No Water? No Problem

Monday, 15 February 2015

I remember when I was growing up, there were storms that would shut down electricity for a day or two. I’ve seen news reports of hurricane victims going to shelters. I remember filling up gallons of water before heading out to my Grandparents’ Newman Lake cabin. But how does that compare to going into week two without water in Selekleka? Here, people flock to the river to get water. The same river where people wash clothes, bathe, relieve bladders, dump waste. On Peace Corps standards three weeks is starting to be a long time. I know friends that haven’t had water for over a month. So, here is a list I’ve compiled on how to make the most of whatever water you do have.

1              Don’t wash dishes. I’m sure there are sanitation workers and germophobes out there that just cringed. Here’s the thing: I am the only one using this fork. Instead of washing dishes I turn them over to prevent flies from getting in and wait for the next meal till they are needed to flip them over to use again.

2              Make meals that don’t require water. Contrary to some, I don’t have to use water for each of my meals. Cabbage and carrots are cheap and safe to eat without soaking in water. Just peal back the first layers and cabbage is good. Peal off the nasty outside of a carrot and the rest is ready to use in 10 seconds. Chop them up with an onion, add some salt and lime juice and you’ve got a nice salad that didn’t require washing vegetables like tomatoes. Or, (if you’ve had American care packages) make a p b & j sandwich.

3              Save water for things that make you happy. My hair has never been longer than it is right now. It does pretty well with being nicely gross for 1-1 ½  weeks between showers, but after that I want to shave it off or attach an air freshener to my headbands. So, instead of washing dishes and feet daily, I save the water to wash my hair (and the rest of my tall self) with a liter (about 4 cups) of water.** The water is reused from first soaking to rinse which also prevents me from wasting water. It’s the little things like clean hair the give pleasure to situations that could be discouraging.

4              Be male. (Doesn’t work for me!)  If you’re going to go to a place with frequent water outages, it helps to be male. At least in Ethiopian culture, males are not required to cook food or wash clothes that are big hogs for little water. Instead you have a sister or worker get water and take care of things for you. You may be sent to get water, but you can use your donkeys or camels as you never strap water jugs to your back. Eating out prevents dirty dishes and usually those places have water for you. You also tend to have shorter hair.

5              Watch sugar and salt intake. As much as I love tea, jolly ranchers, and popcorn I also have to realize that these foods often cause me to crave water more.  Tea and coffee may taste good, but they also dehydrate which isn’t helpful when your hydrants are few. You may have had a killer day and need a pick me up but jolly ranchers or dark chocolate peanut butter cups might discourage you more after consuming. Popcorn may require no water to make, but if too much salt is added it will make you thirsty.

6              Have friends. No one likes to face anything alone. It is good to have friends at site that can help you with water, or you can help eat a larger meal. It’s also good to have friends that understand what you are going through and can support, complain, laugh, joke and whatever about the lack of water. These will also be the people who know what shuks (neighborhood stores) still have bottled water at the low prices. Besides having friends at site, it is important to have friends in surrounding areas that do have water. I may smell disgusting. My clothes that are considered clean, even on Peace Corps standards, are dwindling. But I know that this weekend, I’ll visit her. I will have more water than I can drink. I will be able to clean every day. I won’t have dirt under my fingernails. That glimmer is important to stay positive.

7              Plan ahead. This gets tricky after three weeks, but always assume that water is going to go out for an unknown amount of time at some point. Have water stored in whatever container you want. Never let buckets get partially empty if the water is working.

** I just took a shower and had water left over in my liter bottle, so this is possible and not an exaggeration. You can get clean with a water bottle full of water and be okay. I even put too much conditioner in and was still okay. If you are feeling adventurous go find a bucket and a water bottle and see how little you can do it with.