Hot 'n' Cold

My life has become alarmingly like the infamous Katy Perry song, "Hot 'n' Cold." Not that I particularly enjoy associating random pop songs with various areas in my life, but I can't help think how the song relates to life in Quito. No matter which shower I use in the morning (one runs on a hot water tank, the other on electricity), I wind up stuck in some cycle of freezing, cool, lukewarm, and scalding water. I've gotten somewhat used to the timing of the electric shower, and I attempt to coincide my hair rinsing with the lukewarm time slot. I must say this can be quite the challenge at 7 o'clock in the morning.

Cotopaxi's glacier was a bit more cold than hot.

I think there's a good chance Katy Perry had Quito's climate in mind when writing her hit. In the mornings I'm sure to throw a sweatshirt or rain jacket on to walk to the bus stop, shed some layers on the stifling bus, put a sweatshirt back on for the frigid classroom in Cumbayá, and revert back to short sleeves to walk to lunch in the hot midday sun. Then I load up on sunscreen and athletic clothes so I don't get scorched while playing fútbol for two hours every day, followed by running into the classroom around 3 o'clock to avoid the daily afternoon downpour. The evening is a little less predictable, and can either be cool and overcast or torrential downpour, prompting me once again to throw on my rain gear for the long trek home (or sneak in a little more fútbol first if I can). Nights are pretty chilly, and I'm usually thankful for the three heavy blankets my host mom supplied with my bed. Then the next morning, the cycle commences once again.

Just in case the song just got stuck in your head...