Assumptions and Dog torturing

Well, I feel it’s time to change a few assumptions. Well, I will correct a few assumptions that I had before coming here. First, the bugs would be worse during the rainy season. WRONG! Since the rainy season ended the bugs have come out in full force. That’s right; we are back to using bug repellent as moisturizer. Seca doesn’t get out of this either, fleas and ticks are easily found in every place you look! Guns are more common in the cities. This might actually be true, but the number of rifle-toting guards for the coffee farms are rather unnerving. It doesn’t get cold in the tropics. Well, it’s just your idea changes. I am wearing a sweater writing this and it is 70F in my apartment.

Dog stories: You are not getting tired of hearing about my pup I hope, because her stories are my life since I am strapped with her. Today we went out to San Carlos where we are building a water system. We were out there to do the prep work for the dam. My dog was going nuts because it was muddy (late rains) and a very steep incline making it hard for anyone, not just those of the four legged variety, to sit down for a bit. That being said, she did make a worker’s backpack her bed for a while. Anyways, we get back home and she is SOOOO tired. Half the time, I walk her without her leash, and instead of running out in front of me and then waiting while I catch up, she was walking at a really slow pace. So, to torture her, I started running to make her walk faster. Didn’t work, she still walked slowly. She even fell asleep in the middle of the office floor with people coming in and out. She at least got to sleep out there; I was awake and freezing because I forgot my sweater.

Work: Well, we went out to supervise the prep-work for a dam, if you weren’t paying attention. Actually, it was interesting to see. They already have large piles of rocks and sand (necessary for mixing concrete) and the whole are cleaned and ready for construction. We went out and using 3” PVC tubes have the water rerouted over the dam site so that it can be dried out for the actual construction. As we were driving up to the site, I confessed to my counterpart of the day that although I understood the basics of dam design and theory of how a dam might be constructed (as in which part goes where), the actual construction part was a complete blank to me. Not for the first time I wondered if I am qualified for this job; my environmental engineering masters doesn’t mean that I have experience building dams for a 58 house community. Good thing I have a great deal of self-confidence and many years experience of BSing my way out of situations. Please note that any decisions would be run by someone else, while I may be able to hold my head up and answer questions at a worksite, I would defer to someone else before making a large decision. I want these people to have water so I would not put their system in jeopardy.

Friends: things seem to be going well with everyone I know. There are a lot of people supervising construction right now because we have just entered the dry season. Those people who work with schools are now busy because school started up again. My group of volunteers are about to celebrate our one year in Honduras mark. That means I am busy preparing for the next group to come down here. That will be interesting. Let me list the things I have on my plate:

Finish design for one colonia (means redoing part of the topo study), supervise construction of 3 water systems, participate in trainings in those site, supervise construction of 350 latrines, set-up the chemical/biological lab at my worksite, create a training on said lab so that my coworkers can run samples, get my dog to the vet to get fixed, set up training sites for the trainees, 2-4 afternoons a week for 7 weeks being spent towards their training, baseball, tennis lessons, junta de agua manual, science fair, setting up contacts for a well drilling team, improved stove project, investigate treatment for coffee wash water, learn autoCAD, and live a life that includes taking care of a too attached dog, cleaning an every dusty house due to the non-paved street, and taking some down time to relax. Good thing I am the queen procrastinator. Wouldn’t want all of those things on my plate at one time now!

One more story about Seca. We return from San Carlos and she is TIRED, and she got to sleep! About half the time that I walk her I let her run off leash, and when I do this she just runs around, or runs around ahead of me and waits for me to catch up. Well, the poor thing was so tired that she wasn’t in front of me and within one block I was well ahead of her. Then, being the great person I am, I start running to torture the poor thing since I know she wont let herself get too far behind!

And because I am really desperate for letters (HINT HINT HINT) here is my address so that you have no excuses!

Jillian Churchill
Apartado Postal 34
El Paraiso, El Paraiso
Honduras
Central America

Ok, I will take the address next time I have internet, so save it and WRITE TO ME!!!!!!