You can lead a horse to water (electric and sewage) but you can’t make it drink

After the junta (community meeting) in November, interest in the advancement of La Yacata into the 19^th century died a swift and lonely death.   There was a mad rush of lots sold at rock bottom prices as colonos (community members) divested themselves of what they now considered dead weight.

Unfortunately, these new owners have not bothered to register their lots in order to get a change of ownership certificate, probably because we charge $100 pesos to print a new certificate, all of which goes towards sending volantes (flyers) and radio announcements for the next junta (meeting).  So since there is currently no money in La Yacata treasury, and I should know because I’m the tesorera (treasurer), there are no funds to convoke the next community meeting.  And this is a problem.

Of the encuestas (surveys) we sent out to assess interest in having the water, sewer, electric and road paving done, there have been only 10 returned.  The majority of these are from those of us that actually live in La Yacata and really have a vested interest in getting things done.

Super Prez has also taken a giant step backward in his involvement and has been concentrating on more lucrative projects.  And really, who can blame him?  La Yacata has cost him time and money that he could have put to good use elsewhere and given him nothing in return.  And furthermore,  he doesn’t live in La Yacata.  He has running water, sewer, and electric where he lives, so it’s not a daily issue for him.

So basically, we were at the point of actually moving forward and it all fell apart. So what happened?  We were honest with the estimate of $50,000 per lot and it seemed too much for property owners.  Would a lie have served us better?  Perhaps initially, but down the line we would have found ourselves in the same category of Chuchi and that wasn’t an option, for me anyway.

I learned an important lesson in all this.  There is no community if its members refuse to participate.  My desire for organization and advancement is not enough to unite more than 400 individuals, no matter how much I want it.  And that’s a shame really.

So what happens next?  Well, I can’t speak for the rest of the community, but it is our goal to start saving for a solar power system.  I very much doubt that we will be able to save enough this year, or even next year since installation depends on our first finishing the roof on the second floor, but there it is.  After all, as Bloody Mary says in South Pacific

“Happy talk, keep talkin’ happy talk,
Talk about things you’d like to do.
You got to have a dream,
If you don’t have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true?”

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