The End — August 14, 2010
It hasn’t hit me until now that I won’t be seeing the rest of the gang come Monday morning. The eight of us became so close after only a few days together and created memories that will stay with me forever. The past 10 weeks have left such a lasting impression on me and I learned such valuable lessons, that I think I have found what I want to do with the rest of my life. After graduation, I think I want to go to the graduate school to study International Development. I really enjoyed working on measures of sustainability and water resources, so much that I will continue working this fall with Professor Jones.
Having a partner such as Water for People for these projects, has helped me appreciate the value of hard work. People can not simply be rewarded after not contributing. We learned this about choosing beneficiaries, but it also applies to almost any obstacle in life. Achieving one’s goals doesn’t come at the snap of a finger, otherwise everyone would get everything they wanted. Hard work and dedication is essential. These are lessons I had always heard in the past, but did not truly understand until I witnessed the people in Honduras struggling to provide for their families. This experienced has certainly left me beyond grateful and humbled. I thank Lafayette and Sharon Jones, for giving me the wonderful opportunity to expand my horizons. Water for People and the people of Honduras for teaching me so many things I would not otherwise learn in a classroom. I also want to thank Joelle, Dan, Mike, Alex, Fernando, Carmen, and Diana for making this summer one filled with fun adventures and laughs.
Good Luck to the group of students who have the pleasure of continuing this project next year! I hope you walk away with the same memories and experiences as I did, maybe even more.
Thanks for reading everyone!
Gabi
Powerpoints and Playtime — August 1, 2010
First thing Monday morning, we all met as a group and we were split up into smaller groups to work on the reports and presentations we needed to finish. Before we even thought about a presentation we had to finish the Adobe and Bajareque reports. They were supposed to be completed before we left Honduras, but of course every time we submitted it, it was sent back to us with more corrections that needed to be made. It might have been the most frustrating thing we have had to put together in all our weeks working. Finally on Tuesday or Wednesday we sent the final version to Sharon and she sent it off to Water for People. When I got the email in my inbox saying it was out of our hands, I felt such relief. I actually kept the email just so I could remind myself it was done for real. Water for People is going to review our report and do a series of analysis to see if it would be feasible to replace their current latrine model, with one of our earth structures. They are also sending it to another non profit organization who was interested in funding the project if Water for People chose our designs. Its so exciting to be apart of the group that designed what could be WFP’s new model. The scholars that come to follow, and neighboring municipalities will continue to visit Las Casitas and use the beneficiaries and latrine as an example of sustainable design and development. This is something I will cherish in the years to come.
There are few other presentations we are giving, one being next week to the group of EXCEL scholars here on campus about our sustainable latrine design. Our next presentation, the one Alex and I are preparing, is for a group of professors and engineers, entitles Engineering for Service in the Developing World. It’s a little more complex than the other assignments due to the nature of the discussion. We aren’t just summarizing what we’ve done in the past couple weeks, but instead discussing the projects with respect to interdisciplinary research and service. Alex and I have been working closely to make sure we really capture the essence of the title in each slide that we are creating. Very mentally draining believe it or not, but our environment is very relaxing for a change, so we still accomplish a lot.
For fun we took the Hondurans into New York City for a very very long tour. We left the Easton Bus Terminal at 8:15 and got back around 1:30 am. They were able to see the Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park, the Skyscraper Museum, The Met, Central Park, Times Square and the Empire State Building! Yes, we did all of that in one day. Lets just say we all had a very hard time walking around campus the next day haha. It was a lot of fun though, and Im glad we were able to show them that much of NYC. Time is flying, I cant believe we only have 2 more weeks left!
Until next time,
Gabi 🙂
Bittersweet Endings — July 26, 2010
It was bittersweet, to say the least, when we landed this past Saturday at Newark Liberty International Liberty. I couldn’t believe the past four weeks had past me by so quickly, yet I was ready to see my family and friends and enjoy some downtime at home. What stinks is the little downtime I had is already over we are all, including the Hondurans back at Lafayette. The last week in Honduras had a little bit of everything in it including monitoring reports, latrine construction and analysis, and meeting with the National Honduran Coffee Board.
