Current Poye!

In other words, the power went out - for a really long time.

Last night, we had a massive thunder storm. It has been unbearably hot and humid all day long, so when it finally started raining and the air cooled off a bit, it was a welcome relief. Unfortunately, along with the torrents of rain and crashes of thunder came a power outage.

Now, please understand that power outages are common here in India. It doesn't happen every day, but it does happen on many days. Usually, though, only a few hot, cranky minutes pass before the lights and, most importantly, the fans come back on. There are also days when there are scheduled power cuts. That happens when the lines are being worked on, but, as long as you keep up with your newspaper reading, you will be prepared for those. So, power outages are just a common, everyday thing here in India. But they usually aren't like the one we just experienced.

It was about 9 pm on Friday night when the power went out. The six volunteers were at Achen's house, busy trying to catch up on e-mailing, blogging, and picture uploading, after spending a week away. Fortunately for all of us who were working so hard to play this catch-up game, some of Achen's lights and fans, as well as his internet connection, can run on battery for a while. But eventually, that battery runs out, and that meant reluctantly shutting down our computers and going to bed, to sleep with the fans off. Yuck!

We woke up in the morning to find Kochamma cooking with fire and by firelight. We ate our breakfast silently under the fan that wasn't moving, trying not to start the day off sweating. And, after saying our goodbyes, I went back to Chacko Homes, where I showered, unpacked, thought about showering again, and then finally just gave it up and lay down on my bed to sweat in silence until the current returned at 3 pm.

After living in India for over six months, I no longer take access to electricity for granted - at least not the way I once would have. I'm glad for this new gratefulness, for the way I can truly appreciate a light and a fan - especially a fan. It's a matter of needs versus desires, and I've really started to recognize that difference. There was a time I would have thought the world had to stop until the current came back. But life went on as normal, and people - including me - went about their daily lives. Sure, we were a bit more sweaty in our beds last night, but we all appreciated the fans that much more at 3 pm this afternoon.