Wearing Thin

The honeymoon is starting to fray around the edges this week due to a water shortage we’re experiencing in the volunteer housing. The larger tanks that flow into the sinks and toilets have run out because of the lack of rain. I’m not sure how long we’ll have to wait for a water truck to come and refill them. Otherwise, it rains again in April; that’s a long way off! In the meantime, there’s a smaller rainwater tank just outside the house. That means we have to fill buckets to wash the dishes, flush the toilet etc. We still have a drinking water dispenser but of course we don’t waste that on washing. Ryan was kind enough to carry a water jug from town to our house and we can’t abuse that favor. Bathing is quite another story! I’ve been bathing like a nursing home resident in a plastic chair on the porch at night with all the lights turned off. Interesting experience.

Another interesting experience was a bunch of us braving a “restaurant” where they supposedly had good chicken. It was literally a hole in the wall with an open fire pit. They told us it would be an hour and cost $12 per person (a fortune around here), but we were starving and feeling courageous. While we waited, I ordered wine. They brought out a warm bottle of sickeningly sweet white wine. We drank it with gusto. About a half hour later someone walked by holding a chicken by the neck. Half an hour after that someone else showed up with another chicken. Finally about another hour later they came out with warm water and napkins for us to wash our hands. The cooked chicken was plentiful but lean and tough. We ate it anyway and brought the leftovers to the moms at the pediatric ward. Nobody got sick, but I don’t think I’ll repeat the experience.



On a positive note, my quiet, respectful students had their final class with me. We had some fun playing with otoscopes and stethoscopes and I wished them well. Next week I start teaching the hospital staff CPR, a task that fills me with dread because there is no crash cart, or staff that know how to use the dusty defibrillator in the closet.

But an antidote for all this complaining is that I am allowing myself a $4 pedicure (makes up for the chicken dinner!). And I’m going to Nairobi with Ryan this weekend for a meeting and some serious shopping. I intend to hit up a real supermarket and buy a ton of protein rich food and something besides ugali and rice. Woohoo!



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