Teaching in the Dark

Funny, as I just wrote the title of this blog, I realized it could have a deeper, symbolic meaning...

Hmm, but for now, I mean it in the literal sense of the word.

Had my M.A. class this evening (5-6:30) and about ten minutes into the class the wind really picked up. It's been super windy here lately, and actually quite stormy with power outages not so rare.

So we're in class and the wind picks up and and the students start talking about how they're afraid the power might go out (apparently tonight was not the first time). Sure enough, about 5 minutes later, as I'm in the midst of explaining compare and contrast style writing, the power stops. Lights go off and (saddest of all) the air conditioner shuts off. 

(Side note: one of the best perks of teaching the MA class - besides getting paid, and being understood! - is that the classroom has air!! I love it, though the students are usually positioning themselves out of the path of the blowing air).

So, after the power goes out, it's decision time. Do we stop class now? Will it come back on? How much longer will the light from outside be enough to see the board? A man comes by and talks to the head of the class and I hear him say, fai bor ma lui...translation - the power won't come back on at all for a while. Sadness. My only night teaching them and the power turns off after just 20 minutes.

However, we decided to plod on through the throes of academic writing. Actually, it worked out quite well because we were talking about narratives, so we turned our story into a narrative...Twas the night to study writing, it turned dark all around, outside the wild wind blowing is the only sound... :)  Thus, we studied until the whiteboard was not visible to those in the back of the class and then went home early, having discussed only a portion of the lesson I'd planned.

It really explains life here so well... always expect the unexpected, and on the days you think you've got it all planned out just so... well, those are usually the days when you get surprised the most. 

I came home to Nouy reading by candlelight. Thankfully just before it got really dark so she wasn't home alone. So we had a relaxing time talking until the power finally flickered back on around 7:30.

This has been the week of ruggedness it seems... between power outages and water problems. Due to a broken pipe, our village didn't have water on Saturday or Monday. That was quite the adventure. If we played Would you rather? and the question was Would you rather not have electricity or not have water?  I think I'd almost say I'd rather not have electricity (at least during the day). You never realize how much you use water until you don't have it! Also had my bathroom sprayer break off the wall this week (Sone was trying to fix it), and so essentially now in my bathroom there's a hole in the wall that spews water everywhere. Exciting stuff all the time here. Never a dull moment as my mom always used to say. So, we pretty much have to keep the water turned off most of the time. Though I tried to be resourceful this morning and showered using the spewing water hole since we had turned the water on for showers downstairs.

Sometimes I think it's almost kind of fun.

But only for a few hours :)