Would you like a glass of water?

Anyone who has been to my house knows the fridge is usually barren. I bashfully ask visitors if they would like a glass of water, because that’s usually all I have to offer. Once I get home, however, I will be proudly asking people if they would like a glass of clean, safe water. People will probably be very confused as to why I’m so pleased to offer water and then they will have to hear about Haiti.  

Visitors, you have been warned…

The only water you can trust here is water you treat yourself. Last night, we got another big jug of water from the water truck. These trucks drive around; playing music, like an ice cream truck and you can get a 5 gallon jug filled for 25 gourde (about $0.75). The water from the truck has been passed through reverse filtration so it is probably safe from parasites, but bacteria and viruses are another question. To ensure the safety of the water, we treated with Gadyen Dlo and let it sit for 30 minutes.

So, I was a little confused when our housekeeper woke me up this morning to tell me we were out of dlo (water). In broken Creole and sign language I showed her the full jug of dlo. Then she showed me the empty cistern. We use the jug water for drinking, cooking and dishes. We use the cistern water for showering, laundry and mopping. Getting confused? This is just the beginning. To fill the cistern we have to turn on the generator because we think we broke our inverter once filling the cistern. It was either that, or due to our neighbors stealing electricity. Pa bon! So we don’t risk it and only fill the cistern with power from the generator. The problem was the generator was on the fritz. We thought it needed more gas, when that failed we changed the oil. All in all, a lot of work in the Haitian heat for some dlo.

Pa bon.

The men changing the oil.