There is quite the social gathering going on over at the river just outside of town these days. People bathe (while wearing clothes), wash laundry and fill up pitchers to carry to their homes for drinking. It doesn’t matter how much money or how nice of a house some have when it comes to running out of water in the dry season. The dry season affects every socioeconomic status. Whoever is on the city water system (almost everyone) has no water during the day and a drizzle for a few hours in the middle of the night. We haven’t been able to flush the toilet at work for about 2 months. Apparently everyone but me knew that all you have to do is to fill a bucket with water (the drizzle from the night before partially fills a sink) and pour it into the toilet so it can flush.
The first month of dry season we weren’t affected since the ranch we live on has a different, more abundant water source for only 5 houses. The second month we were without water about once a week with an occasional 5 day stint without. This month we have had more days without water than with. Everything stinks without water, literally. I am down to my last pair of clean socks today, haven’t showered in 4 days, we still cook every night, but aren’t able to wash the dishes afterwards. We buy 5 gallon jugs of purified water so thankfully we do have clean drinking water.
I have also noticed how insanely dusty everything is when it doesn’t rain 5 or 6 times a week. My Dirt Devil experience occurs every morning on my way to work when a bus goes flying by and I feel as if I am trapped in a vacuum bag holding my breath waiting for someone to hit the power button. The humidity allows the majority of these tiny particles to stick to every inch of visible flesh. “Oh, how a shower could make everything better”, I say as I walk home with fingers crossed.
~Kallie
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