Chinese Blackout

We returned from the evening practice on Thursday around 5:30 to find that the power was out in our dormitory, and ONLY our dormitory. We were told it would be out for a couple of days. So, the girls were sent over to the pool to take showers, flashlights were handed out and Tim and I headed off to Carrefour (store) to get some candles. I returned after dark to find the only lights in the dormitory were tall thin candles placed “safely” on the wooden window sills in the stairwell with no candle holders. The girls were running around with flashlights alone and ALL of the adults in charge had left the building. So, they asked me if they could go to Carrefour also, and I allowed all that wanted to go an hour or so to go get what they needed. Tim arrived shortly afterward and had found a better package of candles than I had, and also had purchased some tin foil to use for safety, all his camping experience showing through. So I went around giving some tin foil and fire safety tips to the girls.

A few had started a card game in the lobby, while some others were playing some games in their rooms. Tim had created a nice ”feng shui” café candle feel to his room so we hung out in his room for a while and his travel guitar came in handy.

At 9:30 pm, Coach Ji returned to check the players into their rooms for the night. Along with him was Coach Li, who came and chatted with Tim and I for a while. During the evening, outside Tim’s window was the power crew working in a very deep hole by the light of car headlights and a blow torch. And, wouldn’t you know it, around 10:00 pm the power returned. The two day estimate was mercifully shortened to just about 5 hours. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the internet which was still out a day later, probably severed by the blow torch.

Sorry there were no pictures from the blackout, but it was dark...