No Electricity

"Ghana Wins Again"

          When there seems to be no way to solve a problem or change something that in the US we would consider easy, the phrase here is "Ghana wins again". Today, actually it started yesterday, was such a day. 

          In our last apartment and in this one also we have to prepay for our electricity. We go to a substation and put some money on a card and then come home and scan the meter. When we first arrived we had no electricity for the first three days because the Elders, who had been assigned the job didn't do it before we got here so we were without power for Saturday, Sunday, and until Monday afternoon. Because the water had an electric pump we didn't have water there either.

          Forward to now. Yesterday we noticed that we were getting low on electricity but figured that we had enough to last at least for three days. We have been trying to calculate how much we use so figured that three days was a good estimate. That would have been tomorrow. Thinking ahead we ventured off yesterday to buy some more. The first substation had no more to sell for yesterday. I know, strange. We didn't have time to find another one as we needed to leave for our two hour drive to Suhum but figured we would be ok.

          About 1 A.M. I heard the fan go off but figured that the generator would kick in soon. When it didn't I knew that the power was done. The rest of the night was not pleasant but we made it through and showers in cool water are not new. We got to the substation when it opened at 8 and they still could not sell any power. We went off to find another place. A few zigs and zags and we are there. Are you ready for this one? The actual office of Ghana Electricity Company has no electricity. The lady attendant is out back literally trying to hand wire, one wire at a time, the generator to get some power on in the office to run the lights and computers, to get ready for business. You just can do nothing but laugh.

          We ran a few errands at the Area Office and the Mission Home and then go back to the office of Ghana Electricity Company and buy our electricity, take it home (our card) and put it on the meter. What was so unreal is that the meter still had 40 plus cedis left on it. It just turned off, it didn't really run out. From now on there will be extra on the meter, assuming we can buy it.