Earth Day

There's a lot of hype out there about Earth Day and save mother earth, yadda, yadda, yadda, by turning off the lights for an hour. Yeah, yeah, go have your candlelit dinner if you like but as for me, if the power is on, I do NOT plan to turn the lights off!

It’s 8:35am and 85 degrees. The power is still on but the internet has died. It is best in the morning or late at night, perhaps due to high demand or some system of business prioritization. Or maybe the power is off at the phone company.

I have now taught three days of Cross-Cultural Communication, of which I know nothing. I really need to learn to just say “no” to some of these requests! I have materials but no real idea how to use them or where I’m going with the class. It’s all complicated by my own fighting against the environment. The heat and humidity have been rugged. It is hot in the day and muggy at night with several-hour long downpours at night. The electricity is often off more than it is on, especially in the daytime. So, no fan to counteract the heat. It’s a wonder my skin hasn’t rotted off yet since it is rarely dry. My face and neck in particular just run with sweat until the front of my blouse is as wet as a slobbering baby’s.

I teach at high noon so am hot and bothered when I arrive. I try to get there early so I can sit and cool off but of course it takes quite awhile to cool off when it’s over 90. Being endocrinally challenged doesn’t help. And I have to dress professionally AND wear a jacket while on the motorbike. Overheating is unavoidable and to a large extent untreatable.

At the house where I am staying, when the power comes on you jump up and plug the water pump in. Then you run around filling things, washing clothes and dishes, maybe cooking while you’re at it to take advantage of there being water. Sweating profusely all the while. You also need to remember to charge all the accoutrements of modern living such as cellphones and computers. If you remember, you can reset the wireless internet and check your email. The pump no longer has automatic turn-off so you have to keep an eye on it and go unplug it when you aren’t actually filling anything. There’s an automatic washing machine here which is incredibly slow filling. To save the pump, I’ve been filling buckets and helping the machine fill. Then you go unplug the pump while the machine washes. When it’s ready to rinse you go plug the pump in again, fill buckets, etc. For this week I am the only one here so I do it all.

When the power goes off I can work on my computer until both batteries are drained – usually 2-3 hours. Then I just lay on the tile floor and try to stay still and cool off a bit. I have an MP3 player and have been listening to various pre-recorded radio broadcasts and talks and lectures so it’s not been a total waste of time. At least you don’t need a light to do that.

And yet, I also have to count my blessings. I am staying at a clean house that actually can get some cross breeze in the afternoon. It is safe, the roof doesn’t leak. I am only teaching once a day. I do not have to dress up and go out to any social events in the dark in the evenings. There IS a water pump and a washing machine, I do not have to hand pump and hand wash like I would in the village. There are screens on the windows so it is fairly mosquito- and fly-free. I have money to buy food. I only have to cook and wash for one, not for a whole family.

So go ahead and turn off your lights if you wish, but as for me, I'm all FOR leaving the lights on!