Saving Electricity in Egypt

Living in an Egyptian tower block is fun. Apart from regular doses of drilling and construction work, that tends to take place close to 1 o'clock at night, for some strange reason, music blasting through every hole of the neighbouring flat and a regular shouting match between the couple living a couple of floors above, I can always rely on the lift to spice up my otherwise uneventful daily life.

The block I live in has two lifts - one stops on even floors only and the other stops on odd floors only (although both do stop on the owner's floor).

The lifts do not work all the time. In the morning, around 6.30 am, when kids are going to school, both lifts work. When I go to my classes, around 11 am, the lift serving odd floors is not working and the lift for even floors is working - basically I have to walk down. Since there's no lighting on the floors or above the steps, this is a somewhat adventurous experience comprised primarily of guessing the location of the last step and of avoiding a fall having missed that last step for the nth time. The whole thing is designed, I presume, to develop my night vision skills. Real environmental-friendly like.

When I come back from my class, around 2 pm, the lift serving even floors is not working and the lift serving odd floors is - so, at least, I get to go up in the lift. In the evening, both lifts work - although the lighting on the floors is rarely ever on at any time of the day.