LUKU

Feeling good and proud of myself as I was able to figure out all by myself how to buy electricity units via mobile M-Pesa service. Tried the whole afternoon yesteday in vain as the network was busy and the service not responding, but eventually I succeeded and was able to purchase kilowatts via Vodacom M-Pesa. Then I waited for like half an hour before the confrimation sms came in with the code to punch in the meter. So I went and did punch the numbers and the code was accepted. New balance appeared on the display and we were spared of power cut home-made (by running out of units). Amazing how technology can ease our daily lives.No need to drive to Musoma to pay bills or to buy LUKU units. Just doing all this in the privacy of the home. Great!

Darkness Rationing

The call it power rationing, load shedding. But in fact it has become such a nuisance, such a pain in the backside that I cannot but call it 'darkness rationing'! Tanesco does not even follow their own power cuts schedule anymore. The power goes off at any time now, and we have just a few hours of electricity on average in a period of 48 hours. I don't want even think or count anymore how much this situation cost me money in terms of burnt out appliances and petrol and maintenance of the generator I run from time to time when really in need. Total failure. I don't want to think about economy implications of this state for all Tanzanians especially those who depend totally on power. I read somewhere that only 40% of all Tanzanian companies, big and small businesses run on generators these days. The rest sits and cannot do anything, they just cry and count losses. God help us all!

Miracle

Today we have witnessed a miracle. In the morning, before we set off to Musoma for shopping with sisters, I called a manager of Tanesco in Musoma, reminding him of our conversation and my request to connect the convent with the power line. I paid in full last week, but the manager told me that normally it takes time for them to react as the demand is growing and their manpower not capable of responding to demands as fast as they wished...

And Then...

 The darkness embraced Tanzania day in day out... and then a man created solar charged portable lamps...

Secret

Do you know the secret of how to make an entire nation happy and ecstatic in an instance? In one click? Just wait for the moment when Tanesco switches the power back on! This is something unreal, something out of this world, something that speaks volumes about us, humans, here in Tanzania, and indeed elsewhere in the world, where the power over things like electricity and our, us minnows, dependance on it, makes for this strange relation where we accept the matter of things as it is, and see the commodity for which we pay and we should be provided unfailingly, as a rare luxury. Getting ecstatic when the power is restored instead of demanding a permanent solution to this abnormal situation! So sad. 

Tanesco

Coming back to Tanzania from North America and Europe where noone remembers when it was the last time there was a power failure, not caused by some natural calamities like hurricane, extreme frost, snow, flooding, earthquake and so forth, and finding myself in a situation where there is no single day without power cuts in Dar es Salaam and elsewhere around the country, it is really hard to adjust to the reality of uncertainty - when they will cut the power, if they will cut the power, how long it will take to restore the power and so forth... These are the real life questions! Being helpless as I am in this situation, I cannot but laugh watching this piece of comedy from a popular group in Tanzania. Those of you who understand swahili, enjoy... For others, you have to come here to understand what I am writing about.

Patience

Three years and two months it took Tanesco (Tanzania Electricity Supply Company) to react to my warning letter that the last pole in the power line supplying electricity to my house was about to collapse any time as it was rotten completely and swaying in high winds...

And On This Rock...

I will build my...tank...

Amazing workers I am privileged to have, I have to say in full praise! They were able to pull an incredible feat. To finish laying concrete slab as a base for the water tank in less than 20 hours with such huge problems with water, borders on impossible! They are trashed now completely, so after paying them their dues and thanking with all my heart, I couldn't but wish them a good night, haha...

Murphy Law

Murphy Law. Who never heard about it?

Well. today was a textbook example of Murphy Law in action. Wait, I should not have written 'was', it actually is 4pm EAT and still huge chunk of time ahead of me till I wander around and find my bed. Who knows what still may happen to me this afternoon and tonight? It scares the s..t out of me big time.

Everything went wrong so far. Woke up with a mega headache which double Panadol could not chase away. Had to drive to Musoma to fight with Tanesco - power supply company - who yesterday sent their sentinels to cut me off from national power grid, as - allegedly - I refused to settle my bills. Yeah, right! If only I had those bills delivered to my post office box in fact! So they generously allowed me to entertain power and light and hot water in my shower, but I had to come to their office today to pay the bills. The gave me the exact amounts due.

So I drove with my sisters to town this morning. With annoying headache. First waypoint - NBC Ltd. bank in Musoma. Oh, how convenient - a parking place for my car in front of the bank. Great! It has been a big problem to find a space there. Entered the bank in a better mood. Wow! Almost nobody inside. Happiness in bucketloads now in my heart!

Sorry, bank network down. So, no balance statement, no withdrawal of cash, nothing. Till I was leaving Musoma at 1pm, there was still not a slightest sign of improvement.

Ok, no money, no honey!

Went to post office to check if my 'Avatar' movie on DVD arrived which I generously bought me for birthday present as the sale of DVDs was launched officially on April 22, 2010, the very day of my birthday.

No sign of DVD. Yeah, what should I expect? Actually, 7 days delivery guaranteed means nothing these days here. I should not complain.

Next stop - bishop's office, to see one of his secretaries responsible for immigration issues. I wanted to check if we really need a residence permit for a volunteer coming for field work to Kiabakari for six months only. I hoped we wouldn't need, just an extended visa would suffice.

Wrong again. We need residence permit - for one year. And it can be done only in Dar es Salaam. And probably she will get her residence permit the day she leaves Tanzania going back to Poland, judging the speed of bureaucracy in those offices...

Next waypoint - Tanesco offices. I was wrong again allowing in my mind a tiniest hope of having my bills corrected. Nope, I have to pay in full, they showed all records and argued. Ah, well...I have decided already that as soon as possible I will switch to LUKU type meters (LUKU - Lipa Umeme Kadiri Unavyotumia; Pay Electricity As You Use). Instead of reading meter, one buys a voucher with combination of numbers, punches them down on the dial on the meter and it shows how much kWh you have just entered. When you use power till 0.00 units, then it shuts you down and cuts off the power. With mobile phone services - when you can buy power units with messages, it is very handy and you have kind of control of your usage of power.

So, I have to drive back to Musoma tomorrow, to bank to get the money and pay for those nasty bills...

When I finally got back home, I got a message from a very good friend of mine with depressing news. Oh, well...What should I expect today? Good news? No way!

Still so many hours till midnight...What will go wrong still today? If I post anything tomorrow, it will mean I survived.

I tend to suspect that this year my life is like the situation depicted in one of these sentences above:

'The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of an oncoming train'

Hope I'm wrong.