The Water Truck

Well, Jason has been dutifully boiling and filtering our water, and we regularly buy 6 or 7 liter bottles of water from the grocery store. Whenever we do, we inevitably find the "Roganska" brand water truck and scads of locals lined up with empty bottles in their hands. It was one of those Murphy's law things- we'd buy water and then find the water truck parked in front of, literally blocking, the entry to our apartment building.

Granted, it took us a bit of time to figure out what was going on. I mean, we did not expect the clean water truck to be parked in our alley. In fact, we hadn't even conceptualized the people wearing neat blue plastic (sic, waterproof) uniforms bearing the name of the water company, selling clean water out of the back of a truck.

Yesterday we caught them just as they were leaving, and we asked when they'd be back: later at 6pm, they'd be parked in front of the Apothecary down the road. So, at 6pm we trundled out with empty bottles and a wad of cash. We were just thankful that we wouldn't have to carry the bottles as far along with several sacks of groceries or whatnot. It is at this point that I must explain that a six liter bottle of water costs 18 Grivna, or, about $2.25. We filled up two six liter bottles for a whopping 7 Grivna, or 80 cents. We asked when they'd be back, and they replied next Wednesday at noon in front of our building. So, I guess next Wednesday we'll be lined up with our empty water bottles along with the locals... it gives me a sense of community solidarity.