Out of Darkness and Into Light

 

 Literally.  Nothing ever seems to be easy in Guatemala, and everyday I learn this lesson more personally.  This month it was electrical wiring, and dealing with the city and electric company to make repairs.  What would have taken a few days in the US turned into a month long ordeal for our men.

Almost a month ago, the staff at the men's house called me at 11 pm one night to say that the ceiling lights were dimming and getting brighter, and finally went out all together.  We shut off the main power and called an electrical technician (trades are ranked differently here) the next morning.  Daniel came, and replaced the circuit breaker box, thinking the connections there were the problem.  After reconnecting, the lights now were at full strength, but only flashed on and off!

Our technician knew he had reached his limits, so we called an electrician who had helped us in the past.  Don Toribio came immediately and discovered that the problem was below ground.  Our wiring to the meter (at the other end of the condominium property) had never been properly installed when the house was built, was aluminum, and was deteriorating.  This would require running wire below ground, almost a full city block.  His suggestion was that we move our meter to the wall immediately outside of our home.  

This proved to be a long, complicated process dealing with the electric company, which did not want to move our meter closer to our house since we were part of a condominium.

Receiving authorization to do this required trips to city hall with our deed (to prove our land ownership, as well as owning the building), a trip to Guatemala City to get the deed "verified," another trip to city hall to get the work permit, and finally another trip to the electric company.  They then approved moving the meter, and our electrician did the necessary installation of the wiring and conduit.

 

However when the workers from the electric company came almost a week later, they refused to install the new meter and insisted that we had to use the old meter even though we had a work order from the company to move the meter.  They said we couldn't prove that we would only be using the meter for our own property! 

So, once again, our electrician went back to the electric company, which told him he would have to get authorization from the central office in Guatemala city--even though they had approved this and given him a work order previously.  So after a couple of trips to the city, and involving our attorney in making a number of phone calls, the company agreed that yes, indeed, we could move the meter, but only if we painted the wall outside our property a different color from the rest of the condominium! 

 

They were satisfied with the "strip" we painted, and finally, last Wednesday, installed our new meter and the men once again had lights.

Because our house is located in the Y between two roads, trailer trucks and buses often use the roads to turn around, and have occasionally backed into our walls, leaving large chunks of concrete missing.  Here in Guatemala, the only recourse is to take the companies to court to get damages, and the cost of an attorney and the court fees amount to more than fixing the damages ourselves.  This is soooo frustrating, but one of the realities of living in a different country.  

We decided to make these repairs and paint the full exterior of the wall which runs around our house to match our new stripe of paint.  This has finally been done, and life at the men's house has returned to normal after almost a month without electricity.

Looks much better, don't you think?

Neither our residents nor our staff have complained during this challenging time.  This shows the quality of character of those we have living and working with us.  Think about it.  A full month with no refrigerator, lights, or hot water.  Seems like an impossible situation.  One of our men, however, reminded me that this is exactly how most of the people in this country live their entire lives.  

If you would like to help us cover these unexpected expenses, please make a contribution to Reason to Hope.  You can do this on-line or mail a check for your donation to:

Reason to Hope, Inc.
P. O. Box 284
Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022.

All donations are tax-deductible, and we appreciate you helping us "keep the lights on"--literally!