Anyway, overall, it was awesome. There were some less-awesome aspects, however. The beds are hard and flat. The public toilets look like this:
(Page break lol)
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| I'll give you a hint: we called them "squatters". |
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| DELICIOUS! UM EW. |
It was fantastic. That bottle cost three yuan--less than 50 U.S. cents! for three liters of water!!! I bought these bottles from convenience stores every night so that I had a fresh bottle for the next day. I did have to "squat" a titch more often than maybe some other people, but I was thirsty, okay?
Why did I carry three liters of bottled water around every day for 18 days? Because it's not safe to drink the tap water in China. Sure, the Chinese drink it, but they've grown up on it, and it's fine. But it would definitely not have been safe for me because I wasn't used to it.
We, the modern citizens of the U.S., are pretty much spoiled rotten when it comes to water supply. Our aqueducts have been around for decades, and they are extremely reliable. These pipes lead straight to our homes and apartments. The only well I've ever seen is the one at Disneyland, but we have evidence of women transporting water from wells in Biblical times. We don't have to deal with any of that.
But water is still a problem in many countries. The numerous charities that focus on getting water to countries in need is evidence.
I'm grateful that I live here and now.
And I'm grateful that I figured out how to deal with water in China.
Most of my hometown still uses well water, and I've had camping experiences where I had to purify my own water with a filter, iodine tablets, or good old boiling.
ReplyDeleteI know in some parts of Africa women still have to carry water for miles from the well to their homes. It's our life-force, and we wouldn't survive without it. This gives John 4:14 greater meaning:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
When I was on my mission we had to bring home 12 Liters of water from the grocery store every week. That was painful but it made me think about how nice it is to drink from the tap. Good food and water also affected the economy since it was more common to see small neighborhood grocery stores that you would walk to every day for the essentials (milk, bread).
ReplyDeleteWhoa! Those toilets are insane! I find it fascinating how different cultures develop different methods of dealing with our day to day needs. It's just crazy how we all had the same start, yet hundreds of different cultures now exist.
ReplyDeleteI have roommate who is currently studying anthropology. As part of her class, she was required to read a book about the Hmong people. In their culture, women would give birth in a room with no help right into their own hands. I don't know about you, but I defintely could not do that!
Tell more about the forbidden city! What do they have to see there? Do they use any of the buildings now?
ReplyDelete