So we had a tornado in the morning, and now the electricity in my building on campus is dead. This is extremely obnoxious because I have to work on an urgent translation but my office is completely dark.
Colleagues said I look exactly like Yulia Tymoshenko today, and that makes sense because I’m translating a huge text about her, so I’ve obviously started channeling her in my life.
What’s funny is that faucets in the campus bathrooms stopped working because they are dependent on electricity. This is the price we pay for progress: no electricity now means no water either.
Of course, I still taught my class because I’m from Ukraine and if in Ukraine we stop living our lives whenever there’s no light and heat, we will spend most of our time waiting for our lives to resume.
I was the only person on the floor still teaching, and at first students grumbled.
But then one student exclaimed, “Guys, just think, this means we are getting taught for free!” Then eevrybody was happy.
And this is why I like Americans.
Clarissa's Blog 
Were the toilets auto-flushing? In other words, did the electricity put them out, too? When power outages affect the running water, to me, that’s an argument for having regular faucets!! I’m surprised that there wasn’t a back-up generator for these sorts of issues.
LikeLike
At least the toilets were functioning. But I dread the time when they become dependent on electricity. We are a tornado area, so we always get blackouts.
The backup generator gave out, too. We have many disabled students on campus, and we are always afraid they will get trapped in the building and can’t leave when the elevators stop working.
LikeLike
Did your students light up your room with their charged-up smartphones, as if you were presenting a TED talk? 🙂
Or was this a low-tech affair involving proper sunlight and perhaps the occasional glow stick?
LikeLike
The idiot who designed our campus buildings put all windows in the hallways and made all classrooms and most offices windowless.
But I discovered that students find it easier to speak a foreign language in the dark, so the class worked.
LikeLike
That’s an interesting observation. How does lack of sight affect your ability to learn a second language. I find when I’m listening to the radio in French I sometimes close my eyes. Not when I’m driving, of course.
LikeLike