All Systems Go

On a good day the electricity is on. On a great day there are 4,000 liters of water in our two tanks. On a really great day the hot water pressure is working. And on a perfect day all this is combined with the fact that everyone is healthy and happy. That was a day a couple of weeks ago but not today.

I am looking back on that moment now because it is so rare. In recent months the water tables have slowly gone down in Ethiopia causing a two-fold problem. The shortages of water and of electricity. That’s because this nation is powered mostly by hydro-electricity. The good news is that the rainy season is coming and the country is nearing completion on several more dams, including one that is slated to begin operation at the end of July.

But right now we don’t have electricity at least 3 days a week. We have heard the government has announced that there will be more power shedding with the power going off every other day for the foreseeable future. In addition we haven’t had water coming into the compound for at least 3 nights. No water comes into the compound during the day normally, but usually comes at night. Unfortunately we haven’t had any water at night now either. So we are imposing water rationing on the household. If the water doesn’t come over the weekend we’ll have to truck some water in with a tanker.

The other week we did have water, two tankfuls, but no water was coming in. We called Master Plumber. Normally I would say that with a smirk but Mr. Addis is truly a master plumber compared to his competition. Most plumbers have no training other than learning on the job from someone. Most plumbers bring no tools, you need to supply the tools. Most plumbers don’t have transportation, they either come on foot or you go pick them up. And if they need parts, you take them around to the hardware stores to shop. This is true of all the trades here. So when you can call a plumber and he says, I’ll be there in one hour, and he comes in one hour; when he arrives in a car with his own tools, when he speaks good English and knows plumbing terms in English, when he goes out shopping on his own, when he charges you a reasonable rate, then you know you have struck gold.

So Mr. Addis came and found dirt in our plumbing. It is ancient plumbing, he pointed out, inadequate for current household needs. But for the moment the water is running again and our budget is looking to be strained, so we’ll hold off for a bit. It turns out Addis has just started a construction company. Building houses, remodeling houses. So we plan to see if he can give us a good deal on laying down new flooring, painting several rooms, and building a shelter.

Right now living here is not ‘convenient’, but if there is a normal rainy season here then much will go back to ‘normal’. When we come back in August I hope that much will be improved such as;
• A steady flow of water coming into the compound
• No more power shedding, electricity 24/7 thanks to the rain and the new dams online
• All the roads in our area that have been under construction over the past 2 years will all be done, good-bye to all the traffic jams due to construction (there will still be traffic jams).
• Our house will have new flooring and fresh paint.

If all goes according to plan, all systems will be go, is that too much to expect?