We have always known that blackouts are sure to come; they are a feature of Ghanian life. Today, we experienced our first (very minor) one.
While Catherine and I were waiting to pay at Shoprite, the lights in the back half of the store went out. That was Stage 1. After a couple minutes, all lights went out. Stage 2. There were no gasps of disbelief, no shrieks, no nothing; no big deal. Just quiet. Shoppers had obviously been through this before. After about two minutes of dark, all lights came back on. (Generators kicked in?) After five additional minutes during which the tills rebooted, the store returned to normal activity. We expect more and longer “load shedding” events in the future. Clearly, this was a mild introduction.
Catherine was still feeling a bit sick this morning, and we stayed home from church. But, by afternoon, she was well enough to accompany me to Shoprite. I’m hopeful that she’ll attend school tomorrow. If not, I’ll take her to the doctor.
Late this afternoon Mark took a walk, wandering around campus for a while. Along the way, he took several photos of the flowers he saw. I don’t expect there are too many songs that mention “the bougainvillea.” But, one of my favorite songs does: Paul Simon’s The Coast (lyrics). Anyone know of another?
—Matt
