It is amazing how when traveling from one country to another our eyes can be opened. One concept that we always discuss as a group is how different the water system is in Peru. In the United States, any of us can simply walk to the sink and fill our cup with water if we are feeling thirsty. We can take showers (even long showers) without worrying about wasting water. We know that water will always be there in one way or another in our homes. In Peru that is completely different and water is conserved and valued much more than many that reside in the U.S. This eye opener began at the start of the trip when we could not even drink the water from here unless it was bottled or boiled. Every day we must go out and buy multiple liters of water so we do not get sick, but our homestay family has been so kind as to boil water every day for us to ensure we can remain safely hydrated.
So much work just goes into attaining our water, but then the second change came when we were told how the water system works for the whole town of Cusco. Every day the water is shut off in sections of the town at different times to conserve what they have, so it often happens that we either rush to take showers before dinner, or we wait until the morning to wait for the water to come back on. It is amazing that they have such a system set up in order to conserve, and it made all of us realize we take showering any time we want for granted. Water is a necessity for life and a healthy life, so it is very difficult to come to terms with knowing not every place around the world has an easy time attaining such a valuable resource. We wanted to write this post to our readers back home just because we have realized how important it is to appreciate the luxuries we have because it is not always so easy to find here in Peru. We are appreciative beyond words that everyone helping us stay here has been so helpful in giving us clean water and the access to it when it is on. Consciousness of what we have every day is so important in all the things we do, and Peru reminds us to remember many of us at least have our basic necessities in life. I think everyone can agree that water is vital for everyone, so hopefully both the readers and our trip group will bring this back to our own country and expand on these thoughts. Water in fact is very amazing when you think of how much we need it for. What does having water mean to you, and how do you think you can extend this importance to others?