Monday we headed out to China, Santa Barbara, which is one of three municipalities Water for People has projects in. Here, we were looking to compare and contrast water and latrine systems implemented pre and post WFP’s 2007-2011 Strategic Plan. WFP is already monitored annually by a third party called World Water Corp, however they only look at what is and isn’t functioning properly and how the systems could be improved for the future. Our before and after comparison allows the staff at WFP to evaluate if the ideals presented in the Strategic Plan were indeed effective and successful, and if not, what further development is needed to continue their development. Diana and I were partnered and sent a community named El Retiro. This was a community which had an improved water system, and latrines installed around the year 2008 with the help of community members, WFP and other NGOs. Most people seemed appreciative, but what surprised me the most was the number of people who had no idea what outside organizations were involved. We asked them, “Do you know of any organizations that helped in the construction of your latrine?” Most of the responses included Water Committees and their family members. I guess when looking back on WFP’s philosophy they strongly emphasize building relationships and facilitating among community partners and solving problems based on local resourced, it makes sense the beneficiaries only mentioned the families and committees. Tuesday and Thursday we worked on finishing up the latrine as much as possible. Our intention was to only work on Tuesday, but by the end of the day we felt as though Irma and her family weren’t capable of finishing on their own. Of course there was some frustration among myself and the other students. The entire time on Tuesday all we kept saying was, “this was the last time we’re going to have to climb this hill!” and “this is the last time we’ll have to put on all this bug spray!” Then we ended up having to do it all over again Thursday. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t as if we were rushing to get out of Las Casitas, but we were just so eager to see the end result of a project we had worked so hard on!! By the end of the day Thursday, we didn’t even get that far. The only things that were left to do were build the channel around the pit, allocate the seat along with the PVC connection, cover the pit with the slab, and plaster the walls. This upcoming week Diana Betancourt was going to go visit to see the finish product so I hope she sends pictures. Saying goodbye to Irma and her family Thursday was more emotional than I thought it would be. As we packed up and began to leave, all she and her kids kept telling us was, “¡Muchas Gracias!” Thank you very much. It was great to see the smiles on their faces as we walked down the hill one last time.
Wednesday Sharon, Fernando and I met with Lafayette’s Economic Empowerment Group (EEGLP), who were invited by IHCAFE, the Honduran Institute for Coffee, to discuss a possible collaboration. The scope of the project requires involvement from a variety of disciplines, and proves to be a difficult task if EEGLP and other staff from Lafayette choose to participate. What was most fascinating to me on the trip, was seeing the hydroelectric dam located in El Cajón. It was a privilege to be able to pass through the entrance gate because since the facility is run by the military, only authorized access allows visitors. Even Fernando who was lived in Honduras all his life, had never been to the site. Its just one of those engineering novelties that every professional should see in his or her lifetime.
Friday we spent the day working on our latrine report, but mostly packing and shopping for souvenirs. It was weird saying goodbye to what had been home for four weeks, and it didn’t feel like I was leaving until the plane took off Saturday. I was so happy to see my family waiting for me as I was exiting the airport. When I got home I was overwhelmed and humbled by the welcomes I received. My uncle sent me a text message Saturday morning and it read, “You know, I’m proud to be your uncle.” It only assured me that the work I was doing wasn’t going unnoticed and I am in fact making a difference.
Looking forward to the activities of this week, and enjoying the last couple weekends of Summer!
Until next,
Gabi 🙂
Flying By — July 18, 2010
This past week went by faster than I could retell it! We worked on each of the projects a little bit, and are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Monday we headed back to Las Casitas to keep working on the latrine. While we were gone, Irma had 3 more layers of adobe put up, so there were now 9 in total, and also started mixing the plaster that would be added at the completion of the adobe. What we worked on was adding the last layer of adobe, cutting/splitting/curing of the remaining bamboo for the roof, and laying the latrine floor. It was a long day, but we could finally see the latrine taking structure. We weren’t able to go back the rest of the week, but we left a few tasks for Irma and her family to work on. There were problems with the pit because there were so many other holes on her property, and its location in general. We originally thought it was better than the originally proposed location but it turns out we were wrong. Another problem with the pit is the ground materials are not permeable, so when water enters, it rarely leaves. It has been raining a lot recently, so were hoping Irma has found a temporary solution while the cover slab is made. I think when we were planning the latrine, we got overly excited and had too many things squeezed into very little time. My worry is that, without our guidance, the families will progress very little since they haven’t learned the techniques involved. For example, putting together the bamboo and framing the door. I hope that when we go next week there has been some advancement and we can see the finished product, but I am not so sure that will happen.
