Happy fall everyone! Since my time at the biodigesters in Mexico, I

have been through a bit of whirlwind of experiences in Guatemala and

now am in Honduras. I head to see a few hydro installations in the

north of the country and then head South to Nicaragua this weekend. It

is amazing how different each Central American country is with regards

to energy policy and customs in general. In Mexico, 3 PM is high time

for lunch; places don't even open until 1:30. In Honduras it is back

to 12 noon for lunch. I have already made a fool out of myself by

sounding Mexican with some of the slang I picked up. Words for many

things from "cool" to "straw" change as you go through countries.

Although it is challenging for travelers, the regional nuisances are

charming and preserve local cuisines and customs in a way of living

that I think the US is quickly losing because of mobility and media

influences.

I was in Guatemala during the presidential elections and got an earful

of opinions about the 20 parties running. Basically there are two

camps of people, the conservatives that encourage privatization,

touting it as a beacon of hope for a better future through competition

for better service. The liberals, which tend to be the less wealthy

and more or less side with the Hugo Chavez (Venezuela Pres) and Evo

Morales (Bolivian Pres), see privatization as an instrument that

deepens the rift between the rich and the poor, concentrating the

wealth in the hands of the few. I cannot disagree with this opinion

since in these countries the rich only associate with each other and

even intermarry with cousins to ensure that their class and money is

not diluted or dispersed. Relying on privatization to provide the

best service at the lowest price works in a society where the

government can provide a safety net of basic services like water and

electricity for the poorest communities. However, to completely

privatize leaves poor communities that would not provide any lucrative

ventures for private companies out of the loop. And, up to the point,

the government and state-run companies have written laws that

concentrate the money and power in the hands of the rich. There are

no long-term governmental visions for rural electrification or really

any program that endures beyond the 4-year term of the current

president. Usually, the change of administration in these countries

is like a revolution that halts governmental programs for 6-9 months.

All governmental positions from top to bottom are replaced,

institutional memory is lost, and on-going projects are dropped. The

people appointed to the new position are guaranteed a paycheck and

often have little experience in the field or motivation to do their

best since their position is very secure. Voters, fed up with the

performance of the administration, will then vote in the opposite

party in the next election. This new party with opposite ideals

immediately drops the programs of the previous administration. And,

the liberal parties voted into presidency sometimes are even more

corrupt and steal more money from governmental funds than the rich

conservatives because they had no money to begin with. Typically, all

ideals and promises go out the window when the liberal party comes

into power. Therefore, these countries tend to tread water and can't

move forward.

This privatization debate is ubiquitous throughout the region from

Mexico, where privatization of most industries has led to the Carlos

Slim empire, to Guatemala, which has recently privatized almost all

sectors. Honduras is in the process of privatizing the energy sector

and renewable energy laws are actually incredibly strong here. I wish

I could saw that the country had a vision like Costa Rica does of

climate change. But, instead Honduras is supporting hydro development

because the current system relies heavily on bunker oil for

electricity production. Current high oil prices have shifted

investment and interest to hydro. The rich and powerful people that

were involved in the development of the bunker power plants are now in

the hydro business and are influential enough to muscle the law into

supporting the industry enough to provide the same returns that the

bunker business did.

I have also found that in the electrical industry, as well as every

other industry from billboards to college acceptance, is often

accompanies by bribes, known as mordidas. In the energy projects I

have been studying, I found this trend most pronounced in Guatemala

where towns and town mayors will often blackmail hydro companies.

They will block development until they get paid a bribe to allow the

development to continue. These situations can be violent, with

engineers being killed and developers having their tires slashed or

nails driven through the tire. However, the developers are not

innocent as their track record shows flooding of entire towns, the

sometimes violent displacement of people, and full control of the

town's water resources.

Sorry for this political tirade; here you cannot really study an

industry without understanding the larger context. I have found it

interesting and thought you might too! On a personal note, traveling

is going really well, but a little amoeba snuck into my soup or fruit

smoothie and laid me out for a few days in Guatemala. I have

recovered quickly, unfortunately with the help of some modern

medicine. I just couldn't stand missing my interview appointments and

putting my research on hold.

I just have to share a few random events that made me smile throughout

the weeks. While walking home from an interview in the swanky Mexico

City neighborhood of Polanco, I witnessed a barber shop full of men

enjoying an after work chat and trim. One was reclined way back in

his chair receiving a leg massage with a mechanical apparatus operated

by the barber. In Mexico City, I saw a police car screaming through

the city with its siren on full blast with both police officers in the

front seats holding huge softserve ice cream cones. My first night in

Honduras, I had to go to an ATM to get some of the local currency,

Limpiras. Downtown Tegucigalpa, the capital, is quite dark and

deserted at night as everyone commutes out of the city at 5 PM. I was

nervous going into the empty cash machine room because usually there

is a guy with a huge machine gun protecting the people who come out.

Nonetheless, I had no choice but to slide my debit card through the

security lock and go in. After getting cash out, I found that I was

locked inside the ATM room. There was not going to be anyone that

would have a card to slide and let me out since barely anyone was

around. Finally, after a bit of desperation and the thought of

sleeping on the floor of the tiny cube, I passed my card to a passerby

who slid it for me in the locking mechanism and opened the door for

me. I was so lucky that this guy didn't run with my debit card! So,

I have some really good karma to pass on. I have also met a wonderful

collection of colorful characters and new friends that have gone way

out of their way to help me and keep me social while I bury myself my

research.

Take care all. Next time I promise some fun pictures.

Lizzie

--

Elizabeth Lokey

Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Studies

University of Colorado

lokey@colorado.edu

(303) 898-5558