OK, so one of the things that we really take for granted in the states is having a pretty cheap and perhaps more importantly, a dependable power source. In Vermont, there are times when there is a significant storm and a tree or seasonal deadfall takes out a power wire and the lights go out. This pisses us off for a few minutes but the outage generally lasts for a short hour or 2 (with the most recent exceptions of Irene and the ice storm of '98). Dig out the flashlight (that never works), light a candle and try to enjoy the quiet dark. For some, you crank up a generator to power a few lights and refrigerator. Life goes on. Then magically, power is restored, lights come back on, the computer is functional and life goes on. For this service, we pay a good dollar to Green Mountain Power or CVPS. I can not believe I am saying this but I LOVE GMP! I have been unhappy with them over the years but generally it is over the cost of their service. The dependability of the product they deliver was never in question. I am a spoiled American, I get it.
Dakar is a major hub of economic activity and population center in West Africa. There is a major deep water port for moving goods in and out. The city has grown significantly and now includes several "burbs," if you will. All of this activity requires power. The elecrical grid was developed over time but has not kept up with the needs of an expanding population, let alone business. The city suffers from ever increasing "managed blackouts", which is another way of saying that there is just not enough power to go around. It is a significant political issue for the current President and is a major source of discontent when speaking with the Senegalese.
Since the world does, in fact, revolve around me, let me tell you how this affects the Hauslers of Dakar. We have a house that is enclosed by a large wall. Inside the wall (covered and out of the way) is a 75KW Caterpiller Diesel Generator that will not allow the Hauslers of Dakar to be without power for more than 5 seconds (that's a very important 5 seconds if you are on the computer). The moment the power from the street is interupted, we hear the trusty Cat fire up and then we listen to the low hum of the diesel keeping us in power, lights and AC. No complaints from me at all, this is great even by Embassy standards as some folks have generators that are not strong enough to power all the needs they have. Some have had to go without AC for a while (and it's hot, hot, hot). So the short story is that the Hauslers of Dakar are very well taken care of on the power side and we are grateful, believe me. The problem is that our generator might run 10-12 hours per day! Great to have the back up system but the back up more often seems like the primary source and the back up is coming from the street!!! Am I painitng a picture here that brings me back to the title of this Blog Segment?
"Old Sparky"
While all this sounds a little humerous and somewhat inconvienient, I always go back to how fortunate we are here in Dakar and you are back in the states. When the power goes out here, most Senegalese do not have the absolute luxury of dependable power and basically sit in the dark without AC or fans for hours and potentially days. They will lose the food in their fridges and just as importantly, they lose some of their livelihood if making aliving is attached to needing electricity. If you think about it, many of the modern conveniences are somewhat useless here until power is an affordable and reliable resource available to all. I dont have a solution but I really wish I did.
Happy Fall. Laurie told me that it is raining this week in Vermont (cause she still checks and reports on the weather for me). The best of days to you.
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