It’s always when I go to turn on the kettle at the end of a long day that I realize the electricity has gone out. To be honest, it’s not a regular occurrence for us or any of our friends in San Miguel de Allende. However, occasionally we do suffer these power outages, especially during the rainy season, and although they usually only last from a few minutes to a few hours, they can really be a pain.
It always starts off quite civilized with the idea of going for a long walk with the kids, going out for a nice lunch or dinner, and getting an overdue enforced break from screens. But 30 minutes later, I find myself staring blankly at the battery icon on my laptop, which is quickly dying; I realize I’m unable to get my car out of the electric garage; and I hear the kids shouting at me that Alexa’s not working, as they don’t understand the vital connection between electricity and the internet. In this dark moment, I’m suddenly hit with the shocking reality of our dependency on technology.
Now, before you go slightly insane and decide to Google ‘how to invent electricity,’ let’s break down some survival strategies for you, your family, and that slowly melting ice cream in your freezer.
1. Stay Informed, Stay Calm
When the lights go out, it’s important to know who to call. Follow these tips of where and who to call, what information to provide, and how to try and get your electricity back on asap:
- Reach out to the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Mexico’s state-owned electric company. It’s useful to save their number in your contacts. 071
- If you haven’t learned Spanish yet, now would be a great time to practice your “No hay luz en mi casa” phrase.
- Make sure you have your contract service number, the name the contract is under, and your full address at hand, as you’ll need to provide all this during the report. We keep ours on the fridge, so we don’t have to scramble around in the dark trying to find an old bill by candlelight.
- Find out if you’re the only ones without electricity or if it’s a community or colonia outage; this is something they will ask you when you call. If your neighbors are also without electricity, encourage them to call and report it too; this will accelerate the process.
- Keep calm, even though it’s a frustrating situation. From personal experience, getting angry on the phone in Mexico often results in being hung up on or being placed at the bottom of their to-do list. Remember, your electricity’s destiny is in their hands!
- Call back after 2 hours if you haven’t heard anything, just to make sure that your report is still open and they’re working on it. Sometimes reports get closed, filed, and forgotten—see below!
When you report the power outage, they’ll give you a reference number. Don’t always believe that’s the end of it and that someone will come and fix everything right away. The problem we had during this recent shortage was that half the houses in our gated community had electricity and the other half (including ours) didn’t. Due to this, the reports we were making kept being filed as ‘resolved’ and closed; that’s why it took so long to fix. With this in mind, make sure to keep calling and calling until you physically see the technicians or they call you directly to see if your electricity is back on.
Top Tip:
In moments of power-outage desperation, I’ve often found myself cornering CFE technicians on the street. I realize that I probably come across as a hysterical foreigner, but when you’re teetering on the edge of despair, I think that actually sums me up quite accurately! I politely point them in the direction of my house or subtly request their contact details. Trust me, it’s for outage emergencies, not social calls. This can be quite efficient, and it definitely makes you feel a little more proactive in finding a solution than just calling and noting down endless report numbers.
2. Work ‘Remotely’
One of the most crippling side effects of a power outage for many of us, undoubtedly, is the sudden disappearance of the internet. We all know that feeling, right? It’s not just the blackout of our digital entertainment – Netflix, Spotify, online games, you name it – that’s a blow, but for those of us thriving in the digital nomad lifestyle, no internet feels like being marooned on a deserted island.
But fear not, fellow netizens, for San Miguel is a treasure trove of great spots where you can seek refuge, and more importantly, WiFi, during such moments.
Two of my personal favorites are Luna de Queso and City Market. Their winning combination of convenient parking (an absolute necessity in my book), abundant plug sockets to revive your dying devices, a relaxed atmosphere that never hurries you, and a delicious menu of food and drinks (Luna de Queso really nails this one) make them my top picks.
To be honest, these days, nearly every place in town offers free WiFi. So rather than staying home, twiddling your thumbs and simmering in frustration as your precious work hours tick away, why not venture out and transform an outage ordeal into an opportunity to explore and enjoy?
3. Embrace Your Inner Scout
Be prepared. Keep a survival kit handy, including items like flashlights, batteries, portable chargers, candles, matches, non-perishable food and a favorite bottle of something;) Erick went out to City Market to grab a coffee and charge a portable battery which was fantastic for charging our cel phones, so that we could keep calling and reporting the outage to CFE.
Remember: A tortilla chip can double as an emergency candle when really desperate!
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4. Become a Storytelling Hero
Young kids at home? Power outages can turn into family bonding sessions (Yes, seriously!). This is a golden opportunity to resurrect the lost art of storytelling and a moment to have a screen detox. ‘Would you rather?’ is a firm family favorite in our house, which always makes us laugh, and the kids never run out of ideas.
5. Rekindle the Romance
Catch up with your partner instead of the usual sitting in front of the TV, looking at emails or checking social media posts! It’s a chance to reconnect and even get an early night ;)
6. Nature is Your Best Friend
Don’t forget – Mexico is home to breathtaking natural beauty. The power might be out, but the sun isn’t. Take a day trip, have a picnic, explore a new hiking trail, or buy a day pass at one of our luxury San Miguel hotels and treat yourself. Remember, the best charger for your internal battery is a good dose of Mother Nature and a bit of pampering.
Living in Mexico offers a vibrant, exciting, and sometimes challenging adventure. A power shortage can be frustrating, but it also offers a unique opportunity to take a break from our tech-dependent lives. You’ll be surprised at how resourceful you can be when the lights go out.
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