We have not stopped drinking water. Today in the morning, we headed out to the camp, each of us with the last partial bottle we had in our rooms. It was not enough, even though we spent most of the morning inside of a room and away from the sun. After the morning training session, we bought twenty dollars worth of water from this little market that must make a nice profit. We can some times buy water from UNHCR, for a better price, but they don’t always have extra for us. The afternoon was hot. Very hot. After the afternoon Darfur United training session, we had to buy another twenty dollars worth of water.

We have to be thinking of water the whole time and not let it run out before we buy the next batch of bottles. Drinking water and thinking about water constantly, and I am still thirsty every minute of the day.

There have been groups of women spectators gathering close to the field where Darfur United practices. They are having fun watching the guys and their interesting coaches do all kinds of weird and funny dances, many of them without a ball. There is a water point right next to the field. Early in the morning, as Mark and Brian are setting up cones, women cross the field running all out, carrying large empty plastic containers and buckets. They want to get to the water point and be at the front of the line before it opens, so they can fill their containers and make the long walk back home with the heavy water carefully balanced on their heads. As the women wait for the water point to open (it’s only open twice per day), they have some time to watch the proceedings on the field and get a good laugh in.

Back home, I just take water for granted. We don’t have to go collect our water. It comes to us.

Gabriel