The Power of Electricity

A lot of the things we do in our daily lives requires electricity. I know. I just blew your mind.

I woke up this morning to a blackout. Well, it wasn't really a black out, because it was day out. But, you know what I mean. First of all, I couldn't boil water for tea or coffee. Which, right there, can ruin a whole day of potential productivity. However, I'm not above sucking instant coffee straight out of it's pouch and chasing it with cold water. Remember, in college I'm the girl who chased whiskey with a glob of peanut butter on her finger. I'm resourceful. And classy.

Second, I didn't want to pull anything out of the fridge in order to conserve the cold. Although, I later found out that everything had frozen in the night, so it wouldn't have been a problem. But, I unknowingly ate plain granola with a spoon.

Uhm...so no cooking, no boiling water, no internet...what else? Well, this is turning out to be a fantastic post. I guess I don't do anything requiring electricity. Probably because I don't do anything period. My exciting plans for the weekend include going to the gym, the pool, the bookstore, and the mobile phone outlet. That's it. Oh, and getting some work done.

I started work a few days ago. For those of you who were unable to follow my confusing path to this point: I'm working for Mercy Corps in Kampala as a Information/Grants Officer. I am living at the compound. You walk out my bedroom door and the kitchen is to the left and my office is to the right. Amazingly, I have had no problems making it to work on time thus far.

Only one other person works in my little office and he's out of town for two or three more weeks. Everyone else works in the main building. I feel a little isolated; and, so far I've been a bit confused about what's going on. Partly it's due to the isolation, but mostly - I hope - it's just the newness of the whole situation.

In the evenings and on weekends it's just me and the guards - and maybe a gardener. The garden is really pretty and it will be nice to have the place to myself. I also discovered a gym and pool down the street, and I can always go to the Irish pub (Bubbles) if I need evening entertainment. But, for a while anyway, I really need to save some cash. I want to use the opportunity to get some work done, first of all. I really want to do a good a job here. Plus, what better excuse to read books I've wanted to read, learn a second language, write, work on projects in Portland, etc, etc.

Then, when I have some cash, I won't feel bad about taking a long weekend to go on safari or track mountain gorillas or whatever tickles my fancy.