Sunday, October 19, 2008
Water
Water is a problem. The faucet next to my house is broken. The faucet at the other end of the row of teachers' houses has a line starting at 5:30 in the morning. When the water runs, it runs slowly. Sometimes a liter a minute. Sometimes 2 liters a minute. In the morning, when things are best, maybe a respectable 5 liters a minute. But by 8 or 9 am the water pressure is low, and by 4 pm the water may not be running at all.
Water is necessary. There's 14 fruit tree seedlings in your garden, and every day they dry up in the hot sun. There are clothes to be washed. There are dishes to clean. You need to bathe, and you should probably filter a bit of water for drinking as well. How to prioritize? The trees can get dirty dish water, but will they die if the water contains laundry soap? You can bathe and wash clothes less, but how much less? And how often do you want to get up at 5:30 am to fetch water?
Water is a blessing. Sometimes, amazingly, it falls from the sky. There is no line for it. There's no long wait. You simply run around as fast as you can, putting every bucket, pot, and bowl you own under the roof to catch the rain water. For the next three days, you have enough water to wash clothes, bathe, and water your fourteen fruit tree seedlings, all without every waiting in line.
Maji ni uhai. Water is life. More and more, as the dry season continues, I realize this. It is dusty, amazingly dusty, and every time I see a lake or a river I am amazed at how much water exists in this world. I have developed an appreciation, almost an obsession, over clean, clear water. It will be a long time until I take water for granted again. Even after I return to the U.S., it will be a long, long time until it feels normal not to have several 20 liter buckets of water stored in my house, just in case.
Water is necessary. There's 14 fruit tree seedlings in your garden, and every day they dry up in the hot sun. There are clothes to be washed. There are dishes to clean. You need to bathe, and you should probably filter a bit of water for drinking as well. How to prioritize? The trees can get dirty dish water, but will they die if the water contains laundry soap? You can bathe and wash clothes less, but how much less? And how often do you want to get up at 5:30 am to fetch water?
Water is a blessing. Sometimes, amazingly, it falls from the sky. There is no line for it. There's no long wait. You simply run around as fast as you can, putting every bucket, pot, and bowl you own under the roof to catch the rain water. For the next three days, you have enough water to wash clothes, bathe, and water your fourteen fruit tree seedlings, all without every waiting in line.
Maji ni uhai. Water is life. More and more, as the dry season continues, I realize this. It is dusty, amazingly dusty, and every time I see a lake or a river I am amazed at how much water exists in this world. I have developed an appreciation, almost an obsession, over clean, clear water. It will be a long time until I take water for granted again. Even after I return to the U.S., it will be a long, long time until it feels normal not to have several 20 liter buckets of water stored in my house, just in case.
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