I think the power went out 3 times today. Fortunately, not when I was presenting a draft of a paper in my Norwegian-African research group. I’m getting the hang of having a flashlight on my when the power goes down. I try to keep my phone plugged in when I’m at my desk, to keep it fully charged. But tonight, the power went out, and I realized that my phone would not work. I bought some vouchers to upload to my phone, but there is a new bundle thing that needs to either uploaded with more money (for Internet/data with half a dozen options in addition to some customizing plans) or turned off. However, the text that told me how to turn the bundle off was not accurate to the options on the screen I was to access. And I can’t buy a new bundle, because there is no credit card option. I have to get a Mpesa account–like Venmo/Zelle (for the Americans), Vipps (for the Norwegians), and Swish (for the Swedes). So, I was able to respond to an SMS from my answer-to-prayer-former-colleague Daniel only when the power came back on and I could WhatsApp message him online. Thus, for a while there, I was left incommunicado. In case of emergency, I would have to take my flashlight and walk to a neighbor and ask for help. I know one of the teachers here who is a neighbor, but I just don’t know which house yet.
So, I’m re-centering on a peace that passes all understanding through listening to some instrumental hymns and praise songs–since I have Internet access when the power is on. I also made sure I did my daily Duolingo language lesson and washed the dishes (to boil water, as I only have cold water in the kitchen sink).
I’ll probably head to bed early. Last night, there were dogs fighting outside. The barking–and some horrible whimpering–went on for a long time. I don’t know the neighborhood yet (not even which house is the one for the guy I know), but I sense there are some non-pet dogs that wander the community. I’m guessing people put up with them, because they eat up any scraps that get tossed out and help keep the rodent population down. I’m just guessing.
Sorry, no pictures today, as I didn’t go to the library to download pictures from my phone. I worked on the paper for the presentation.
Mungu akubariki! (God bless you!)