"Welcome to Tanzania! Here's your bucket!" Our field director, Ashley told us this when we arrived to our orientation in Dar es Salaam back in June. We were told our bucket would probably be the most useful and essential item during our year in Tanzania. It wasn't until we left the relatively easy city life we experienced during orientation and arrived at our site that we learned how true this really was.
Our first full day in Kibiti began with two girls and two buckets. The water taps in our house exclusively were supposed to work during the hours that the water was turned on for the school (6-7am, 2-3 pm and 6-7 pm) but when we turned the taps nothing came out so we took our buckets, hoped we were dressed with adequate modesty for the early hour and joined the crowd of house-girls and wives at the water tap. One woman smiled at us, grabbed our buckets and moved us to the front of the line. We felt a little guilty but also didn't want to be late for the first day of school so didn't protest. A few minutes later, buckets full to the brim, we each took a handle and prepared to carry them back to our house. The buckets moved maybe two inches, sloshing precious water over the sides. As we gauged the distance back to our house and up our front steps wondering how in the world this water would make it home, the kind woman laughed and grabbed my bucket and carried it with graceful ease back to our house. Meanwhile, Duffie and I shared the burden of the second bucket. Slowly and awkwardly w carried it back to our house only stopping to rest a few times on the way. Needless to say I definitely have a new appreciation for the strength and time people use to get water.
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