I woke up today with a full night's rest, feeling great! I got up, got ready for work (judging a beauty contest today!), danced to Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson as I got ready, listened to Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana as I made breakfast, and sat and ate to some hip hop and soul. I like a diverse collection of songs on my playlist most of the time.
As I was eating, the people from Botswana Power Company, and the electricians I've come to know, came over to inspect my house for electricity. It didn't even matter that they came 2 hours later than what they had told me, I had a good feeling about it and thought about electricity all night long!
I was so anxious about the inspection I kept asking how everything worked. Also, I'm just a very curious person by nature - always have been. I followed them to each room which got a little awkward because my place is tiny and they'd turn around to find my face there, waiting with excitement, as if they were going to tell me they'd take me to Disneyland or something. They tested this and that in this and that room, talked about trips and circuits and insulation, spoke Setswana to each other and I couldn't understand anything. But finally, they said that my house was ready to go!
It didn't take very long to set up because my house was already wired when I came. They set up an electricity meter which uses a prepayment protocol meaning I go to any electricity vending station and buy units. I take my electricity card so that they record it and make sure the units are good to go with my corresponding serial number. When I get home, I punch in the 20-digit code into my meter and my house is supplied with electricity for however much I bought it for! This is exactly how I pay for airtime on my cell phone.
Since things work a bit differently here, I always have to keep track and monitor my usage because I will have to buy more airtime or more electricity units when they run low. Which means I have to plan a day where I can go into my shopping village and do that. Which also means I will try to hit every bird with one stone and make sure I do everything else I need to do in town, like buy groceries and visit certain government offices to get my errands done. I just hope I remember to monitor the meter and keep in mind how much electricity I use for certain things.
I'm so excited right now as I type this blog post. This means I'll also (hopefully) be able to bring my tiny refrigerator home and not have to walk back and forth when preparing meals! I will never take electricity for granted or waste it! I'm charging my phone as I type right now. Who knows, I might get a little crazy tonight and turn on the light when I read! Watch out!
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