First of all, before reading this article, I would like to point out that I live in the Philippines, a tropical country that only has two main seasons- rainy and dry season. Rainy season is from June to November and dry season is from December to May. Although it is currently December, people residing in the Philippines are experiencing a hot and very dry weather. Please bear this mind as you read along my article. Thanks!

Imagine you came back home from doing a strenuous community service work and realize that you have to climb up 37 stairs to reach your unit because the elevator is not operating? Imagine you reached your unit and realize that there is no cold or iced water available in your kitchen? Imagine you came back home sweating from arduous work, realizing that the electric fan, air conditioner, or even any electric appliances are not operating? These were all the hardships that I had to encounter yesterday when my apartment?s electricity just shut down. These may not struck you for a few seconds, but once you experience these hardships, you will know what it is really like without electricity in your everyday lives.

These, however, does not sum up my experiences. After having walked up 37 stairs, I realized that everything around me turned dark. It was already 6:12 P.M. and there were no lights. Electricity was not working and I had no other option but to adapt to this unusual, dark, and very hot environment.

I just want to stress out that we, as humans, heavily depend on energy. However, if we keep consuming electricity uncontrollably and in huge amounts, we might have to face these hardships in the future, or even more! And, I?m sure that you don?t want this to happen! So, please save electricity! You can find many ways to save electricity in this link: https://www.capetown.gov.za/EN/ENVIRONMENTALRESOURCEMANAGEMENT/ENERGYEFFICIENCY/Pages/Top10BestWaysToSaveElectricity.aspx

Here are some pictures that I took while I was at the ground floor at my apartment, hopelessly yearning for electricity to operate.

The first picture shows people waiting hopelessly for the elevators to work. T

The second picture shows automatic doors not working. The doors were just opened the whole time, allowing residents to enter and leave the building.

The third picture shows the lobby with all lights turned off. The air conditioner was also not working!