Water

Who took the water?
Being in Samoa I live on an island. Wouldn’t you think because of this we would have an abundance of water, especially during the rainy season? Apparently not…
While I was living in Manunu I learned that if it rained too much they would shut off the water supply because otherwise the water would become brown from all the dirt it collected.
For the past three weeks the water is shut off for a majority of the day. It is usually turned on for about two hours during the day. Most of the people in our community do have water tanks to get the water we need. However I don’t know if I am being wasteful if I use that water for my laundry. I am not sure which water I am ever supposed to be using. It is so confusing when you are not sure which place to take the water from.
Anyway, the problem with the water comes into play with the bathroom. The water had to keep disappearing when we had guests, especially guests who felts sick and used the toilet frequently. My family solved this problem by putting a gigantic barrel in the shower and filled it up whenever the water was turned on. That way we can take buckets to the toilet tank to flush.
However, since there were too many sick people the water disappeared quickly and there was no water to shower inside. I am not Samoan enough to take outside showers. I am not sure exactly how to navigate being outside with a cloth around me showering. I decided if it got that bad I would break down and do it….but as soon as the water turned on I made sure to make a quick dash to the bathroom.
The water has been on for the past few days, but because of how unsure we are how long the water will be kept on, the barrel stays in the shower. It is difficult to shower when there is such a massive thing blocking the shower head. This causes me to still use a bucket to shower even though I am still showering indoors.
I hope the water stays on because this bucket thing is getting old….fast. It makes me feel bad for those of you who have to do it daily.