Water is a precious commodity in Botswana. Rain is revered so much that the name for the currency is pula (rain in Tswana). You will see signs on occasion cautioning against wasting water. When we get a good rain, the pastor usually mentions it on Sunday, or alternatively, when we don't get rain, he sometimes calls for prayer.
In fact, water is such a precious commodity, that I only know of two drinking water dispensers that work on the whole campus. The drinking water dispenser in the Admin section looks like it has been dry for years. The one in the lab, likewise. The one in the Faculty Lounge fools me into thinking it has water, but after being fooled about 4 times, I have finally learned.
Only the water dispenser in the Office of International Exchange Programs works. The water fountain in one of the refectories (dining halls) also works. To be fair, the other dining hall usually has a big metal container of water free for the taking, but it is not plumbed in.
I have gotten so thirsty that I have taken to storing some water in plastic bottles in my office. I have to lock them up because the cleaning people kept discarding them.
Water is essential to life. If you ask a chemist, they will tell you about all the marvels of this simple combination of hydrogen and oxygen. I tell my students that the old US space shuttle, when it launched was giving off mostly water vapor as hydrogen was combined with oxygen to create enough energy to go from 0 mph to 19,000 mph. Likewise the aerobic energy in our bodies is that same combination which produces water, which our bodies can always use.
True enough, too much water, like too much of anything, is toxic. It washes away too much sodium, and we lose consciousness, and can die. Like I have noted before, sustaining human life is a tenuous business and it is remarkable that we are so healthy and functional.
All this talk of water causes me to harken back to Genesis 1.
2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Of course, that first verse tells us, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." So G^d spoke all that water into existence. That marvelous water. That water that makes up a great % of our bodies.
We all need water, and we all need G^d. G^d made us that way.
In fact, water is such a precious commodity, that I only know of two drinking water dispensers that work on the whole campus. The drinking water dispenser in the Admin section looks like it has been dry for years. The one in the lab, likewise. The one in the Faculty Lounge fools me into thinking it has water, but after being fooled about 4 times, I have finally learned.
Only the water dispenser in the Office of International Exchange Programs works. The water fountain in one of the refectories (dining halls) also works. To be fair, the other dining hall usually has a big metal container of water free for the taking, but it is not plumbed in.
I have gotten so thirsty that I have taken to storing some water in plastic bottles in my office. I have to lock them up because the cleaning people kept discarding them.
Water is essential to life. If you ask a chemist, they will tell you about all the marvels of this simple combination of hydrogen and oxygen. I tell my students that the old US space shuttle, when it launched was giving off mostly water vapor as hydrogen was combined with oxygen to create enough energy to go from 0 mph to 19,000 mph. Likewise the aerobic energy in our bodies is that same combination which produces water, which our bodies can always use.
True enough, too much water, like too much of anything, is toxic. It washes away too much sodium, and we lose consciousness, and can die. Like I have noted before, sustaining human life is a tenuous business and it is remarkable that we are so healthy and functional.
All this talk of water causes me to harken back to Genesis 1.
2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Of course, that first verse tells us, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." So G^d spoke all that water into existence. That marvelous water. That water that makes up a great % of our bodies.
We all need water, and we all need G^d. G^d made us that way.
All 3 of our rivers are almost out of their banks, and most creeks are. We are still in a flash flood warning state until llpm.
ReplyDeletewish I could send y'all some of it!