Little House on the Prairie

I feel a little like Laura Ingalls Wilder. And it isn't as fun as I thought it would be. For some odd reason, I used to think (when I was in 3rd grade reading all of her books) it would be fun to go foraging for berries out in the woods and collecting water from the river and all of the other hard stuff people had to do just to live. Sometimes, more recently, I thought it would be adventurous to live in a little hut in a little village in Africa. I have decided a while back, but especially since living in Laos that I LOVE the comforts of America! I love my air-conditioner. I love my hot showers. These are my two favorite necessities to be comfortable.

Today, I feel happy to take a shower at all - even if it's a bucket shower and it's cold. We haven't had running water for 3 days. There's something wrong with a pipe from the city. Supposedly it came 3 nights ago, but our valve from the city was shut off because we were messing with it and didn't know the right way to have it open. (They do not use righty-tighty, lefty-loosey here.) So we didn't get water. Maybe it will come tonight? Thankfully our American friends/neighbors have neighbors just a few streets over. I showered at their place Sunday afternoon and Monday night.

I really felt like Laura today because we collected rain water. It started pouring rain this afternoon, so we got some buckets and bins and put them outside under the run off to collect the water. We're using this water for flushing toilets, not for showering. When we went to our friends' to shower, we took a 5 gallon Culligan jug along to fill with water.

We haven't done wash in a week - hopefully we can go to a friend's tomorrow and do a couple of loads.

We've heard that others are having water problems. One of Julia's students who lives  roads over hasn't had water AT ALL in over 2 weeks! A foreign family with 3 kids who live in another village haven't had water in 3 days.

I am realizing all of the many things I take for granted with not having water! I would have never thought I use water for as many little things as I do. :( Hopefully it will come soon! But thankfully we have friends in other parts of town so we can shower at their houses.