Some people think that it's easy to pack up and move overseas- you put some clothes, shoes, a few books, and a few other essentials in a box and you're set, right?
Wrong. I now think that one must be a natural mechanically-minded genious to move overseas. Moving to a place that has a different electrical system than the U.S. poses great challenges on those of us who are not mechanically-minded. And it makes me realize what I do and don't know about power and electricity.
Long before I moved to Africa the first time, I knew just a few things about power:
1. You must plug an electrical device into a socket in the wall for it to work.
2. Sometimes a power line goes out and the socket and lights and other things in the house don't work for a while.
3. I heard somewhere that the electricity is different in other countries.
Then I moved to Africa and learned some more things:
1. There's this curious thing called volts. In the U.S., 110 volts come out of the wall socket into your electrical device to make it work. In Africa and many other places, 220 volts come out of the socket.
2. Electrical devices from the U.S. are made to receive only 110 volts and no more. If you plug your precious 110 volt CD player into a 220 volt socket, a very bad thing will happen and your CD player will meet with an untimely death, complete with a small fireworks display.
3. The electricity in third world countries does not always work properly. Sometimes too little, sometimes too much, and sometimes not at all.
4. Missionaries that live in places with unreliable electricity sometimes hook up a battery system: you have a car or truck battery that is attached to a box with two sockets. There's another box that is also attached to the battery and it plugs into the wall. When the electricity goes out, you can plug something into box #1 and it works- WOW! (please don't ask me how this really works- it's still a mystery to me!)
Now I'm learning alot more things:
1. There's a box called a transformer that will change those 220 volts coming out of the African socket into 110 volts so your 110 CD player will not meet an untimely death. No more fireworks.
2. When planning to set up house, you have to take essential 110 electrical devices (lamps, computer, printer....kitchen aid- am I spoiled?) and those things require a transformer, power strip, plug converters, and stabilizer. And if you plan to use battery power when the electricity is off, it requires an inverter and battery charger. Now I'm confused.
3. And you have to know about wattage (say what?). If your devices have more wattage than your transformer or inverter, you once again will experience fireworks. I like them outdoors, but not in my house.
4. So before you move overseas, you have to make sure you've purchased the appropriate electrical things to make your devices work.
Moving overseas can be stressful... and quite educational! So much for education;now I have to go rest my poor little over-voltaged brain.
2 comments:
Just a little bit of the joys of the developing world. Keep up the posting girl! This window in your world is much appreciated.
Yes. I completely understand. We had to do the same thing when we moved to both Germany and England. We ended up buying alot of electrical things in England just so we didn't have to have so many transformers around. Thank goodness their electricity situation was a bit more reliable than what you are going to. I feel for you. I really do.
And a kitchen aid? Girl. Let's hope you don't have firework shows with that one, eh?
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