Sorry for the recent radio silence (is there an internet-equivalent for
that phrase?). I have been really really busy lately as the end of the semester
approaches, and I had to ban myself from using VPN-powered internet in order to
keep focused and productive. I am going to take a break from the backlog of
posts in order to tell you about my life in its current state.
That… and because irony never escapes me.
Last week, I didn’t have water in my flat for three days. I have been
without water for that long before, and it wasn’t too bad because I was warned
about it beforehand. I was prepared. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday—I was without
water without warning. I know what you’re thinking: “But Mike, you’re an
awesome Boy Scout, and a resourceful Peace Corps volunteer. Why on Earth would
you be unprepared? Also, I’m glad to see you’re growing your hair out again. I
always loved your long hair.”
Well, thank you. I just wish my hair would grow faster; it’s stuck in
that in-between stage where it never really looks great. But, more importantly,
that is a good question. Typically, I am the most prepared; I fill my washing
machine with water when it is idle—just in case. However, I had just done
laundry on Sunday, and forgot to fill it.
For the record, I did technically get
a warning about the water going off. I received a text that read: “Store water.
It will be off for 3 days.” Unfortunately, by the time I got that message and
raced to fill my washing machine, I was already without.
It was a rough three days, but the worst part was it rained nearly
non-stop for those three days. It rained more in the three days than it has the
whole time I have been living in Lanzhou. It wasn’t all a downpour. Sometimes
it was no more than a mist. Regardless, it was still more water than I had in
my flat.
After Wednesday, it was on most of the time, with random four-hour
blocks of nothing.
For clarification: the reason for such water interruptions is the colossally
gargantuan amount of construction going on in front of my university. Many
people have written about the speed in which construction changes China. I have seen it first-hand as construction evolves on the major road in
front of my uni.
Then last Friday, I got an email informing me I wouldn’t have water this
week either. This time it would be off from Monday until Thursday. Speaking
with other volunteers, it seems that the ENTIRE CITY will not have water this
week…
Which brings me to now. Monday. I considered taking screencaps of my
Lanzhou friends’ facebook statuses. All of them are bemoaning, lamenting, or
otherwise cursing our lack of water. It is quite frustrating.
My goals for this waterless week: One, grade 350 free-writing/journal
entries. Two, focus on getting ready to run a half-marathon in two weeks.
Three, try to organise a group of my students to compete in a frisbee tournament on Saturday. Four, stop focusing on the fact that my birthday is a month away (and the
existential crises that accompany it). Five, keep grading those free-writes.
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