Tuesday we worked more on our reports, models, and edited the monitoring surveys and time studies. You’d think that between 8 students and an 8 hour day, it could have been done. Wrong. There are so many details and we didn’t even get to finish!! Joelle and Mike stayed behind on Wednesday to work on more of the reports, while the rest of us went to visit El Golfo y Vallecito. Our first stop was to see the Mayor of San Antonio who personally wanted to hear about the work that we were doing. After I gave him a little overview he responded with a sense of gratitude. For me, it was like being reassured that the work we are doing is going to make a difference one day. These communities would be home to our time studies and surveys. Our first stop was in El Golfo, is home to about 30 families. Here the houses were pretty close knit and there were various springs where people went to collect water. We split up into groups and surveyed some houses about their water collection habits, so we can then make a decision about where to conduct the time studies the following day. Alex and I were partners, and got done rather quickly so in addition to questioning the families, we were able to see the spring. While I was walking to the site all I could think of for some reason was a Poland Spring label and the clear water inside the bottle. Boy was I in for a shock. The water these people were using to shower and drink was not clear at all. Is it really bathing, when you’re rinsing with dirty water? I hoped going to Vallecito, I would see something different but in the end it was just more of the same. In this community the families were much more spread apart but showed similar qualities to El Golfo. After getting together we concluded that in order to get accurate information for the time study we would have to arrive no later than 5am. Helloooooo 4am wake-up call! Yes on thursday we woke up at 3:45 am to be on the road by 4. Sacrifices. Sacrifices. It was painful but the upside of being on the road that early is no one else is. Alex and I were at our first house in Vallecito by 5:45 and were done by 8. Most of the individuals collecting water were the older women in the household. It was great to see how the were adapting to their surroundings. One woman walked through muddy waters and barbed wires without any shoes, and others put towels on their heads to balance the 5 gallon buckets. Together we collected information on 14 families so it was a job well done! It was no surprise we all went right back to bed when we got back to the hotel 🙂 Friday we went to visit maybe the biggest project Water for People: Honduras has to date. They are providing water to 17 communities, through over 300 miles of piping. In 20 years it is projected it will provide water to 5 million people. It was an amazing site to see, but certainly a hike to get there. It was high in the mountains, and very muddy terrain. Lets just say we left there very muddy.
We spent the weekend in Tela, relaxing on the beach. It was just what the doctor ordered, well at least for me. We ate lots of seafood and soaked up lots of sun. It was the perfect way to spend our last weekend in Honduras. I can’t believe that it just ended though. We only have 6 days left and then it’s off to the U.S. The Hondurans are looking forward to visiting for the first time,except Diana who has traveled there once before, and we are looking forward to showing them around. We just have to get through this last week first! On the schedule is monitoring, latrine, Honduran Coffee Board, data analysis then packing! Seems like a lot, but Im sure by Friday ill be asking where the time went!
Until next time,
Gabi 🙂
Two Weeks Down, Two To Go! — July 11, 2010
Well if last week was mentally exhausting, this past week was certainly physically exhausting just as I predicted! First we split up into teams and talked a little bit about what needed to be done and the schedule we were on for building the models. Alex, Diana, Mike and myself would be working on the Adobe latrine, and the others would be working on the Bajareque model across the way. Not too long into our first meeting, we were told we would already start the week off with a setback. Some materials had not become available yet, so some procedures were rearranged and we got on our way. The first day we worked on framing the perimeter and the foundation. I would say it was the most tiring day of the week; I can’t remember the last time i lifted so many heavy things and shoveled to much. Tuesday things were definitely lighter because we only put together the frame for the overlaying foundation. The next day we filled in the frame with the combination of rocks and a mixture of cement, limestone and sand. At this point, the only materials we had bought were some nails, and the bags of cement and limestone. From an economical standpoint, the model was shaping to be very sustainable, as planned. It was all up from there! Thursday we put up 3 layers of adobe, which doesn’t seem like a lot for an entire day but the first one had to be done perfectly for leveling purposes. It was also raining cats and dogs for about an hour so we couldn’t work with the adobe and lost a lot of time. Friday we didn’t go out to Las Casitas and we worked on our report instead, which is supposed to be a guide for anyone who wishes to replicate our work and as a reference. After working in the morning, Ms. Betancourt took everyone to lunch and we all caught each other up on the work from the past week.
