Ablutions!

The guest bedroom, which I’ve been allocated, contains nothing but a bed with a mosquito net & a plastic chair.  There is a built-in cupboard, which is full of stuff & where I’ve taken over two shelves.  There is nowhere to hang clothes, so I hang my trousers on the mosquito rail at the foot of the bed.

The term “en suite” conjures up a picture of a clean, very Western style bathroom & the term isn’t appropriate for my little bathroom!  The sink hasn’t been in use since I arrived, as the tap is defunct.  The shower pipe does sometimes emit a trickle of water but this can’t be relied upon, so I’ve become used to the “bucket shower” method.  I’m provided with large buckets (which also have to double up for my laundry too) & a little plastic measuring type jug.  It’s amazing how accustomed you become to the routine of pouring water all over yourself, soaping all over & then pouring copious amounts of water all over again to rinse.  The water just flows down a hole in the floor.  When there’s no water at all, I resort to packets of wet wipes!

After my trip to Hyderabad, I arrived back in Kadapa about 5.30am in pitch dark, desperate for the loo, as I hadn’t been able to bring myself to use the loo on the train!  However, I was to be disappointed, as we now have no drains!  Apparently the drains had broken & they're all dug out outside & visible, but there were then two days of holiday for the Hindu New Year & with the slow way that anything is done around here, I knew that it would be at least a week before anything was working again.  However, I’ve also been interested to note that women often do labouring here in construction work.  I’ve seen them carrying bowls of cement on their heads to & fro in the heat to men, who are doing the building work.  Here in the orphanage it’s no exception & you can see the women in the photo, who are part of the labouring team, working on the drains.

So now, a week later, I still have no running water, no loo, no bucket shower or even a kitchen sink.  I have to go downstairs, across the courtyard & into the school building, then cross the ground floor, which is all dust & cement (looks only half completed & has no light) & upstairs to another "bathroom".  I could have cried when I first saw it - everything very dirty, nowhere to put anything & this shower doesn't work either!  I suspect it’s because there's not enough pressure for the water.  So I have to wash my hair & then my body from another tap, which is at knee height.  I’ve been managing, & will have to do so until things are fixed.  That means it could be interesting if I need the loo in the night!  I must make the best of it but am just praying that I won't have any tummy problems, as it could be disastrous - the loo's so far away!

Whilst on this subject, I can’t really avoid talking about the differences between the two countries / cultures in hygiene habits.  My experience is that the people here are very clean & wash themselves & their hair frequently.  They also do daily laundry, washing up & the necessary sweeping of the thick red dust from the floors & this is followed sometimes by washing of the floors.  However, that’s where the cleaning seems to stop.  I am now at the end of my third week here & have yet to see a cleaned surface, fridge, sink, toilet etc.  Food is also often prepared on the ground - I won’t go on about it but will just leave all this to your imagination!! 

I’ve already talked about the prevalence of rubbish everywhere outside & the constant dust.  Apart from this, the difference in hygiene habits has been strange to come to terms with.  As I travelled the 300 miles by train in the early hours, I witnessed the morning ablutions of a great number of people in towns & villages.  Just as with the laundry & washing up, everything takes place outdoors.  So, I saw countless people cleaning their teeth by roadsides & squatting for other reasons too!  They always had the customary little pot of water with them, with which to clean themselves afterwards.  This is all understandable if you have no toilet facility but it does mean that deposits remain in abundance on the ground & you have to take care where you tread!  I also wonder about the health hazard of this too!  It was also explained to me that for some people the thought of having an indoor toilet is abhorrent, as going to the loo is considered a dirty task & therefore to be kept outside, away from the home.  Understandable logic, I suppose, but give me a loo, disinfectant & bleach any day!!