LIVING: Electricity

We leave the ceiling fan in the on position all the time, that way the ceiling fan is a visual indicator of the availability of electricity. Often it is still.

Ghana is in it's dry season and the water table has fallen. The electricity in our region is supplied by hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power and a dry season are a bad combination. If we're lucky we have rolling blackouts which last for a couple of hours. When we aren't lucky the power is off all day.

Our laptop batteries last for more then two hours, so rolling blackouts aren't such a problem for laptops: they can sometimes outlast them. The bigger problem is the refrigerator. But thats just part of what Ghanaians are used to and we're getting used to it too, adapting our lives to many small inconveniences in exchange for the incredible experience we're having.

All signs indicate that Ghana is well on it's path to becoming a developed country. It is politically stable and it's economy is growing. Emmanuel says that another hydroelectric plant is under construction in the Eastern Region. Soon they probably won't have these problems anymore. In the meantime, Sonja and I have lots of time to talk and read. :)



S Sonjo puščava stropni ventilator ves čas prižgan, saj nama njegovo vrtenje (oz nevrtenje) sporoča ali imava dostop do elektrike. Ventilator pogosto miruje. 

Gana je v sušni dobi, zato je podtalnica nizka. Za oskrbo z elektriko na našem območju pa skrbi hidroelektrarna, kar ni najboljša kombinacija. Kadar imamo srečo izpadi elektrike trajajo nekaj ur. Ko je nimamo, smo lahko brez elektrike tudi ves dan. 

Bateriji najinih prenosnih računalnikov zdržita nekaj več kot dve uri, zato izpadi elektrike v tem oziru ne predstavljajo prevelike težave. Kar pa ne velja za hladilnik! :) Ganci so na te razmere, za razliko od naju, seveda navajeni. Tudi midva se počasi privajava na drobne nevšečnosti vsakdanjega življenja, ki pa jih celotna neverjetna izkušnja tako zelo odtehta! 

Vsi indikatorji kažejo na to, da postaja Gana razvita država. Politično je stabilna, ekonomski kazalci rastejo. Emanuel pravi, da je druga hidroelektrarna  (v vzhodni regiji) v nastajanju. Kar pomeni, da bo verjetno oskrba z električno energijo že kmalu boljša. Za zdaj pa imava s Sonjo veliko časa za pogovor in branje. :)