Here are some of our updates that hadn't yet been posted here.
Janurary Newsletter
February Newsletter
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Who's got the power?
I'm feeling a bit ambivalent these days. We topped 40 degrees C the other day which officially marks hot season in Ouagadougou. To celebrate the event, the national electricity company sent out a program of the power cuts that would be happening over the next two months, the hottest of the year. We were discouraged: 7 hours per day without power planned for the next few months...it's going to be a long haul to get to the rains. May God send them early this year!
But to our amazement, we have gone 4 days without a power cut in our little neighbourhood - a mix of middle and lower class people - when all around us, the city is suffering through up to 12 hour cuts per day. Then we heard the rumour: we have what they call a "grand" in our neighbourhood. Somebody important and with influence has moved in. We have been so thankful for power and the ability to enjoy a bottle of cold water from time to time, but at whose expense?
Two days ago I went to buy a cold Coke from the corner boutique, a 1 minute walk from our house. I asked the owner if he had any cold ones and he just looked at me, shocked. "We've been cut for the past 12 hours. The power just came back 30 minutes ago. You'll have to take a warm one." I was embarrassed. I hadn't noticed a thing all day. As I handed him the money, darkness fell on us. Another cut. He used his flashlight to find my change. I thanked him and walked into the blackness of the night. Across the street in our neighbourhood, the limit of that section of the power grid, all lights were on. I went home and put my Coke in the freezer to enjoy it cold a couple of hours later...
But to our amazement, we have gone 4 days without a power cut in our little neighbourhood - a mix of middle and lower class people - when all around us, the city is suffering through up to 12 hour cuts per day. Then we heard the rumour: we have what they call a "grand" in our neighbourhood. Somebody important and with influence has moved in. We have been so thankful for power and the ability to enjoy a bottle of cold water from time to time, but at whose expense?
Two days ago I went to buy a cold Coke from the corner boutique, a 1 minute walk from our house. I asked the owner if he had any cold ones and he just looked at me, shocked. "We've been cut for the past 12 hours. The power just came back 30 minutes ago. You'll have to take a warm one." I was embarrassed. I hadn't noticed a thing all day. As I handed him the money, darkness fell on us. Another cut. He used his flashlight to find my change. I thanked him and walked into the blackness of the night. Across the street in our neighbourhood, the limit of that section of the power grid, all lights were on. I went home and put my Coke in the freezer to enjoy it cold a couple of hours later...
Mennonite Church Canada Learning Tour
Have you checked out the MC Canada Learning Tour blog yet? It describes there time in Burkina Faso last month. You can find it at:
http://burkinamenno.blogspot.com/
http://burkinamenno.blogspot.com/
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