Survival Guide for Power Outages in Ecuador
How to survive your mid-20s amid personal and energy crises
When I was little, I imagined what my life would be like at 25: making thousands of dollars, married, and with my own house. But the reality is, I have none of that, and on top of that, I'm surviving with 20% battery on my laptop while waiting for my phone’s status to change to “no service.”
As if it weren't enough to live in a constant personal crisis where I ask myself every day what I'm doing with my life, whether I'm on the right path, and question whether I should be traveling, working, saving, investing, or resting while scrolling through social media... I had to ✨live in Ecuador✨, my beloved country… which has more crises in one day than I have in this whole year.
Crises are inevitable, I know. But here you can choose which crisis you prefer, because we have them all! Social, environmental, economic, health, security… and now, also energy crises. I thought that after experiencing the pandemic, the national strike, and curfews, I was ready for any battle. But then:
• I couldn’t sleep one night because my neighbor's generator sounds like a tractor.
• I was cut off, no wifi or signal, just staring at the ceiling.
• I invested in a mini fan that lasts 4 hours and has built-in light.
That’s right, the power outages arrived.
Routine is no longer so routine
One of my small pleasures in life is having my routine. Waking up in the mornings, having breakfast with my mom, going to my 9 to 5 job, hitting the gym, coming home, eating, and getting ready to repeat the routine the next morning. But now, the routine changes almost daily and is governed by power cuts. Breakfast? With lukewarm coffee. Gym? Closed due to power outage. Food? In the dark, lit by a romantic candle.
Nicole (27) lives on the fourth floor of a building in the north of the city. She has to wake up at 5 AM to shower before going to work because, in her apartment, when the power goes out, the water also goes out. Nicole didn’t know this little but big detail and discovered it one morning after coming back from the gym… because she had to shower with the remaining water in the jug.
Mood: "Angry"
For Haylen (25), power outages have changed her work routine. She works remotely, so she needs the internet at home, but on some days, due to the power cut schedules, she feels like she's losing too much time and falling behind on her to-do list.
Mood: "Zero productivity"
Love in the time of power outages
Many years ago, there were no cell phones, social media, or wifi. You only talked to your partner when you saw them in person, or you’d go to parties and schedule your next date.
Now, we're used to having our partners literally in the palm of our hands 24/7, sending them a message anytime during the day, calling them if we need to tell them something, and letting them know if, for any reason, we’re going to be late for a date.
Marie (27) started dating someone about a month ago, and during power outage season, their plans for dates are scheduled around power cut times, since she and her boyfriend live on opposite sides of the city. “I had to stop thinking ‘maybe they’re not responding because they don’t want to,’ because the reality is there’s just no signal,” said Marie.
Mood: "Trusting"
And yes, maybe there’s no connectivity, but there is a connection between people. A connection that requires being present, fully attentive, and available, without any distractions. This brings us to two options: either you and your partner are better than ever, or you can’t stand a relationship where you don’t know exactly where that person is.
Reinvent or cry
When there’s no electricity or signal for internet or cell service, there comes a point when, no matter how many episodes of Sex and the City you’ve downloaded, you need another form of distraction. And this has led to looking for new ways to try to forget, for a moment, that we’re in the dark.
Cinthia (30) feels like power outages help her completely disconnect from work. Before, she’d work on presentations late into the night, but now she prioritizes her rest. Alejandra (25) has found an escape in reading during power cuts, and Nicole (25) started doing more activities with her family, even learning to make ezee beads, designs with small colored pearls.
Mood: "Optimistic"
Self-care and self-love moments are needed more than ever in times when the famous resilience—a word that became popular during the pandemic—comes back into focus. According to Philip Riris, a researcher at Bournemouth University, resilience, understood as the ability to resist and recover after a crisis, is fundamental for the well-being and continued existence of human societies. But what other stage do we need to go through? How do we stop living through historical moments?
“Maldita sea, otro apagón”: Damn, another power outage, says Bad Bunny in the song El Apagón from his album Un Verano Sin Ti. In the official video for this song, the artist includes the documentary ‘Aquí Vive Gente’, in which he exposes the energy crisis and inequality in Puerto Rico.
They always say that Latin Americans are “go-getters” and can overcome any adversity… but they never mention how exhausting it can be to adapt, change, and transform every single day, month, and year.
“In the end, life goes on,” said Antonella (32), while we were at a barbecue and suddenly the power went out, outside the scheduled blackout hours. And yes, we have to keep going, do the best we can, and try to keep at least our mental health as intact as possible to survive our personal crises.