Then it was off to Copan!! The car ride lasted 3 hours but it was worth it! We stayed at a hotel called La Casa Rosada, which was great but we decided was designed for couples. There was only one bed in each room and it was very quite and intimate. For us, is was perfect because after all the days activities, relax was all we wanted to do. Saturday morning we had breakfast on the terrace and then we met our guide for our tour of the Copan Ruins! I have never seen anything like those building and sculptures in my life! It took about 2 hours to go through all the sections and tunnels of the park, and it felt long at the time, but I would do it all over again. We had lunch while we watched the Germany vs. Uruguay game, which was really intense but I’m glad Germany won! In the afternoon it was time for Zip-lining! I have been on a zip line once before when I was 14 but that doesn’t even compare to this experience. We were swinging between mountains and looking down at the river and city of Copan. Such beautiful sights! To top it all off the staff guiding the Canopy tour, took pictures and even video of us while we were going on the lines.. Crazy! When we got back to the center of town we did some souvenir shopping and had dinner. Today we went to visit the smaller set of ruins called Las Sepulturas. We didn’t have a guide but it was a much smaller and so we knew how to navigate around the complex. Six mosquito bites later and we were sitting in front of a tv screen watching the World Cup Final!! The atmosphere and food was great, which made the Spain win that much more exciting.
We have another tough week ahead of us. Were going back to Las Casitas tomorrow with the hope that the family worked on the latrine. We aren’t going back until the last week, so tomorrow is going to be crucial. The rest of the week we’ll be working on monitoring reports and our time study, so its busy busy busy but I can’t wait!
Only 13 more days left! Hope they are as great as the first 15 were!
Until next week,
Gabi 🙂
Sula Valley Adventures — July 3, 2010
I don’t even know where to begin to talk about this week!! I guess Ill start where I left off in my last journal. During our first weekend, we took the opportunity to learn a little bit more about San Pedro Sula and all it has to offer. We started by visiting a historical and anthropological museum not too far from us. There were so many artifacts and interesting stories to read about. To our luck, this past week the town has been partaking in an annual celebration filled with music, dancing, great food and even some political rallies. As a result, there were a few sleepless nights early in the weeks. Protestors until 12 am, and fireworks at 3am, reluctantly it all ends today with the concluding parade and festival that we plan to go to!
Monday we were introduced to our partners at the University and the staff at Water for People. They were all so welcoming, which made the transition very easy for us. We learned a little about everybody, and our mission for the next four weeks. The students, Alex, Fernando, Carmen and Diana (who you can read about on the page entitled The 2010 Honduras Team!) are a bit older and more experienced than we are. All are majors in Civil Engineering, except Diana who just graduated with a degree in Environmental Engineering. Diana Betancourt is the Regional Coordinator of Latin America for Water for People, and her team works so hard to help the struggling communities and families I must tip my hat to them. We talked about Water for People’s Strategic Plan and how our projects fall under that plan. It was an overwhelming and long day, but enjoyable most importantly. The next day we told the other students about our time study and explained to them how it works. We didn’t waste any time, and in the afternoon we drove out to the homes of three families whom Water for People had helped. It was interesting to see how much the people work to maintain the latrines they themselves built, and at the same time feel appreciative for the opportunity they were given.
