Power outages are somewhat common. Quite often the traffic lights (robots) are shut off when there is a power shortage. They are also frequently shut off when they are not working properly. Everyone seems used to this and slows down at intersections without traffic lights. Most politely wait their turn, except kombis. It can snarl traffic when it is heavy. One companionship of elders was stuck at an intersection in gridlock for some time this past week because the lights were out. They thought it was a good object lesson on what happens when there is no authority.
We have outages at our house about three weeks apart on average. They usually last only a few hours. We have been fortunate to avoid long outages. Two of the couples have had their power off for three days. Ours was off for three days but we were away on training. Several of the institute classes in Botwsana have been canceled due to power outages after sunset. One time we taught our whole institute class using a torch (flashlight). It made for an interesting experience. The young adults did not want to miss class and did well at participating in the dark. At home we use candles and torches when the power is out.
The water is more reliable than the electricity. Yesterday, our water was off for a few hours. If we do not realize the water is off and are washing clothes we finally get hot water in the washing machine because the cold water pipe then drains the hot water tank which is mounted on the wall outside our house. The elders from Molepolole came to our house last week to do their washing because they have not had enough water to wash their clothes or take showers for two or three weeks. They store water in their bath tub early in the morning for use during the day.
All this adds to the adventure of the mission. We are happy to be in Botswana where the utilities are safe and much more reliable than in much of Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment