31st Abril 2014,
8:09 am
With Jimmy sick, and Luis with the landfill team, I have
become the third translator, going off of one year of Spanish in middle school
and my mother and co-worker, Mario, talking to me occasionally in Spanish. Major props to them, but that amount is not
at all recommended for travel….
Words I need right now for buying Gatorade for Jimmy, not
sure what they use here/what is most common [these were notes to myself for
easy reference]:
è
Receipt – recibo, formula, receta
è
How much? – Cuantos?
8:53 am
Well, getting the Gatorade was super easy, I only used “tres
Gatorade” and I understood the amount that she said they were. She didn’t have anything for producing a
receipt, so I didn’t need that. While in
the store some of my young friends spotted me and called out to me, and were
delighted when I said “hola” back to them.
Currently, I am sitting on the steps of Cocepradil while the
workers clean our room, which is nice that they can get in there today to do it
since I was in there yesterday. The dirty
sheets and towels don’t bother me; it’s not like I change those every day back
home, but it’s the amount of waste in the waste bin that is getting to be a bit
much. We have indoor plumbing here (no
outhouses at the NGO, but the water gets shut off a lot), however, the toilets
can’t handle toilet paper, so we have to throw away all of that in the
garbage…and with me being sick yesterday….it’s nice that they are able to get
in there now. I am also happy that I brought toilet paper. No matter where I travel,
I always bring soap, a towel and toilet paper...
 |
| Taking a moment to document the day's events and plans. |
It rained again last night after dinner. In our room it
sounded like it was going to come through the ceiling tiles and soak our
beds. I didn’t feel anything, but I
guess the guys next to us (Gus and Nick) got a little wet.
The storm brought some cool air with it, so I slept pretty
well and even got a little cold during my shower – a feeling I kind of miss
from Chicago. Although with this past winter I should probably be careful what
I wish for [referencing the “polar vortex” winter of 2013/2014].
The plans for today are to finish the leachate collection system
at the landfill, which Liz, Gus and Luis are already working on. Then the rest
of us will work in the river constructing the gabion baskets – and by that, I
mean, we will be putting rocks into the baskets, or as Nick puts it “we’ll be
chuckin’ rocks.” It’s going to be a
tiring day. I need to be sure to wear
lots of sunscreen and probably my hat.
But since we will be in the water, I think I will be able to wear my
shorts. Hopefully the water will help to keep me cooler today. We will see how I am feeling then…
One other thing that I wanted to write about a bit is something
that actually happened on Monday. Orlando
was talking to a group of people that were going to get some free (?) vaccines
and food. He mentioned us in his speech
and pointed us out (we had been shopping close to the town square). Afterward, a young woman in pink scrubs came
up to us and started speaking in English, asking where we were from, what we
were doing here, etc. She told us that
she was from one of the bigger cities in the north and was here on an
internship - or something like that – for dentistry for about 6 months. She said that she had never heard of
Candelaria before and had to Google it to see where it was. I noticed that she was wearing a Victoria’s
Secret “Pink” hat, had on some nice earrings and had a nice purse (possibly
also Victoria’s Secret). She had a look
in her eyes that she felt very out of place here – a bit of culture shock to
come here. She really seemed to feel
more comfortable talking and relating to us than to people from her own country
– she seemed really out of place. She
had that look of confusion that I am sure I had when moving to Platteville –
“these are people that are from the same place as me (for me same state), yet
their culture is so much different than mine – what?!?” It was interesting to
see that dynamic here, and to also be reminded that Candelaria doesn't
represent the whole country – the way people live here isn’t the way people
live in all of Honduras. I feel that
this is something that Americans, including American volunteers, often
forget. “Third world” covers a
relatively broad spectrum of life-styles and the corner of the country you have
in mind for representing the country – whether you have been there yourself or
seen pictures or heard about it – might not be accurate, and usually isn’t accurate,
for the whole country. I have very
little in common (in terms of life-style and several view points) with someone
from a small northern town in Wisconsin, or a small town in southern Illinois
[Note: I’m from Milwaukee and am currently living in Chicago]. It was nice to be reminded of that.
I should get going as the group might be getting back at any
minute – or they might not, we will see how things go. I should probably change
clothes though….
JLC
8:00 pm
We finished the gabions today and it was so nice to be in
the river. It wasn’t super-hot again
today, but then again, I spent most of the day in the shade or the river. At
any rate, having the cool fluid rushing over my feet and dipping my hands in
the river to pick out rocks felt great. We placed and filled the gabions in less
than two hours, which is even more impressive when you realize that it is about
two tons of rocks moved by hand. For
that, it was myself, Nick and the local workers provided by the community. (The rest of our team was at the landfill
giving a demonstration on a way to safely dispose of needles from the medical
facility.) Once the workers understood
what we were doing, they formed a line and tossed rocks to one another to save
time and the hassle of walking across the slippery, rocky terrain. I don’t know how other communities are to
work with, but this community has been great to work with; they pick up on
things really quickly, are very interested in the projects that we are working
with them on, and just overall, have been very receptive and hospitable to
us. We have had a few hiccups here and
there, but overall, they have been a real pleasure to work with.
 |
| "Chuckin' rocks" with some of the local workers. |
 |
| Finishing the gabians - Final wires to hold basket together. |
Orlando, the mayor, has also been fantastic. He has been
driving us around everywhere, taking us to have “snacks”/”refreshments” and
even welcomed us into his home today for coffee and cakes. What is very interesting is that I am told
the people call him “the prophet”. From what
I understand, and I might be wrong on this as I don’t speak fluent Spanish, and
haven’t delved too far into it, the older political party was run by people who
had businesses, whereas the current political party is run by people who had
other positions, such as educators or other roles that weren’t running
businesses. It is interesting that when
we are driving through town with Orlando, he honks at people EVERYWHERE and
frequently stops to talk to someone, in a pick-up truck or walking alongside
the road. It does appear that he is well-liked, but maybe I am not seeing the
other side of it? Either side, I like him so far and have been extremely
grateful for his hospitality and for the amount of time he has taken to work
with us.
I keep getting distracted, so I should probably get
going. Buenos Noches!
JLC
No comments:
Post a Comment