Haunted House

Last night, my electricity went off around midnight.


That meant, the fans and the AC and the water were now gone. I had just had water return to the house after three days of using what I had accumulated.

I was not happy. Remember, it is hot in Sudan.

So, I opened the doors and the windows, hoping for a little relief. There was very little relief.

This morning, I commented to Samy that all the food in the refrigerator needed to be eaten by the three of them, while I was at work. He asked why?

It then hit me, I was the only one without electricity.

Once again, my workday starts with a utility crisis. Welcome to Sudan.

Actually, it is a little stranger.


It seems, that when I leave the house, the problems are repaired or fix themselves and when I return, they reappear.


That happened tonight.


During the day, Samy called to tell me that he had found the problem with the electricity and that Arreyha was going to change the water pump switch. The electric company had said that the problem was not caused by them, it was inside the house.


Great cheers all around. The housekeeper cleaned, the cook cooked. Water a plenty and AC as well.



Then, I walked through the gate, and headed to take a shower. Electricity went off.



I headed to Samy and he came back over. The landlord called. Samy told him what happened.


The landlord and a friend and Rasheed arrived.



I then witnessed the Sudan version of watching a group of men stand around a problem, discuss it, try something else, discuss it. This went on for hours.



I kept interrupting to ask what was being said. My explaination, in pantomime, that the cutoff value for the full tank was not working by acting out a waterfall, ranked up there with explaining that the lightbulb on the post was "dead".



By the end of the evening, the fuse switch had been replaced, paid by landlord, the light blub at the front of the house, replaced and the water tank had been fully drained, paid by me.



This is the watertank. Rasheed, the electrician, climbed to the top, unscrewed the top and checked the water level.



Notice that I said electrician. This was not in his job description. But up he went.



What he found was about three inches of brown silt in the bottom of the tank. This was causing major problems in bringing water into the house. In addition, he repaired the overflow device.



When he was done, I had electicity, but no water. The whole "Bem" area was without water.



So, still no shower. Welcome to Sudan. It is what it is.



I have discovered that the Sudanese people are some of the friendliest on the planet. And, if you are not afraid to laugh at your own limitations, they will take you into their hearts.



Tonight, I thank God for Samy and Rasheed. True angels.



Wait, I hear the water runny. Excuse me for heading to the shower.