Like a dark cloud looming over us, the day had come after six weeks. The anticipation had built the expectations to far exceed the task that was actually supposed to be accomplished. We had always heard whispers in the wind of this job, and now the day had arrived when the order came down-clean the water tanks. Clean the water tanks! Yes, this means that we would have to squeeze our bodies into multiple water tanks and clean them.
I braced myself against the forrays of a drinking water deluge. Positioned for what possible harm may arrive, I peered into the inner blackness of the tank. After moments lasting eternal seconds, I jammed my entire person into the the cavernous tank, dropping into a deep four inch slim of river residue.
Bucket by bucket, the mud was raised from the floor of the water tank. (If I had ever been tempted to disregard the warning to not drink the river water that came from these tanks, I now faced no such temptation.) Not only was the tank under the influence of a continuous layer of muck, the whole contraption had been baking in the ovens of hot African sun for many months. Without a doubt, the temperatures in that oversized water tub exceeded that of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. A combination of constant work and extreme temperature caused sweat to erupt from all available bodily pores.
It was around this time when my friend who was helping me from the outside asked my opinion on scorpions.
“Have you ever seen one?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Is there one on the pipe right above your head?”
“What do you know, there is the most painful one in Zambia, right there above my head.”
“Yeah, it stung me.”
This was not the most ideal situation possible, yet no one died. Alas the whole incident caused the man to go to the clinic and we could no longer clean water tanks.
Another simple day in the simple life of an African adventure.
Sometimes I wonder if life is like cleaning water tanks. How many moments are spent cleaning those things which should clean us? Should not something change with the tanks? If we must clean our sources of cleanliness, then it may be time to find a new source.
