My Survival Without Light, Water, and Gas

It took place morning on the day it happened and I woke up thinking that it was a regular day. I picked up my phone and it was out of power. I flicked the light switch, nothing at all. I ran down to the tap to sponge my face, and there was no water.

Then gradually it started to sink in there was no electricity or water or gas. And not a day, not a week, not a month. There was no foreseeing and no time to anticipate. Initially, I was confused and later frightened. I relied on these things in my entire life, and then they vanished.

Water was the most difficult thing to lose during the initial stage. Without water nothing was easy. There was even a struggle to bathe, cook, wash clothes, and even drink water. The loss of electricity was also not pleasant as my phone, laptop, and internet were my working and communication tools.

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Gas followed, as it seemed as though cooking was now a big issue. I knew how weak my comfort was. The things I used to consider as normal were now things I had to have the most.

My life routine was transformed. I would get up in the morning, check my phone, respond to messages, and work on the internet. It was calm and leisurely now in the mornings. None of the alarms, none of the notifications, none of the social media.

I was obliged to rise up with the sun and sleep early when it was dark. My side jobs on the Internet came to a complete halt as the power to charge my devices was unavailable and the Internet connection was unsuitable to make me reach customers. My company was not doing so well and initially, I was frustrated and helpless.

Another big challenge was cooking. I was forced to use charcoal and firewood, as I had no gas. It was now more time consuming and laborious to cook. Simple meals became the norm. Bathing also changed. I relied on well water and rain water tanks.

I took a bath once a day or at times missed a day to limit the little water there was. During the day work and study were done with the help of sunshine. Candles and lanterns were my night friends.

Recharging my phone was very difficult. I was forced to be very careful as to battery life and only turned it on when I really needed to. Some times I relied on neighbors that had small generators or solar panels.

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The help of people surrounding me was of high importance. They were assisted by family, friends and even neighbors who shared water, food so as to be encouraging. It is during this time that I learned the strength of community and humanity.

At first, my body struggled. I was so exhausted, nervous and uncomfortable. My days off were those when I felt sick and weak especially due to the stress and insufficient rest. But slowly, I began to adapt. I learned patience.

I got to know how to organize my days. I learned to appreciate the basic things such as clean water and light. I also developed new habits, that I never believed I would develop, such as spending less time on my phone and more time pondering, reading and communication with people.

Electricity was also the thing I missed the most. Not only to make me feel comfortable, but to make me open up to the world. It fueled my ambitions, my efforts and my development. I lost it and it made me understand that I had become so addicted to technology and how poorly I had imagined life without it.

The event taught me great life lessons. It has shown me how to be thankful, strong, and modest. I also got to know that one can lose comfort any moment but resilience is inward.

I also understood that survival does not only depend on the resources, but also on the mindset, flexibility, and human beings. Being a month without electricity, water or gas made me different. It helped me to be stronger, more educated and more grateful about the simple blessings I disregarded before.