A Storm in Francistown

ETA: Within a couple hours of posting this, our power went off again. Why... I have no idea. This time we make toasted sandwiches on the grill and had just finished supper when it came back on! I love Africa! :)
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Sometime on Friday our power happened to go out. We were gone at the time, and when we arrived home, realized what had happened. Maybe I’m just getting to be too African, but it didn’t even phase me. We weren’t sure what caused the outage, but does it really matter? Life goes on...

Friday evening the power was still out. Our dinner plans obviously weren’t going to work out without a stove, so Sam and I decided to go get some bread for sandwiches. We thought we would open the fridge once to remove everything we needed, and if the power was still off after supper, we’d eat up the ice cream. :) On the way to the store, I noticed the dark, ominous-looking clouds rolling in to town. We also noted a large truck of security guards who were being dropped off to various houses serviced by that particular security company. With the power off in the whole neighborhood, it was part of their responsibility to still protect houses under their contract. I was excited about the prospect of a storm, hoping it would cool it off. I think it was the hottest day since we’ve been here, well over 110. The winds were picking up and we gave our neighbors a lift, since it looked like it was going to pour any second.

Arriving at the closest shopping center with a grocery store, Sam let me out at the front door just as it started to rain. The shopping center is shaped as a short, squatty T with the entrance at the bottom. I walked in and immediately noticed that there were twice as many security guards as there usually are, and they all had their sticks out and ready. (Power outages are prime times for looting in stores, and they had obviously had this problem before.) Just as I reached the intersection of the T, the wind reached its worst. If I was in Pennsylvania, I would have thought it was a tornado! The power flickered, a couple of the plexiglass panels in the ceiling broke loose, showering everyone below with rain and debris. I ran for cover as people started to scream, and security guards began closing the doors and gates on the shops closest to the front. Just as Sam came running in from the rain, the power died completely and the security guards finished closing up the grocery store.

So much for our bread… but we weren’t leaving any time soon. By now, we were all the way at the end of the T, the furthest away we could get from the main outside entrance. Yet still I could feel the rain blowing in, and trash and debris were swirling all over the shopping center. People huddled in all the corners, trying to wait out the storm. After waiting several minutes, we decided to make a run for it, getting soaked in the process. The far end of the parking lot was several inches deep in water… it just had nowhere to go!

Back home again and we decided to use up our milk and have cereal for supper. We also tried to make chocolate chip cookies on our grill. It was a valiant effort, producing results that were pretty good, but can be improved on. In fact, I foresee a power outage tradition in that! We lit our candles and sat in the semi-darkness swatting mosquitoes for several hours. I think that is the worst part of having the power go out… the air is absolutely still and stifling; you feel like you can hardly breathe. All windows open to catch the slightest breeze, and then the mosquitoes come. Ick…

Using the last of the water in our heater, we all took lukewarm showers and sprayed down with bug spray, ready to settle in for a long night. I had just purchased a mosquito net which I looked forward to using, but while nets keep the bugs out, they also keep any moving air out, making it even more stifling, especially when all is pitch black. Just then, the power came back on. What rejoicing! It went off and on some more that night, but most of the night was spent in relative comfort.

Saturday and Sunday it continued to flicker off and on. We found out that Tonota, a village just a few kilometers from us, did not receive a bit of the storm. However, just on the other side of town, whole trees were rooted up and billboards blown over by the violent winds. Much of Francistown lost power, and we were among one of the few sections that received power by Friday night. Some friends of ours did not receive power until Sunday afternoon.

When we found that out, it certainly put some things in perspective, considering we were mourning the loss of our internet. Our hotspot had been blown over and though we tried to find out what was going on, we soon realized that our main provider was still out of power. Monday we took a trip to Gabs to check on some paperwork and were thrilled when we got home and realized we had internet again. :) 

There are many things that I don’t like about losing power – the main thing being that we lose the use of our fans. Even if we didn’t have our air conditioning, I would be fine as long as there was a working fan. The nights are the worst with oppressive heat and buzzing mosquitoes. But there are also some aspects I love of not having power… I like the quiet evenings with only candlelight and conversation to amuse us. I like the challenge of making things on the grill… boiling water for coffee and frying chocolate chip cookies on tin foil.

Just another day in Africa…