I have been waking up a little later than usual recently. Though to no coincidence whatsoever, the weather as of late has had that typical English gloom that I remember. Days in which you wake up and no matter what time of morning it is, it still feels like you need to return back to bed. The sun never really comes out, the sounds surrounding you are the cracks of thunder, the pattering of rain on the metallic sheets of rooftops, and the chaotic tweeting of birds as they panic under the constant shifting of atmosphere. I didn't get a chance to go outside today with this weather. The rain turned into the large rocks of ice that fell from the sky, the hail sounding like it was ready to punch through the ceiling and land on your head. And then the worst thing followed the sounds of thunder in the distance: a power cut.
Armenia's infrastructure is, to put it lightly, fucking shit. It's atrocious how bad it is. The water turns off at certain times in the evening, power cuts are frequent even within the centre of Yerevan, and the rest is generally just weak. This is a nation that is attempting to heavily develop and pursue mass migration with that development, but can barely figure out the basics of essential modern living. Power cuts aren't all that frequent in England, though I recall they never lasted all that long when they did happen.
What ensued today was a power cut from midday through to almost midnight. No running water whatsoever. No power, naturally. And thus, nothing to do. My main electronics were mostly charged, fortunately. Relying on the terrible connection my mobile Internet would provide. And I tethered to the devices in hopes of trying to let the time pass until things came back on: they did not. Hours went by, battery levels ran low, and boredom increased with the constant buffering of videos online. The constant failed page messages I would get in attempts to load something. The worst was still yet to come: the sun was starting to set. That gloom continued on as the light quickly disappeared inside. Rooms grew darker, eyes followed with tiredness as the bright screens of electronics all day was starting to take its toll. Boredom of the highest order was met as I began to pace around the room to avoid giving myself a headache watching pages fail and videos slowly buffer.
I decided to open the window now that the storm had stopped, yet the power was still not returning. Looking out into the quiet abyss. I saw families sitting outside where there was still some light. Enjoying time together. Even they paced throughout their garden with intense boredom. I made the decision to pull out my camera and try finding something to photograph instead.
These are the images from that sheer suffering. The little moments around that I found notice of. Things that stood out as the light began to leave. Watching into the horizon as little flashes of light would soon appear in the sky, lightning going crazy. Anger was felt observing such an event: how could those people in the distance have such a strong storm yet still have power while I sit here losing my sanity?! The same question with the sudden notice that houses nearby were cozy watching football while this area still had no power. I feel I would cling to the remaining light as the sun began to set. The madness of knowing the rooms would soon be a total darkness and there'd be nothing I could I do. Going outside wasn't possible for much of the day due to the intense hail. And the lack of power in the area meant that nothing nearby would be open or remotely functioning. Even the nearby store was throwing out an annoying alarm.
The entire day was a total waste. Nothing was done. Nothing was enjoyed. The whole experience felt like being in purgatory waiting for something new to happen. Like sitting on a plane that had no known destination and flight duration, the feeling that maybe it just might not end.
Well, the power's back now, though the storms are expected to continue. So I feel that it's only a matter of time until it happens again. Perhaps time to charge things up again, especially the camera batteries. The brief moment of the day where I felt like I actually connected with nature in the sense that I wasn't ready to fight God himself over causing a power cut.
