Early in the morning, we experienced a brownout in our city due to an accident affecting some electric posts. A lineman had to be called to fix it. With no internet, no load, and no cell phone, we were just lying in bed, so we decided to wander around.
We decided that we could go to the sea and hunt for seafood. I checked the calendar and found out it was low tide, so we went there immediately. We chose to walk since the sea is not far from our house and it was also a chance to get some exercise.
It turned out to be a blissful and engaging afternoon. As we stepped onto the sand and felt the coldness of the water, it was incredibly refreshing. My mother and I started collecting seafood.
While searching, I found a type of snail. This snail was difficult to eat because after cooking, it would retreat deeper into its shell, making it hard to access. However, it was still delicious you just put in some little effort. Later, I found another type of snail and some clams.
This type of snail was easier to eat compared to the first one, and I liked it more. I also found a bat.
You can usually find these under leaves or in the sand. It’s easy to pick up because its body is soft, and it’s delicious when chopped into pieces and mixed with vinegar.
My mother asked if she could go to the other side to look for sea urchins. After a few minutes, she returned, unfortunately finding only a brownish jellyfish. This jellyfish is edible and not poisonous, which was a pleasant surprise since it’s been a long time since I had some.
It’s one of my favorite seafoods. As the sun began to set, we decided to head home. My mother remembered that we had a small amount of rice left, so we stopped at a nearby market to buy five kilos of rice.
We also bought dried fish, which was freshly arrived and reasonably priced. When we got home, the brownout was still ongoing. My mother sent us to buy a candle from a nearby store to use for dinner.
We hoped the lights would come back on before the candle burned out since we didn’t have any extra light sources, like a flashlight or solar lamp. Our phones also had low battery levels and were about to die.
We hadn't informed anyone about the brownout because it started suddenly at dawn, so we didn’t expect it to last long. Some people were complaining about the delay, but honestly, it’s frustrating when it drags on, especially if you need electricity for something.
However, if you look at the big picture, you can see that the repair crews are doing their best to fix the issue as quickly as possible. They are only human, after all. We waited for a few hours until the power was restored, and finally, our electricity came back on at 8 PM. After that, we had a peaceful night.