One of our projects, which we were just introduced to on Monday, was to create a more sustainable model for the default pour-flush latrine Water for People had designed. To do this, we met a professor of Architecture here in Honduras, who specializes in Earth Construction. With her help, we were able to design low-cost and sustainable pour-flush latrine. It took us many, many hours of research and work to finally come up with a latrine that fit our constraints. The latrine foundation is made primarily with local materials like rocks, sand and soil and the superstructure is made with bamboo, wood and soil as well. What makes this model sustainable is the use of double-pits, which increase the entire system’s useful life, and use of local materials, which reduces cost dramatically.This method uses what is called “Bajareque.” Another possibility was to build the latrine out of “Adobe” bricks. These are bricks made of a combination of soil, pine needles, and possibly sand. We chose not to go with this option, because creation and drying of these bricks takes two weeks and that was the only time we had to construct. Yesterday we went to the community, called Las Casitas, where we would potentially build the model latrine. The first house that we visited however, had been newly constructed out of Adobe and to our surprise, the family had about sixty extra bricks. Here, we decided that the latrine should then be made out of Adobe to best utilize the materials already available to them. Not too far away from this family, was another home with no latrine at all so this was our location for the Bajareque latrine.
Next week we already start digging the pits! From this week alone I, as well as my fellow students I’m sure, have learned so much from this experience. Next week will certainly be more physically exhausting than this mentally draining week. We’re definitely using this weekend wisely to relax and prepare for the upcoming hurdles. Sunday we are going to a National Park called Panacan, which is supposed to be beautiful and relaxing, so I hope to do just that.
San Pedro awaits!
Gabi 🙂
Greetings From My New Home! — June 26, 2010
Before I get into how Honduras has been for the first couple of hours here, I need to fill you guys in on the past week. Working without Sharon the group realized how much work we had to accomplish. In regards to the sanitation paper, after talking about it for a few days and doing some of the research, we kept running into more and more scenarios that we needed to cover and things kept adding up. Basically there is so much work that we need to do! On the other hand, it keeps getting more interesting! People in the developed world take the opportunities they have for granted and don’t understand the hard work that went into planning and even construction. If not that doesn’t include you, it certainly includes myself. When we first started discussing and reading about latrines, I was simply thought of it as a hole in the ground and a wall surrounding it for some privacy. Well think again. In countries like Honduras, it’s not as simple as it may seem. There are materials that not every village can afford to buy, and maintain for years to come. There are cultural preferences that effect design and use. So many factors play into developing these systems and many people are unaware.
So last week was also busy because we were making sure we had all the materials we needed before our departure today. We had to print out all of our surveys, monitoring reports, questionnaires, and all of the other materials for our studies. In addition, I had to get my own personal things together, which was quite hectic. Buying all these medicines, apparel, repellent and other things had me going crazy. In the end though it was all worth it. We got into San Pedro Sula this afternoon and its been great so far. It was rainy and humid when we arrived as a result of tropical storm Alex passing by. Tonight and tomorrow we plan on exploring more of the city and perhaps going to a museum that’s close to our hotel. Monday morning we meet with the coordinator from Water for People and really just jump right into work. I am excited for all that is to come in the upcoming week!!
I’ll be sure to tell you all about it!
Until next time,
Gabi 🙂
Rapidly Approaching — June 19, 2010
I have a hard time believing we are leaving in exactly a week from today! The past week in addition to the upcoming week has been full of preparations for our four weeks abroad. As of last week we are now conducting a time study as part of rural water model that another group of students is creating. As part of the study we will be following numerous people as they collect water to see much time out of their day is spend collecting water. Im looking forward to spending time with the villagers and put myself in their shoes. I’m sure I will return back home with a new sense of appreciation for the things I have been given, and take advantage of.
Along with mapping out the time study, I have been given the task of translating the procedures to Spanish. Now, I know you’re all thinking, “that shouldn’t be hard, you speak fluently.” I would say that’s half correct. Yes I know how to speak Spanish, but I definitely have not learned any Engineering-specific terms. It will most likely be just as much of a learning opportunity for me as it would have been for any non-speaker. Although Spanish was my first language, when I started going to school I learned English and began to speak that instead of Spanish. At the same time, my parents were using me as a teacher so they could help improve their spanish as well. Over the years I haven’t spoke as much Spanish as I used to, so I’m hoping being in Honduras for four weeks will help me add it back into my daily routine.
