Making trips to the bore hole (water pump) is pretty fun. When we go with the school car, 6-8 students usually come with us. The school uses a huge 1000L container to fill up water for the boys' drinking and food.
On Sunday morning, I drove the school car with the Asst. Boarding Master. It's a lot of fun to work with the boys a little and interact with them outside of the classroom. I usually get to engage with them about a few different topics, and I always come away from those interactions with something to chew on. When we've asked the boys about being without water, one of them responded, "Water is life." I think this is something we overlook in the US, and it's pretty cool being here and realizing how vital water really is. We totally take water for granted in the US. Even at Chaminade, we are quite privileged in the fact that we have massive containers and a vehicle to transport water from the bore hole to where we need it. It would be a whole different story if each of us had to carry all of the water we need back to our homes on our heads. (Below, Molly carrying a bucket of water on her head).
One other things I love about the bore hole is interacting with the villagers. It's always interesting to see how they react to not only a vehicle pulling up with a bunch of Chaminade students (both of which are quite elite entities here) but one driven by a Muzungu. The little children are always suspiciously curious of me, which is a bit strange. However, I have found an ability to inspire smiles and laughter simply by looking at them and smiling at them. One day, I had a whole group of them laughing simply because I was laughing at their laughter. And the day I accidently kicked an empty bucket, I caused one teen-age girl to burst into laughter for at least 5 minutes.
It's true, "Water is Life." And going to the water hole is full of life too!
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