"Where were you when the lights went out?" Almost everyone was asked this question this past summer when the Big Blackout of 2003 happened. Electric grids caved in under a severe heat wave that gripped the Midwestern and Northeastern parts of the United States and Canada. Lights were out for days in some states. We lost power only for one night but what a night it turned out to be! Getting back to the question: I think a better question to ask me would be "Where was I when he lights came back on?"
I am in my late '20s - grew up on Long Island, just outside New York City and now I live and work as a Financial Analyst in Manhattan. It's fun living in the City, even though I live in an apartment which many would call a "hole in the wall." But it is convenient. My office is two subway stops away from my home and I cannot complain about the living conditions in Chelsea.
My family still lives out on the Island. I have a younger sister who lives with them also but works in the city. She is brave enough to commute to work everyday, a trait which I sincerely admire. I have no patience whatsoever. One of the major reasons why I moved to my apartment was because it was so close to my office.
Little did I know, this proximity would come in handy. When everyone was scrambling to find a way out of Manhattan when the lights went out, I was carelessly taking a stroll to my apartment, happy that work ended early. I was very concerned about my sister, who I knew was still stuck somewhere downtown. I had tried calling her several times but all cell phone lines were jammed, overloaded just like the power grids were. I managed to make a few phone calls home to ask my parents if they had heard from her. They informed me she called them and told them if she can't find a ride out of New York, she might end up staying with me. |