Running Water, or lack of

I never knew how much water it took to flush a toilet. Until now, until we have run out of water and fetching water is the reality.

To explain, there are pipes that run throughout my neighborhood in East Legon that supply water to our houses. However, the pipes do not run with water all of the time. When the water is running through the main pipes it fills Poly Tanks behind our house and this is where the water that we use to wash our hands, flush the toilets, brush our teeth, etc. comes from. There isn’t running water everywhere in Ghana but I have been fortunate to live in a house that does have running water.

I was told at the beginning of my stay that the water normally runs (this is the water that supplies the entire neighborhood) on the weekend, either Friday or Saturday. But for five weeks the pipes have been closed. And now we have used all of the water in our Poly Tanks. However, Grandma and Felix were prepared and had more water stored in containers. So we fetch water from those now to take bucket showers and fill up the toilet. Soon though that water will run out…Grandma told me today she will have to ask someone tomorrow about getting water to fill our Poly Tanks because we don’t know when the pipes will run again. It’s crazy the number of Poly Tanks I have seen throughout my neighborhood this week and people going to the well near my house to fetch water.

The things I take for granted, here in Ghana and back home, are most apparent at moments like these.

In other news, my students have begun to write their pen pal letters, I have begun work on interviews for my project, I have had three items sewn with fabric from the markets, and this weekend I will be traveling with Amy, Nikki, and Melissa to the Western Region.

Also preparing for my adventure tomorrow to the Post Office to pick up a package (there are many stories from other students)…details to follow