Healing Waters

There is a spring about 25 minutes from where I live. Lots of people go there and take a dip in the water – or rather say in it for a couple hours – believing that the water is therapeutic or has special healing powers. Many doctors around here even prescribe it! Other people go there and get water to drink – either because they like it’s unique taste (sort of like flat mineral water – I’m kind of partial to it myself) or, again, because they think it has healing properties. [A cool thing: the chief of our team gave a kick-hiney sermon on the blind man at the pool – john 5 – on Sunday and referenced this place. Pretty neato cultural relevance.]

During the summer, the spring is super crowed with the elderly and sick. I still wanted to go and partake in this unique cultural experience (sort of like Kosovo’s version of the GangesJ?), but I couldn’t find anyone to go with me. “It’s for old people. No, I won’t go!”

Last night I mentioned it again – sort of teasing (or so I thought) – on a visit to the sisters. The one gal said, “Okay, let’s go – tomorrow!” I stuttered and stammered my way through a couple of excuses, and my one colleague, who often graciously gets my foot out of my mouth, looked at me as if to say, “babe, you got yourself in this one…no way I’m helping you out of it.” So…we went.

It was an interesting experience.
1- it’s not all that pretty to look at – a hole in the ground with litter and mud around it.
2- The people in it were, indeed, quite elderly. The gents wore their undies and the women either wore their clothes or black garbage bags (no joke). A couple of people were holding their breath underwater as long as they could. Yikes.
3- There is something funky with the water. Maybe it was my imagination (anticipation can do that I suppose), but my skin felt tingly. Maybe someone should test it for uranium.
4- It’s not advisable to wear a bathing suit. I assumed that people wore them there, but I looked like a tourist in my bathing suit while everyone else was in pants and shirts or garbage bags. Yeah – not too much blending in happening this morning.

Horray for bonding time and shared experiences. And horray for enough water pressure to shower when I got home!