Brown Water
So I have reached the point of divergence: where I have to choose between the way I would have acted in my previous life and the way I would act now:
The water at my site is currently brown…diluted coca cola is probably the best way to describe it. Peace Corp insists that if I boil it and filter it then it’s fine to drink even if it doesn’t taste great. The problem is….it’s still brown. Can brown water that’s been boiled really be clean? If I bathe in brown water will I be clean? My clothes? If I drink brown water will I get dysentery?
This would not even be a question in the states. If my water came out of my faucet brown then I’d be hauling off to Ralphs, club card in hand, stocking up on gallon jugs of purified water. Not an option here. I can’t really get to town. So…do I attempt to survive on pineapple fanta and get excessively dehydrated or do I add a bit of pineapple juice mix to mask the color and flavor and down it willingly?
Pineapple juice mix it is….good luck stomach.
The water at my site is currently brown…diluted coca cola is probably the best way to describe it. Peace Corp insists that if I boil it and filter it then it’s fine to drink even if it doesn’t taste great. The problem is….it’s still brown. Can brown water that’s been boiled really be clean? If I bathe in brown water will I be clean? My clothes? If I drink brown water will I get dysentery?
This would not even be a question in the states. If my water came out of my faucet brown then I’d be hauling off to Ralphs, club card in hand, stocking up on gallon jugs of purified water. Not an option here. I can’t really get to town. So…do I attempt to survive on pineapple fanta and get excessively dehydrated or do I add a bit of pineapple juice mix to mask the color and flavor and down it willingly?
Pineapple juice mix it is….good luck stomach.
posted by Cait at 1:26 PM
1 Comments:
Cait, I grew up w brown water! It was a shock to me, at 8 to realize water was NOT brown and it was not common to find water by smelling a waterhole!
Drinking water was rainwater collected off the roof and charcoal filtered. There are limits on what you can drink and a little brown water is ok but every day? No. Also that's why "squash" was invented! get some fruit cordial Roses lime is the best and most expensive probably but it flavors the water and makes it better tasting. Still sugar but better than soda!
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