We've got cabin fever..

For some reason when the power is off it feels colder. Not because it actually is but because when you go for 4 straight days with a total of about 5 hours of power your mind begins to do strange things. Neither Garrett nor Eric have wood stoves so for the last few days it’s like I’ve had roommates and we’ve taken turns cooking on my woodstove by candle light. Sure the first night is fun, the second night is annoying and it’s that third night that you begin to loose hope. I don’t remember last winter being like this. Were we just naïve? Had I lost all tolerance? No, last year power outages lasted one night max, but 3 straight nights is too much for anyone!

The only place that had power in the entire town for almost 5 days was the hotel and it was standing room only during all hours of operation. They had a generator going so not only did they have power but they had electric heat. After waiting in line to get a seat I got to charge my computer and phone and hang out inside a warm, smoke filled room instead of going to work.

We were sitting in my apartment yesterday, with out power, in the middle of the day, the schools were closed, work might as well have been closed and there was nothing to do. It was as cold in my house as it was outside and watching our breath show up in the air reminded us of that every second and laying in bed underneath all the covers was the warmest option. Huge snowflakes fell from the sky when I looked out of the window and I saw people bundled up walking around under umbrellas. Why did I love snow days back in the states? Oh, because I got out of school and could come back inside to a warm room and hot chocolate. I’ve decided I don’t like snow days anymore.

I was loosing my mind. I began to wonder if there was life outside of Bajram Curri at all. Was this the beginning of the end? Were the Mayans right and this was the start of the end of the world!? None of the buses went to the capital for 2 days. Last year that only happened once and it was in February… this is going to be a long one. All of us became very ornery and quick to snap at each other around the fourth day, making fun of everything, trying to find some sort of control in our lives. Then suddenly on Monday, the power came back on while I was cooking dinner on my gas bumble. I screamed and scared Eric in the other room but hallelujah! “The Lord giveth and he taketh away” had never felt so appropriate a few hours later because right before I laid down to go to sleep the lights flicked out again.

Today, I’ve had constant power since last night around 5:00pm. I actually got to cook dinner on my oven, talk to my parents and even download a movie! I’m sitting in a warm office with an electric heater to my right and typing with warm hands. I’m supposed to leave out on Sunday but they’re calling for more snow. I can’t wait to stay in a hotel, take a warm shower and sit in a room that I can’t see my breath in. It’s the small things.