Archive for water
Where Can I Get Water Tested?
Posted by: | CommentsHere in La Casa de Don Marco, we’ve been testing out various water filter systems, as part of my due diligence on various business models and/or non-profit activities. Everything is working well and now I’m ready for a water test challenge, but I need a lab that can test the water not simply for the presence of bad stuff, but can measure parts per million as well.
I suspect I’ll need to go to the capital for this, and if anyone can point me in the right direction, I’d appreciate it.
Mark
The Water Supply in Guate
Posted by: | CommentsIn our first home in Guate, we were the beneficiaries of a cistern managed by the neighborhood management. That meant that with one exception, we never had any water service interruptions.
If you live in real Guate, you can experience frequent outages. Expat Mom detailed some experiences in an old post here.
Genesis has adapted well, and now has her own rooftop cistern. You really have to have this stuff because people here just don’t think anything about cutting your access to water. Of course, like with everything else in Guate it’s not as simple as you might think:
That, my dear readers, is a water tank, sitting on top of the bathroom, which automatically kicks in when the town water goes out. Since that has been happening on a daily basis for about a month thanks to all the roadwork being done in town (they smash pipes on an hourly basis, it seems), a tank was a good investment.
Now we have running water when no one else does and though it’s gravity fed, there’s enough pressure to shower, wash dishes and clothes, as well as flush the toilet (woohoo!). We no longer have to send our maid home early on a daily basis because she can’t wash anything.
Unfortunately, since the tank is on the roof, it’s visible to everyone, including my mother-in-law who is so jealous that she has been turning our water off on purpose. I’m really not sure what that’s supposed to accomplish, apart from us getting our own water lines put in, considering that we currently pay the water for both houses . . . . I wouldn’t be pissing off the people who pay my utility, but I guess she isn’t thinking about that.
The Expat Transformation
Posted by: | CommentsGuest Post
When I first arrived in Guatemala, I was pretty fresh from Canada, though I’d come through Mexico by bus. I had the typical attitudes that most foreigners have and never imagined how much things would change in 7 years. To give you a glimpse, here are a few before and afters . . .
Before: I nearly had a heart attack when coming around a corner and bumping into an armed guard.
Now: I find it odd if a store doesn’t have a guard and shotguns don’t phase me at all.
Before: I couldn’t IMAGINE driving in Guatemalan traffic.
Now: My husband and I are seriously looking at buying a car . . . which I would drive . . . and the thought doesn’t phase me a bit.
Before: If you’d told me I could survive more than two days without a shower, much less water, I’d have laughed in your face.
Now: I’ve successfully survived up to 15 days without running water.
Before: I felt sorry for the children begging in restaurants and bars.
Now: I’ve seen those same kids in their private school uniforms on the bus.
Before: I’d never spent a night in a hospital.
Now: I’ve spent several days and nights in the public hospital here.
Before: I paid whatever they told me in the market because I felt embarrassed to try and knock the price down.
Now: I never accept the first price given and I’m pretty good at negotiating for my potatoes and tomatoes.
Before: My Spanish teacher told me I was too stupid to learn the language in 3 weeks of lessons. I could still barely count in Spanish.
Now: I’m fluent. Unless you ask my mother-in-law, who will promptly tell you I speak no Spanish at all. 
Before: I was going places, no interest in ever settling down with a guy, and thought only about kids in the distant future.
Now: Here I am, with a house! And a guy! And TWO kids. 
And you know what? It’s not so bad at all.
Yup, things sure do change!
Genesis is a freelance writer and lives with her husband and two sons just outside of Antigua. She blogs at Expat Mom.
A Tale of Two Water Spouts
Posted by: | CommentsThis friend of mine in the US has this funny way of dealing with statements which simply defy belief; when an absurd comment is made, he gets wide-eyed and blinks rapidly. I don’t think it’s conscious, it’s just how he handles the logic-defying assertion. Of course, he’s an ambulance chaser, so maybe it’s a more common experience for him than I think.
Anyway, I caught myself in just this situation the other day, staring at something which left me completely dumbfounded, able only to blink rapidly and stare, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Here’s what happened: the Wife and Daughter #1 were taking a nap as is their desire on weekends (and any weekday they can, for that matter), and so I was left to fend for myself with the children and Maid #4. Now, Maid #4 is pretty reliable in that she doesn’t stand around looking for things to do, she just does stuff. By the time she makes it to the front door at the beginning of her shift, she’s already picked up a trail of little boy underwear, two cats tied together with shoelaces, a plate of food and assorted shoes and toys.
So she’s working along in the laundry area and has just moved a load from the washer to the dryer (which readers will remember is actually outside, on the porch). When she returns to the laundry room, I hear her grunting and straining. I discreetly peer into the room and see that she is hard at work unscrewing the hose which is connected to a Y adapter I installed on the faucet above the pilar.
You see, despite being in one of the fanciest neighborhoods around (the cousin of the brother of the former President lives here, or so I’m told), this house was not equipped for a washing machine. At least, not as someone from the US might expect. So anyway, I had to buy a ‘Y’ adapter for the faucet, to which is attached the cold water hose for the washer, leaving the second part of the ‘Y’ for the maids to fill the pilar with about 30 gallons of water. (There is no easy way to get hot water into the washing machine).
Maid #4 had unscrewed the hose to the washer and was filling the pilar. She left for another part of the house while the pilar was filling (to what end I’m not sure). I watched and waited, glad that the pilar designers had foreseen the need to design little spillways which allow the center portion of the pilar to overflow into the side compartments when full.
When she was finished, I observed her trying to put the hose back on the Y adapter. The hose is old and the connector is a little misshapen, so it’s tough anyway, but of course everything was wet and so she just left it about half way on. I understand someone got quite a surprise when they unwittingly started up the washer and reached back to turn the water on.
I tried to conceive of a reason the maid would unhook the hose rather than turn the little black arrow device which permits water to leave the ‘Y’ adapter on the other side, but couldn’t think of one. I’m going to try to watch her tomorrow and see if she does it again. Am I missing something?
Water, Water Everwhere at AntiguaDailyPhoto
Posted by: | CommentsApparently Rudy is back from vacation and blogging again, or at least he’s worried about Laura taking his job, because there have been some great posts (here, here and here) on the water situation in Antigua. By great I mean, not just the Click, Click, Click kind of posts, but actual content!
For example, Rudy answers the following questions that you’ve probably been wondering about ever since you first read a guidebook on Guatemala:
- How much does it cost to dig a well, an average of course?
- What are some of depths of wells around Guatemala?
- What kind of water tables and underground beds does Guatemala have?
- What kind of treatments are necessary to make water potable?
- Is water from a well potable?
Stop over at Antigua Daily Photo and if you like what you see, leave a comment. Only, please be extra nice, b/c they don’t enjoy the hatemail as much as we do here at GuateLiving.
Cost of Living: Water
Posted by: | CommentsWhen we first rented our house, the real estate agent told us, “You are very fortunate, because the landlord is even going to pay for the water themselves. You only have to pay for the electricity.” I get a good chuckle out of that now that I know water is free and electricity is expensive.
Rudy has a good post explaining how water works here in Guatemala (although doesn’t discuss why it is harmful to your health). Here’s an excerpt:
Water belongs to the Guatemalan people and it’s managed by the government; national and local government. In theory, Guatemalans don’t pay for the water itself, but for the distribution system; that is the electricity to pump it and the distribution pipes. The water bill can vary a lot from zone to zone for the same amount of distributed water.
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