The past few days have been very strange in the world of Agadir. Conner, my roommate and other awesome ETA here has been in Marrakesh visiting some of the other Fulbrighters for the Eid Al Adha holiday.
I, on the other hand, have been house sitting in an apartment complex that has increasingly dwindled in its inhabitants as people take off for their ancestral homes to spend the holiday with family. Since Conner's absence, the electricity has been iffy at best.
On Sunday, I woke up to no electricity. Meaning, no hot water, no laundry, no lights, no stove...you get the idea. Basically, I woke up without my creature comforts such as they are. At some point the lights came on and I rejoiced, but it was not to be. I came back from errands to find no lights in the stairs, or in the house. I had been at the glorious beach all day and desperately wanted a shower, which was not to be, alas. Monday, the electricity turned off just as I was finishing cooking breakfast. Tuesday was much of the same.
Fortunately, today it seems to be on and working regularly. Today is Eid Al Adha, the day of sacrifice where families sacrifice sheep in commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his one and only son to God. It is a feast day where families grill and cook the delicious meat. Having participated in it in Tunisia, I decided to sit this one out and get some much needed work done on research and applications.
However, the problem with electricity has got me thinking. Although people here swear that this "never happens" I wonder how much of Morocco's population lives without electricity. I wonder how the average person can afford their electricity bill, and if companies ever shut off power like they do in the US. Being a Fulbrighter with a disposable income means that these are not problems that I have to face, but I do wonder about the average person here in this beautiful, complicated and disorganized place.
I, on the other hand, have been house sitting in an apartment complex that has increasingly dwindled in its inhabitants as people take off for their ancestral homes to spend the holiday with family. Since Conner's absence, the electricity has been iffy at best.
On Sunday, I woke up to no electricity. Meaning, no hot water, no laundry, no lights, no stove...you get the idea. Basically, I woke up without my creature comforts such as they are. At some point the lights came on and I rejoiced, but it was not to be. I came back from errands to find no lights in the stairs, or in the house. I had been at the glorious beach all day and desperately wanted a shower, which was not to be, alas. Monday, the electricity turned off just as I was finishing cooking breakfast. Tuesday was much of the same.
Fortunately, today it seems to be on and working regularly. Today is Eid Al Adha, the day of sacrifice where families sacrifice sheep in commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his one and only son to God. It is a feast day where families grill and cook the delicious meat. Having participated in it in Tunisia, I decided to sit this one out and get some much needed work done on research and applications.
However, the problem with electricity has got me thinking. Although people here swear that this "never happens" I wonder how much of Morocco's population lives without electricity. I wonder how the average person can afford their electricity bill, and if companies ever shut off power like they do in the US. Being a Fulbrighter with a disposable income means that these are not problems that I have to face, but I do wonder about the average person here in this beautiful, complicated and disorganized place.
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