Hey there, how you doing? Hope it’s good where you are.
Welcome to Portals, home to mini snapshots from my life of helping to bring people together. It’s a cosy nook in the newsletter, a chance to get to know each other. So grab a drink, sit back, and let’s do it.
Back in December 2022, while hunkered down for the winter at a guesthouse in central Portugal, one ordinary Monday morning turned into something unexpected. It all started with a blaring alarm going off in the hallway. An all-too-familiar sound by then, having gone off for the 4th time in recent days, to signal a power cut.
Normally, these outages were an easy fix. Pryscilla, the house manager, would wander over to the fuse box (hidden behind a mirror), press a few buttons, and voilà—the lights would come back on. But this not this time.
The power had been out since 6am and by mid-morning, it was clear this wasn’t going to be resolved quickly. The guesthouse’s preferred electrician couldn’t come over straight away. He promised to be there by 5pm, if not earlier than that. There was nothing anyone could do but wait.
The funny thing about electricity is that we don’t normally notice how much it does for us, until it’s gone. It does so much more than charge our phones or light up our rooms. Both of these were the first things we noticed, of course, as we all woke to the day. Not being able to charge our phones also meant the cleaning staff couldn’t vacuum the rooms or use their washing machines, since the sockets would give them nothing.
We couldn’t shower either, since the water heater ran off the electricity, same with the stove. No functioning lights in the bathroom meant we had to pee in the dark. The freezer began to thaw too, turning frozen hunks of meat into soggy, smelly sponges that had to be tossed out quickly.
Even basic comforts, like making a cup of tea or reading a book by phone light, were off the table. It wasn’t long before the quiet felt oppressive, and an unease settled amongst the guests.
Pryscilla had the toughest job of all. She couldn’t leave the building in case new guests arrived or the electrician showed up earlier than planned. Despite her boss treating her to lunch and occasional chats with the cleaning crew, it was clear the endless waiting was wearing her down.
Instead of retreating to my room to wait out the dark, I decided to keep her company. I lit some candles by her desk, while asking her about her kids and plans for the holidays. Her mood lifted, the second we began chatting! I could tell she appreciated having someone to talk to.
The power cut also offered an opportunity to connect with guests on a level beyond our casual chats cooking in the kitchen. Alfonso, who was doing a Masters in African Studies, and Murillo, a nerdy guy from Brazil, were among those loitering around.
In the dining room, Alfonso and I shared a laugh after we realised the ceiling light there was still working—just on a different circuit! Murillo, having noticed me using chopsticks the night before, asked for a lesson, and we spent a good half-hour practicing with banana slices.
Around midday, Pryscilla showed up with a big box of chocolates, and it was a hit. Dropping her guard completely, she laughed and joked with us, as we munched our way through the box like rabbits. Later, I picked up some deli chicken from a nearby supermarket, and shared it as a snack. By this point, the employee/guest roles between us had gone, to be replaced by something akin to flatmates riding out a violent thunderstorm together.
The electrician, true to the Portuguese stereotype (that of never being on time), didn’t arrive at 5pm, as promised. He didn’t make it to 8pm either, his olive branch appointment. No, it was 9pm by the time his van finally showed up. By then, we’d been sitting in the dark for nearly 15 hours.
When the lights flicked back on, we all screamed, laughed, and clapped. It felt like the world had finally snapped back to life.
Of course, there’d been plenty of life between us by then, including a small crate of beer, even more boxes of chocolate, plus a few empty crisp packets and a KFC bucket. The dining room had become like our private haven too, floating about in a pitch black sea.
The small talk between us had been like its own power battery, with everything from philosophical questions to the embarrassing kind on the table, and a willingness to jump in, and not hesitate. Even Pryscilla seemed happier by the end of it all.
It’s a bit of a cliche to say there’s always light to be found in the dark, even if it’s tiny sparkles here and there, but it’s true. Sometimes, the best moments can come in the most awkward of situations.
What’s one fun thing you did during a power cut or other home mishap?
Reply and let me know—I’d love to share your story in a future edition!
And that’s it! Thank you for reading today’s Portals.
If you know someone who could do with a laugh right now, please share it with them. Until next time, be good, be strong, be warm.