One of the things that was hard to get used to while in Nigeria, was the “hassle” it was to get water for any task. From washing your hands to brushing your teeth to bathing or washing clothing, you had to plan ahead a little and make sure you had enough water in your bucket to do whatever you had to do. Where we were staying, at my grandmother’s house, there was no running water: if you wanted water, you had to go to the well and draw it yourself.

I won’t lie, I loved it. I never once said or thought “Aww man, what a pain!” I thought it was cool (it was the having to be organized and planning ahead that I didn’t like). At first, I didn’t dare draw my own water because I was afraid of my glasses falling into the depths of the well, but I got over that and was drawing water for my mom and sometimes my sister when needed.

After drawing the water, you’d have to carry the buckets into the house, through the hallway and to the back of the house where the bathroom and dishwashing station was. A goat would undoubtedly try to trip you up (ok, that’s a lie, they’re actually quite skittish). Trying to get to the back without spilling your water was one of the challenges. Also, you don’t want to leave your water unattended, lest a pesky goat get into it.

Why did I enjoy drawing water so much? Well, because I figured it was the key to those sexy arms that every woman (and man, but I was mostly mesmerized by the toned arms of the women) had: not bulging with muscle, but sleek and toned, so I drew water as much as I could.

Sadly, I wasn’t there long enough to develop my own sexy set of arms, but I was certainly on my way. And next time, it’ll be part of my exercise regime: draw enough water for 10 buckets a day. Or why wait till my next trip: I’ll call the city and see what permits I need to drill a well in my backyard!

Filed under: Adventure by jummy