Water

I just love water. Peaceful (sometimes), teeming with life, refreshing, relaxing.  Yesterday, Gary scheduled a Hippo Cruise for the whole CURE team. What a relaxing day of gliding on the water and lounging on pillows as the motorized pirogue allowed us to bird watch and see some large hippos.

        

        

It can not be overstated that the absence of this basic resource can be felt immediately. even tough the day was spent enjoying the water, it was not clean water, that we could drink and some would say it is not fit to swim in or bath in. The Nigeriens do and it is integral to their daily lives.The people who are fortunate to have a constant supply because they live by the river also risk home and crop destructions during the rainy season. Most people in Niger have to rely on wells and often have t o travel a bit for water and clean water. As we cruised by, I noticed kids swimming, people bathing, washing dishes, irrigating crops, fishing, gathering reeds and other plant life. Daily life.

   

    

     

Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, I remember as a kid having outages, usually in the winter. The cold was the issue and I thought myself a bit of a pioneer! It was an inconvenience but not too bad, in retrospect. When we lived in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, I remember one year that the effects of a hurricane left our area without power or water for 3 or 4 days. People were scrambling for generators and we were dependent on candlelight & flashlights as well as water from our neighbors pool for flushing the toilet. The days we were out seemed like an eternity. The kids loved the flashlight & candle part for a little, but they were young and the glow of a “normal” hall light was a comfort at night. It was just our little area though….I was able to do laundry with the help of friends and we bathed at Grandma’s house close by. We experience that a bit here in Niger, as some areas have more reliable power than others, but their water may not be as reliable…no use comparing because we take what has been laid before us. WE try to be helpful and spread resources when we can.  Back to PA….It (the long power/water problem) was in October, so the climate was not an issue, but we did add extra ice to freezers and such. The nice weather also allowed me to cook all my meals on the grill with the extra burner. I can’t help but look back and wonder if it was all in preparation for my current experience. Really, I know I have a long way to go, the heat gets to me A LOT and the dust and all that. I just love looking back through time and see where I have had an opportunity to grow and I have taken the opportunity and when I have not (which is not as fun). Growth is a wonderful thing and it has no end. I want to “thrive and not just survive”.

  

Here in Niger, we have experienced unreliable power but have learned to “manage” with it. We are much better off than many neighbors. Yes, have a generator, but the high cost of fuel deters us from using it all the time. We are learning again to reset expectations and comfort level. why do I feel so entitled anyway?? My needs are met and there are so many around me that suffer daily. I know that living here in Niger is changing my thinking at the deepest level. That “entitled” mentality must go. So much to be thankful right here, so yesterday when we lost our water….no complaining, just another opportunity to solve problems and grow and be thankful for what we DO have. That being said, it was back on the same day…….it could have been much worse and a good attitude was fairly easy to maintain. So today, I am very thankful for WONDERFUL clean water and the opportunities to grow everyday!