Flip the Switch

Since I live in one of the older residences on campus, that lovely large rectangle which lends itself to the landscape of Jan Smuts Hall, things may be expected to malfunction once in awhile. Still, what is even more annoying than the fact that the Athies building has slightly less personality than the residue I find on my toothbrush in the mornings, are the constant power trips.

So I get out of my shower this morning which didn’t have enough COLD water (I mean seriously?), and return to my room to hear the UPS going: beep! Beep! (For the technologically less inclined, a UPS is a device which keeps your computer running for a few minutes without power.) Right, one of the stitches has tripped. I leave my room, walk past several rooms on the same circuit as me – also without power – and reach the switchboard. The switch marked “EARTH LEAKAGE” is down. I glance furtively up and down the corridor, take a deep breath, and wrestle the switch up. The world doesn’t explode. Shrugging, I return to my room – the power has returned. Success!

A power trip may not seem like a big deal, and flipping the necessary switch doesn’t require large amounts of strenuous effort. This is why I am awestruck at the seeming incapability of anyone in my hall to do it themselves! There was an incident last term when I decided not to be the one who flipped the switch. The power stayed out for half an hour.

Perhaps there should be a technological course available to first year females upon entering res, dealing with the need-to-knows like switch flicking, working the washer, and not having your heater and computer and kettle and hairdryer and straightener on simultaneously. Until then, please Ladies, when the power goes off: just flick the switch!