The majority of this week we will be on our own since Professor Jones is going away, which means we have a lot to accomplish in the time before she get back. As all the last minute preparations are made, I am getting more and more exited, and more and more nervous! I hope I live up to the expectations people have set for me and my group, and walk away with the experience of a lifetime.
I’ll probably update one last time before the trip! Wahoo!
Gabi 🙂
Dead On — June 10, 2010
A couple of months back I had to write a passage about “What Sustainability Means to Me.” When I was thinking back at what I had written, I kept thinking that I completely had the wrong definition and I really didn’t know what it mean. But I just looked back at the document and this is how I ended it,
‘The idea of sustainability means more than physically building something that will last longer than two or three years. To me, it’s about providing experiences and instilling values that will carry on and grow with a society for the decades past the completion of any sort of project.’
I guess I knew what I was talking about after all. Today I would say was centrally focused around the idea of sustainability and the measures a group or NGO would take to make sure their projects and endeavors would produce sustainable outcomes. People who don’t work for these organizations and just outsiders looking in might be thinking, how hard could it be? Let me tell you, I was one of those outsiders and it seemed pretty simple, up until a few days ago. There are so many other circumstances that have to be considered in order for the project to succeed. Many of these circumstances can’t even be generalized to the developing world because they are so specific to the country, and even within a community. However, these nongovernmental groups choose to do what they do, and unfortunately, their miscalculations have been at the expense of the villagers.
On another note, we learned last night and this morning a little about the history of Honduras. I just realized how in the dark I am about world news and current issues. I had NO idea Honduras had just been through a revolution within the past year that is just recently dwindling down. What Honduras has endured even in this century alone is remarkable, and they have yet to even see the silver lining. They are in so much debt, almost 60% of their population is in poverty, and the United States practically controls their GDP. I hope that the water and sanitation projects will keep them on their feet and hopeful about their futures.
It’s almost the weekend, which is my que to leave!
Gabi 🙂
Two Hundred and Seventy-Four — June 9, 2010
That’s how many pages we’ve read in the last two days in one of our books, Field Guide to Environmental Engineering for Development. In it, the engineers tackle some of the developing world’s most pressing issues, such as access to sanitation and potable water, with technical solutions while taking into consideration the social and environmental circumstances surrounding the community. The chapters have further explained the nature of watersheds and drainage, gravity-fed supply systems, storage tanks, water wells, rainwater harvesting and wastewater treatment. I only say further because this past semester I took an environmental geology course and I learned much of the basics regarding water – groundwater, surface water, contamination, remediation, etc. I must remember to thank my professor because thanks to him I am able to read words like porosity and hydraulic conductivity and understand them with ease. Aside from the readings, we have been introduced to the various projects that will summarize and show the work we will do in the coming weeks (one of which is this website!).
The first day was filled with a lot of introductory procedures in addition to the viewing of two very interesting films. The first was entitled Flow: For the Love of Water, which is a documentary that was released in 2008. Director Irena Salina highlights the politics, human rights, pollution, and growing greed surrounding our not-so-simple resource of water. Although some parts are a bit exaggerated, I think they effectively get their point across. Here’s a clip if you’re interested. Flow: Official Movie Trailer. After Flow, we watched another documentary which followed a man who started a water sanitation program to improve the lives of villagers in an African community. With his group of people, he was able to drill numerous boreholes and provide water to thousands of people. Ultimately, his mission was to prove that none of the Millennium Development Goals, created by United Nations in September of 200, could be reached without clean, accessible water. That’s exactly what he did.
As we continue to learn about the problems facing the people in Honduras, as well as those all over the developing world, my only hope is to able help them get the life every person deserves. Interestingly enough, also mentioned in the movie Flow, was the petition to introduce the “Right to Water” into the Declaration of Human Rights. Article 31 says, “Everyone has the right to clean and accessible water, adequate for the health and well-being of the individual and family, and no one shall be deprived of such access or quality of water due to individual economic circumstance.” For more information and learn how to sign the petition go to article31.org
Until next time,
Gabi 🙂