Light

After a good long wait, El Sauce finally got electricity in November of 2010. One community leader told me that they had been attempting to finance the project for the last 25 years—since the 1980s. Months ago, a local politician proudly proclaimed that I could thank him for installing the wooden posts which had been standing there serving absolutely no purpose for over a year. There were many broken promises along the way, but finally the local municipality came through, more or less.

Never before did I imagine what an entertaining fiasco the installation of power lines could be in a developing country. No machines were used in the entire process, meaning that, at any given time approximately a quarter of the men of El Sauce were needed to move hulking rolls of cable or to pull the power line to the next post. Of course, at any given time, at least half of the male population could be found hanging out at the light-post of the moment, socializing and, more generally, displaying genuine interest in power line installation.

The evening the streets lit up was cause for celebration. Unlike Peruvians, Hondurans do not find any excuse to party, but the arrival of electricity was the exception. There were speeches, a small dance, and bread and Coca-Cola for all. (Note: Coca-cola arrived in El Sauce decades ago.) The untrustworthy, young males of El Sauce were setting off obnoxiously loud firecrackers (Brand name: Outrageous Noise)with no particular concern for safety. Case in point, one was set off inside a house. Yet, despite the unusual merriment—which was honestly nice to see—the entire town was still in bed by 10 PM.

Now, approaching mid-December, only two homes have installed electricity. People seem amazingly content despite the fact that they must settle for enjoying the streetlights from their ever-dark houses. Probably half of the town is too poor to afford the installation, which runs from $50-$100, while the other half is wading through the bureaucratic process set forth by the less-than-efficient national electric company. There is a slight chance that I’ll have electricity in my house by Christmas, just in time for my departure.