Tuesday, June 14, 2005

The Flood

Now I know how Noah felt!!!

O.K. I am not fresh out of college like some of the MTC people. I have been living in an apartment now for 2 years. Although that may not seem like a major thing to most of you, I will tell you that going from an apartment to a dorm is a huge culture shock. Simple things like taking a shower, now take an extra 5 minutes of preparation. I miss my appliances, especially my microwave and fridge. Plus, at home I can watch all the TV I can stand without fuzz. These things are simple, but important. So is proper plumbing.

Tonight, I found myself standing in the hallway with other MTC females watching the waters rise. I felt like Noah looking out of the one window on the ark and asking his wife, "Will it stop?" We watched as dirty brown water came slowly inching down the hallway. It laughed at us as we put towels in front of our doors and then it crept right in without regard for our property or feelings. It meandered further and further down the hallway as we watched helplessly from our doors.

The RA tried to make us feel better and the maintenance men made jokes, but nothing could prevent the immediate displeasure of the residents. Even more galling was the maintenance men saying that this brownish-yellow water filled with clumps of some unrecognizable substance was "water from a busted pipe that has dust in it". Yeah right!!!

Suggestions came from every direction. "Can we mop it up?" "Let's build a dam?" "How about using a push mop to push it the other way?" Soon the realization came that we were helpless. As we impatiently waited for UM's custodial crew, I came to realize that we were at the mercy of these men who had to get up from their beds to come clean this mess and apparently they were in no hurry.

Finally, the hall was cleaned and the floor seemed to return to normal. Everyone retreated to their rooms and closed their doors hoping that they were now safe from the intruding waters. However, I'm quite sure that we will all remember the night the water came.

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