can stand it. At our house in Najayo Beach, before we added the tinaco, that water was like icicles coming out of the deep well. We tried the electric shower head - I think I got two or three showers out of it before it went POP and that was the end of it.

Like Toober, I don't think I could EVER get used to cold showers. Never, ever, ever. My husband's brothers all have hot water heaters, but they don't work with the inverter, so if you need a shower at a certain time you're SOL. I've done the 'shower from a bucket of hot water from the stove' thing, with a pot to dump the water over my head, and as bad as that is - it's better than a COLD shower!!!!!

AE
 

Ezequiel

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Jun 4, 2008
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One thing I dread about going to the DR for Christmas is that I know that I have to take a cold shower, because my father disapprove of hot shower.

Long story short, everybody knows when I'm taking a shower, I say my "Ave Mar?a" and My "Padre Nuestro" and start screaming LOL.
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
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One thing I dread about going to the DR for Christmas is that I know that I have to take a cold shower, because my father disapprove of hot shower.

Long story short, everybody knows when I'm taking a shower, I say my "Ave Mar?a" and My "Padre Nuestro" and start screaming LOL.
Do you miss the AC too when in DR??

A lo bueno uno se scostrumbra rapido ehh.

JJ
 

dogstar

New member
Oct 24, 2004
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stove hot water

You mix hot water from the stove with cold water from, were ever, then use a plastic cup....you choose the size...and pour it over your body. soap down, rinse off, this is not brain surgey. I sometimes wounder how if some posters are imployable.
 

karlheinz

New member
Oct 2, 2006
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I have to agree that "you get used to it", especially when it's hot I love a cold shower but as it's getting a tad chillier en la noche I do crave a bit of hot water. Two possible solutions in my opinion - Install a tankless propane fired system or build a solar system above your house/apartment. I believe I'm going to purchase a Paloma type system made by Bosch - Gas water heaters portable propane tankless water heaters horse washers
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
I have to agree that "you get used to it", especially when it's hot I love a cold shower but as it's getting a tad chillier en la noche I do crave a bit of hot water. Two possible solutions in my opinion - Install a tankless propane fired system or build a solar system above your house/apartment. I believe I'm going to purchase a Paloma type system made by Bosch - Gas water heaters portable propane tankless water heaters horse washers

Very interesting link - didn't know they had these for propane.

Any posters using one????????

AE
 
Mar 1, 2009
941
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Wow the cold shower's, that brings back memories. Uhm if your out all day and in the heat, the cold showers are awesome. So if your active and that sweat and dust build up on you, yes cold showers are a blessing. We used to warm up a hot pot of water and then pour it into some cold water in a cubeta.

Or would wait for the sun to warm up the water in the pipes and that would last for about 1 minute if you we're lucky. Another solution is a solar water bag. You fill the water bag up, leave it in the sun as it warms up, then you hang it from your shower and fuakata, hot shower for you!
 

amparocorp

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Aug 11, 2002
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my dominican in laws, stay in the hot shower at my place forever, and they are supposed to be "used to" cold, that's what they have at home. i've taken my share of bucket showers, the hotter the time of day, the more "work out" you do beforehand, makes it seem colder. three scoops from the bucket to get wet, soap up, five scoops to rinse, elapsed time 4 minutes.................keep mouth closed avoid bacteria, listerine to wet the toothbrush, listerine to rinse...........
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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Wow the cold shower's, that brings back memories. Uhm if your out all day and in the heat, the cold showers are awesome. So if your active and that sweat and dust build up on you, yes cold showers are a blessing. We used to warm up a hot pot of water and then pour it into some cold water in a cubeta.

Or would wait for the sun to warm up the water in the pipes and that would last for about 1 minute if you we're lucky. Another solution is a solar water bag. You fill the water bag up, leave it in the sun as it warms up, then you hang it from your shower and fuakata, hot shower for you!

I've done both - the hot pot of water poured into a bucket. And I had completely forgotten about the solar water bag! We bought our land in Najayo 30 years ago, and there was no house for a very long time. We sometimes used to camp in a tent in the old days, and took a shower using one of those water bags. It was pretty good actually, and LOTS warmer than the water in the house we finally built :laugh::laugh:

AE
 

Major448

Silver
Sep 8, 2010
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... Or would wait for the sun to warm up the water in the pipes and that would last for about 1 minute if you we're lucky. Another solution is a solar water bag. You fill the water bag up, leave it in the sun as it warms up, then you hang it from your shower and fuakata, hot shower for you!

Something like this. Very cheap to operate. May be in the camping section of a department store. (To find one, just do a search on Google --> camp solar shower)

Solar shower bag
 

RacerX

Banned
Nov 22, 2009
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If need need to take a bath and there is not HOT water, fill a bucket of fresh water and count 1-2-3 and pour all the water over your head, this way you won't feel the cold.
Remember all the water in one try in the beginning and you will get use to it.

JJ

Or you can heat the same gallon of water up on the stove. Cold wAter is only for the Apocalypse.