Lately every time it rains the power cuts out at the office. Lately, it rains a lot. This is the rainforest. The power company does not take responsibility for fixing their lines (unless you track them down and pay them on the side). In some places the lines are above ground and openly spliced and puddles can become deadly. In other places, the lines are buried but they look like a patchwork quilt. When the water soaks in, the lines short out and our computers go dead, work goes manual. Get out the abacus.
As the manager of a small financial institution that is looking to grow, my computer is an important tool. Unfortunately the battery is so worn out that it only lasts about 45 minutes tops. When the power goes out longer than that, so does much of my effectiveness. Even as I make it, this complaint feels absurd to me in a country where 99% of the people have never touched a computer. But days like today feel about twice as long as normal computerized workdays. I realize how big the computer is in my work and life when I am relegated to shuffling paper and meanwhile growth planning models are locked in a laptop with a dead battery. It’s frustrating when communication with coworkers in other cities costs 30 cents per minute instead of free online chat. (And there’s a good bit of stuff to touch in on from government issues to health issues to those planning models.)
I went generator shopping and found that just about nothing is available. The one available in town is without any brand name at all and I’m fairly certain it would krunk out in weeks or months rather than years. Some men are digging up the shredded cables and work is being done. Tomorrow is another day.
Your descriptions of DRC make even the most foreign-feeling places I went in Europe sound down-right next-door.