Load-shedding

The other day I came home, switched on a light absentmindedly and jumped when it came on. It was quite the experience; I simply flipped the little switch on and – the room was filled with light! All by itself!

A few mornings ago I got up, found matches in the dark, lit a few candles, and started making breakfast. Lalala. Everything was as it should be. And then – (hold your breath) someone came in and informed me that we had electricity! I was lost in my routine and hadn’t even thought to check.

You may be wondering what my point is. Well, these experiences led me to realize that one can get quite used to the most incredible things, for example 16-hour power cuts. And no, that’s not 16 electricity-free hours a month, or even a week. It means 8 hours of electricity a day. Which means about 4 hours of electricity in the middle of the night and 4 hours sometime during the day; which does not mean 4 hours in the afternoon/evening when we are at home and in need of it, oh no. Are you getting the idea? Sometimes we go for days without experiencing a light switched on at home.

I'm not quite done complaining. No power does not simply mean no light. Candles are the least of our inconveniences. Let me write you a nice little list. No power means:

- No light
- No charging of cell phones, cameras, computers etc.
- No music (cd-player)
- No movies (you have the choice of sacrificing your computer batteries to a) an hour or so of music OR b) half a movie)
- No internet
- No using electronic cooking devices (no grinding coffee beans, no whipping, etc)
- No washing machine
- No leftovers in the (warm) fridge (it WILL begin to stink)
- A considerable amount of extra stress. There is a scramble when the lights come on as everyone rushes to find chargeable things, check their e-mail, wash clothes, prepare a meal that requires grinding...

Not to mention the rude awakenings of midnight power-returns; suddenly forgotten lights blaze, music comes out of the forgotten cd-player and the forgotten washer starts humming along with our poor fridge.

When I start feeling sorry for myself, I remind myself that there are people in this country trying to run businesses. There are factories, offices, and schools trying to run without power. There are students studying for exams and owners of cybercafés. And then… I feel a little better about my coffee-grinding-issues.

I must add that we are down to 14 hours now. Almost half the time with electricity! If we ever get down to 12 hours I will begin to feel spoiled.