Load Shedding & Politics

Hi again. I have so much to say, but there are technical limitations here. I only have the Internet at work, and I cannot stay after work hours to write, because I need to catch the bus home before it gets dark. (Since it is winter here, it starts to get dark at 5pm). So, I get to the Internet when I can, then the power goes out…and so it goes.

Speaking of electricity going out. (Some of you probably didn’t even know I had electricity, did you?) Well, I do, at all times, except for during load shedding. Load shedding basically means power sharing. There are times where we lose power for a few hours so that another area of the city can have it. The times when this will happen are posted in the newspaper. It happens a few times a week. Why there is not enough power for everyone, as there is in the States, I do not know yet. I’m assuming it has something to do with a lack of finances, or maybe some government bureaucracy, otherwise known as bologna sausage (BS).

We also lose power when someone has neglected to pay the power bill. This happened to us at work the other day, not because our organization hadn’t paid, but because the landlord of the building we are housed in did not pay. This is especially frustrating because not only do we lose the Internet, but after the batteries on our laptops run out, we lose the ability to do anything on the computer.

When this happened, we turned to reading the newspaper and discussing politics (which we do even when we do have power). As Sam says, the Malawians' favorite things to talk about, and in general, are football (soccer to most of you) and politics.

Malawians are very up on current events and read the newspaper daily. Our Grenadian (from the island nation of Grenada, in the Carribean) housemate, Leslie, has a radio and puts on BBC Africa each morning. I listened to this station in Mali as well. It is one of my favorite radio stations.

There is no shortage of news about the United States. Before I even got to work to look it up on the Internet, I heard on the radio on the bus that Barack won the democratic bid. Before this, everyone was asking me who I liked, Hillary or Barack. They have their own opinions as well. One woman I work with told me she didn't like Hillary because then the presidency would be staying in one family! At first I was surprised that they knew and cared so much about what goes on in the U.S. But then I realized, of course they do. The decisions made in the U.S. directly affect the rest of the world.

Here we are all very excited about Barack Obama's victory! The Malawians ask me about John McCain (another four years of Republican policies scare me), if the U.S. is ready for Barack Obama (I hope so), and if I will accept him (Yes, I will).