Lights Out!

One thing I never thought about at home in the US was whether or not the power would work when I turned on the light switch. But, that’s not the case here. During our first week in Tanzania, the power was consistently off during the day, but back on at night. We learned that because of the serious drought here and with a lot of power generated hydroelectrically, there is a need to conserve energy. And to do so, they just shut the power off!! I guess that’s one way to do it!

Thankfully, we have a generator we can use if needed. For instance, last week as Michelle was typing our latest email update, the power was off and her computer was running out of battery. So, we switched on the generator and got an email sent out! Or, when we arrived home late one night with guests from the airport and couldn't see anything, we started the generator! To our guests we said… Karibu Africa (Welcome to Africa)!!

Michelle has gotten very good at starting up the generator!

So, we learn to plan for the unexpected. We are strategic about charging the internet device and our computers. We freeze bottles of water and transfer them to the refrigerator to help keep our food from spoiling. We store flashlights in handy places. And, if all else fails, we power up the generator!!