mei you shui

When I woke up on Wednesday and turned on the faucet it sputtered, spit out a few drops and died.
No water.
I glanced in the mirror and realized how thankful thankful thankful I was that I had washed and straightened my hair the night before
because I typically wake up with my curly head looking something quite similar to the bride of Frankenstein (those of you out there who have lived with me before can testify), and drenching it promptly w/ water is a quite necessary part of my daily routine.

A pipe had burst, and for that day and most of the next, the whole campus was waterless.

One thing I can certainly say about Chinese people is that they adapt very well to challenging situations. School went on as usual with little notice/attention paid to the lack of water. Water machines were placed in the halls for kids to fill up their cups, and the amazing cafeteria staff, without the use of running water, cooked a great lunch for several hundred just like it was every other day.

Me? I turned on the faucet about 20 times forgetting that the water wasn’t working. I noticed that I have gotten into the habit of washing my hands frequently since moving to China, so my hands were feeling a little germy by the end of the day.
But hoo-ray Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer! Delicious smelling and oh-so-handy in situations such as these.

Later that night some friends and I were out when the water was turned on briefly, so we missed our chance to stock up.
When we got back, I was about to hit the sack in my little waterless abode when I heard a knock on the door, and there stood a fellow teacher, Daphne, with a little container of water, a gift from our thoughtful friend Bern who was kind enough to save some for all of us.

It struck me just then as I gratefully accepted that invaluable little container of H2O how much I typically take water completely for granted.

And for that moment I can honestly say I appreciated my quart of water for what it was worth.

Reminded again about the little things I have to be thankful for… running water for one! It’s pretty wonderful.

In other news, there’s an extremely loud and vocal rooster in the neighborhood who has decided that his purpose in life is to wake all sleeping souls at 4 AM by cockadoodledooing loud and clear every half hour until dawn…

It’s our new favorite topic of loathing and strife. :)

Here’s to hoping he’ll sleep through the night like the rest of the world soon!