Space Heaters and Candle Light

Winter is arriving in Ramallah. It has rained twice so far, gentle, misting rains...probably a quarter inch or so at most, and the rain soaks quickly into the ground. It is nearly pitch black at 5:30 PM now, and the weather is becoming cool. The high temperature during the day is about 65 degrees and breezy, and at night it dips to around 45 or 50. Later in the winter, they say it may snow. Usually it doesn't stick around for long.

Those temperatures don't sound too bad, but buildings here are usually made of stone with high ceilings. They are poorly insulated, and seldom have central heating. The temperature inside often feels about the same as outside, which is quite a bit chillier than the average American is accustomed to keeping their homes and offices.

Last night, I finally broke down to use a couple space heaters to heat the apartment. The power went out twice--once when I turned on the hot plate to make dinner, and again when I turned it on to make Arabic coffee. Too many heat generating appliances, I suppose. I will need to invest in a flashlight soon, although I did manage to find the fusebox via candle light.

The glow of the candles and space heaters creates a soothing ambiance, but will likely lead me to become an early to bed, early to rise person this winter!