A Little Food/Water for Thought

Today I read about water and the lack of it.

C'mon, Lauren, you might say; you have water literally being thrown at your feet and in your face (see below). 

That's true. There's also at least two scruffy dogs for every 10 feet I walk here, but I don't have a cuddly puppy of my own yet. 

Peru's Challenge was looking into the organization charity:water, a group tackling the fact that 1 in 6 people on Earth do not have safe drinking water. The fact that 80% of all sickness and disease comes from this problem. That around 35,000 children under the age of 5 die each week because of poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water. 

Coldplay claims, "you could see your future inside a glass of water." And it's true; the integral part of our planet's future rests in water. I am trying to look at it glass-half-full style, but clean drinking water is a problem we in the States barely give a second thought to as we happily shower, clean, garden, chug, etc. all with the turn of a knob. 

Water makes our world go round. And just as Benjamin Franklin said, "when the well is dry, we know the worth of water." The water that comes from the taps here in Peru is not safe. We pay for and then carry huge tanks of purified water uphill every few days to quench our thirst. There are sinks in the house that are strictly forbidden to use, even if you think, I'll just boil it. We use that water to flush the toilets when the water goes off completely. We take water from the taps with filters on them to boil so that we can wash the dishes and cook--but still don't drink this. We boil water so we can scream and curse as we pour it over our fruits, vegetables and hands as it is still bubbling, because you can never be too sure. 

And the water does go off-- quite often, actually. I am not one to complain about the fact that a shower is literally impossible to take, but we often find ourselves sweaty with lots of dishes in the sink, awkward restroom conversations and laundry hanging on clotheslines, having skipped the whole water/washing part. 

But I am not complaining. A few miles directly up, there isn't safe water to drink, either. The people of Pumamarca make up some of those statistics charity:water so boldly claims. The water there has to be used for washing, cooking and drinking, and it is all the while where the animals stand and do other things. Disease is obviously a dreadful risk. The women and children there are responsible for walking to a clean water source--usually at least two miles away--and then carrying whatever they can manage back to their houses. Peru's Challenge wants to help, and the project proposal currently involves finding a safe source, building reservoirs and putting in pipes. If you have some extra money in your pocket, let us know.  

The author of The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, said, "Water has no taste, no color, no odor; it cannot be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself. It fills us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses." I had never thought about water that way; water delights us in a way we don't even need our senses for, and I wish everyone could experience that daily. But I have been spoiled --and probably even bored-- by a glass of water. That is not how it is for the developing countries of our world. 

Maybe it is just because water tends to be somewhat of a chore here compared to when at home that I have been considering this grave issue; and by chore I mean just something that takes a bit longer than usual. Nothing like just drinking what is available and risking disease or walking for hours for a single, heavy bucket or watching your child suffer fatally from the only thing you can offer to quench his thirst. I got shots to protect myself against the thing our lives revolve around to come here because the thing our lives revolve around here could harm, ruin or take my life; that doesn't even make sense. 

I'll now go drink from our ritzy blue tank and take its clean contents into the bathroom to brush my teeth with. I'll raise a glass and hope the future inside looks clear.