Power Outages

Over the last week there have been rotating power grid shutoffs throughout all of the Western Cape. The nuclear power plant (the only source of electricity) has one reactor down for repairs and the other is being refuelled. Consequently, the power is being rerouted from the other provinces but there is not enough for all the Western Cape so these shutoffs happen. Of course, living in a poorer suburb makes it seem like we get longer shutoffs, more frequently. As of right now we have had steady power for a day and a half so hopes are getting higher. There is no warning from the company that the power will go down and inevitably it always seems to be around dinner time. I was on top of Lion’s Head the other night and the city lights stretch into the distance with a noticeable black spot where Observatory is. It also causes a rise in break and entry crimes because most of the alarm systems are disabled. The first night it went out our alarm started to beep like mad walking me up. My first, sleep-confused thoughts were, “Someone’s breaking in? What the fuck should I do? Why can’t I just sleep? It also means that many classes have been cancelled so there are usually large crowds hanging out in the plaza waiting for classes to start again.

Speaking of crowds, the other UBC students and I received an advisory warning from the exchange office at UBC in regards to a transit strike in the city. This was a forwarded note that the Federal Government posted on it’s travel website warning people to stay away from large gatherings, etc.,etc. On this end we didn’t even notice that the trains weren’t running and there was certainly no cause for concern. Note to self: take the travel advisories with a grain of salt.