Hey Everyone,
So I have moved into my new home in the capital city of Botswana, Gaborone. I am really enjoying being near grocery stores, but I miss the friendliness of my village. Living in a city has many positives, as well as a couple of negatives. As always I will adapt, but I thought I would highlight some bits and pieces of my new life.
On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday there is no water at my apartment. This is a huge adjustment to me since in my village the water would only go out when the electricity went out. The community and myself always assumed the water was pumped into the community by an electric pump, and luckily, we all went without water infrequently. Since I have moved to the city, my life is planned around when water will or will not be available. Additionally, there are days when the water goes out four times a week instead of the usual three times a week. Overall, I am still getting adjusted to living three to four days without water.
Some of you may be asking, why are you living three days without water? Gaborone is the capital of Botswana . A significant percentage of the population of Botswana lives in the city (about 10% of the total population). Currently the dam that supplies the city with water has been experiencing a shortage of water. With that in mind, in order to conserve the water in the dam, the water has been rationed within the city. On certain days of the week the water pressure will be low or water is shut off to people in various sections of the city.
Overall, adapting has not been a huge issue. My roommate and I often remind each other that the following day will not have water, we ensure that our water storage containers are filled with water, and there are signs all over the house. We shower the night before, and luckily the water usually returns around 3pm for us to use it for dinner and anything else. I am thankful the water does not shut off on consecutive days as we would both need to find a new routine to adapt. This experience, however, has taught me how precious water is to all people, animals, creatures, etc. I am more conscious when I overuse water, and understand how useful rain water can be once it is conserved. I hope I bring this new perspective back with me to the states.
Conserve water,
-Finda
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