We are on day 10 without any running water. Kind of crazy. We're doing fine, but life requires a bit more planning and intentionality. We rely on pool time the boys get at school for their basic bathing needs (better add some more chlorine!). The boys and I go Lord-of-the-Flies-mode and pee in the yard trying to keep the chickens from chasing down the streams (sorry for that visual). Elizabeth won't play along, however, and we all wonder how she can be so selfish. (= We've taken our laundry to two different friends homes--that is, until they've also run out of water (they're still our friends--we think). Collected rain water was a good stop-gap, that is, until it stopped raining a few days ago. We don't flush toilets until we simply can't stand it any longer. Elizabeth and I compete for smallest quantity of water used in our bucket showers. On top of the water issues, we still continue to have regular power shut-offs. I will say again--through gritted teeth--that we are grateful.
This morning, I went out to a rural village to help begin rebuilding the house of an old woman who's house had collapsed. Grateful perspective restored! Walking to her plot, I could see various other houses now in piles of crumbly bricks. The irony of no water at home juxtaposed with the damage wrought by so much rain and flooding last week is a bit strange. I helped removed the collapsed bricks and could tell that these were made of mud that hadn't adequately been fired. As I tossed some of the broken bricks into the "busted" pile, they would just explode on impact. I was deflated to hear that the plan is to reuse any of the bricks that were still intact.
The death toll from last week is now 176 with 200,000 displaced. I believe those numbers as I've now seen how most of these homes are constructed. Fired bricks are rare and too expensive for most people to build with and so you stack mud bricks with mud paste for mortar. Unfortunately, these houses will no doubt have to rebuilt the next time a big storm comes through. It's hard not to get discouraged considering that fact and I begin to understand how most Malawians that I know have a very stoic ability to deal with whatever is hard in front of them. There seems to be a lot of practice.
Wow... Such a good perspective reminder for us here in the US, bill. Thanks for sharing. Our kids have been following along with your posts via my re-telling. These last few have been so compelling for all of us! Praying for you guys!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate hearing a report from on the ground as to what has happened to homes in Malawi. I can just imagine the homes we visited there collapsed. It's hard to get into a different mindset where this type of devastation is normal or to be expected in one's life. Hope that your water gets restored soon, though it sounds like you are adapting as best as one can. Making a competition out of how little water one can use in a bucket bath is a good way to shift your perspective on the lack of water.
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