Peace Corps Electrics

I've been without electricity for the past week. Not even the on again - off again stuff that goes on here in the DR. It's been straight off. With no again. But I'm not really complaining as my only electric needs were my radio and my cell phone, and since I lost my phone about the same time I lost power that worked out just about perfectly.

The reason for the week long apagon is that the electric company has finally gotten serious and is cracking down on dead beat electric ladrons. For example, my house has a 16,000 peso debt hanging over its roof. And my landlord is well aware of it. She bought the house when it was at 14,000. And honestly it was kind of stimulating stealing power. I would drag two long electric wires from my house across the street and curl the tips just right so they wouldn't fall off and lift them up with this huge wooden pole to the main electrical wires that were pealed in certian spots. And right in those spots I would hang my wires. Then I would run into the house and tighten my light bulb to see if I matched up the wires correctly. Then the best part is when the electrical company would be in town. A caring and compasionate little Paul Revere would run down the street telling everyone to take down their wires. And I would go out with my pole, and my heart fluttering and hands shaking a little, take down my wires and run them into the house and close the door. Never sure if the electric truck was right around the corner and what exactly they would do if they caught me with my pole in the air.

But now that's over. The electric company has installed a steal proof wire and are even installing meters in every house. Part of the reason noone ever paid was because noone had any electric meters and the company was just charging people a flat rate across the board. Not even taking into consideration the daily power outages.

So I wait. Until my landlord settles the debt and signs a contract to get me legal electricity. Until then I'm going through the candles like no other.