One would think I escaped all the ‘usual’ trouble I’d grown so used to in Nigeria — NEPA, especially — and since I came over, everything’s been as normal as you’d expect things to be.

I got out of bed this morning and rushed into the shower. I didn’t get any water when I turned it on. Alarmed that my suite mates had once again done ‘something’ to it, ie damaged it, I decided to go brush my teeth and wait until the handyman came around. I got a tiny trickle when I turned the faucet on.

I had some bottled water which I brushed with, then washed my face and hurried into my clothes. Urgghhhh.

Something reminded me of the time-honored tradition called ‘rub and shine’ in secondary school. On a cold harmattan day, some people [excluding yours truly, although he was guilty in junior class] would rinse their faces, hands and legs, or perform an ‘ablution’ before heading to class. Others who felt too lazy to do so but didn’t want to take a bath would just rub on some cream and look none the worse for it (cream meant petroleum jelly to most people, hence the tern ‘rub and shine’). The problem with this practice was that some people used ti as a substitute to taking a bath. Urggggh.

It was therefore annoying this morning that I had to rub-and-shine before sitting at my computer and typing this out.

The Mountain Whispers’ editorial board (our university magazine’s board of which I’m a member) is meeting in ten minutes. The dorms had better have the water flowing before then or Azuka will be sorely ticked off.

I can’t imagine I rub-and-shined (yes, that’s the past tense!)

Update: When I got back the water was running again. Before you ask, I’ve showered!