Solar lights and more....

Oh what a great week! Even though I started out with a migraine on Monday (darn cold front!) we packed a ton into 4 days.  The gym, a trip to the city, Spanish lessons every day, and to top it off, we installed two solar bottle lights.

The solar bottle lights are so ingenious. A two-liter bottle, filled with filtered water and a splash of bleach (to keep the water fresh); a piece of corrugated tin (called lamina here), silicone, tin snips, and a power drill with a hole saw is all it takes. The drill isn't necessary, but lots easier!

Many of the houses the Guatemaltecos live in are made of corrugated tin. Walls and roofs both are lamina. Construction is done piece meal as funds are available. Many of the houses don't have windows because believe it or not, even at 15 degrees latitude North, it gets down close to freezing. I think we saw 35 degrees this year.

If you don't have windows, then you don't have light in your house. Electricity is dangerous, expensive, and not always available in Guatemala. But...you do what you have to. In the typical Guatemalan house, the idea of an electrical code is an imaginary, fleeting thought.

This week, we installed two solar bottle lights in our friends' house. They have 1 window and it's not in the kitchen/bath. So...we made a difference for them. It'll save them money, and I won't spend my nights worrying about their safety.  Check out the pics below!