Luckily I like camping..

le 6 octobre   Somehow I`ve managed to leave out one very important detail about the last few days: we don`t have running water. I don`t know exactly how or why this happens, but our house currently has no water coming from the faucets, showers, or.. even the toilets. It`s now been two full days. This means that there`s one more step to each task of the day, because you must first fetch water.

The house has a system set up where the rain that falls onto the roof flows into the gutters and then into two (or three) reserves by the house. This water is used for laundry, washing the floors, and when our running water stops among other things. Need to wash my face or wash my hands? Fetch a pail of water from the reserve. Need to shower? OH, too bad. Better make it a bucket bath. Even to flush, you need to pour water down.

Luckily I brought a lifetime`s supply of Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer and am pretty brave when it comes to things like camping, but I dare say it`s been an interesting few days. I`m assured that this is an unusually long time to be without running water, though I get the feeling that this happens often. I`m relieved that this wasn`t the case just after I got to Rwanda, but was given a few days to adjust first. Nonetheless, I`m looking forward to the water returning – I never realized before how much of a luxury that is.

Between this and the fact that we don`t use lights until it`s COMPLETELY dark (leaving me often using my flashlight in the hallway), camping out is going to seem like an old friend when I get back home.