Saturday morning and I was at the City Hall by 8.00 a.m. ready to go look at a piece of property for sale. Five of us piled into a double cab pick up and headed off. The trip was 24 kilometres but took us 45 minutes. The road wasn’t too bad and, despite a long bout of rainy weather, was in good shape. The gravel section is, evidently, worked on once a year by the district. It is the only route to a village on the far side of a large lake that has been created by a dam used for hydro-electric production.
We were a fair bit higher than Santa Cruz and the hills and valleys looked much like a greener version of the B.C. interior. Hills were covered with thickly scattered pine trees and each fold was lush with a great abundance of trees. By the time we could see the lake, the population had dwindled to just the odd house every kilometre or so.
The lake is gorgeous and the land we were looking at had a number of lovely viewpoints. One section of the land is almost touching the lake but we didn’t have time to hike all the way there. As it was, we hiked up and down and around looking at nooks and crannies, springs, streams, small valleys, tree covered hillsides and odd little pathways. It really was a spectacular place. It is hard to believe how quickly the population drops off away from the major arteries.
En route to the property we passed a checkpoint manned by armed soldiers. Evidently they are posted to prevent illegal harvesting of trees. That is nice to see. I wasn’t sure about all the numbers but it seems that if you harvest a tree you must plant ten replacements. I hope that is true. It bodes well for the future.
One of the men we were with knew a great deal about the land and what would grow and so forth. He gladly pointed out the different species of trees and some of their characteristics. In one of the lower sections there was wild Honduran cilantro growing. Another spot featured liquorice.
The altitude ensured a relatively cool atmosphere, despite the sunshine. Nevertheless, we were well warmed up by the end of three hours hiking. A small spring helped cool us down as we headed back to the truck.
Coming out of the property we came across another vehicle that was trying to carry fence posts up to a corner of their pasture. It had gotten well and truly stuck. After fifteen minutes, unloading the posts and well splattered jeans, the truck was out of the mud and we were back on our way.
We arrived back in Santa Cruz at close to one o’clock. That was when the sixth grade graduation I was to attend was scheduled to begin. Well, I hurried home, had a shower (the water was running thankfully) changed clothes and headed back to the town square to catch a rapidito to the village turn off. Well, the election is scheduled for today and already police and army had moved in to ensure stability (???) and so the collectivos had disappeared. I didn’t have enough Spanish to inquire where they might have gone. Fortunately, I spotted a van that had the names of villages beyond my destination and garnered a seat. There were obviously others in the same predicament as the rapidito was soon filled to African capacity.
After reaching the turn off, I walked the half mile to the hall where the graduation was to take place. I passed by a few houses and saw them decorated with balloons for their graduate. In one house I saw one of the graduates in her lovely, semi-formal blue dress still getting ready. So, even though I was 45 minutes late, I was still early. Good stuff.
At the hall, I met an American couple who have been living in the village for the last three years. We renewed acquaintance and then moved in to be seated. I found a seat but, very shortly, I was asked to move to the front of the auditorium and take a seat at the head table with the couple. Foreign dignitaries and all that. Sigh. I’ve been through that before so wasn’t too taken aback.
The 14 graduates were all dressed in light blue shirts or formal/semi-formal dresses. Obviously, a very big event in their lives. Considering that many children in Honduras do not finish Grade 6, it really is an important occasion. For the majority, there is no school for them to go to for further education. Hopefully, our project will be able to change that in a small way.
The ceremony began with the singing of the National Anthem. My theory is that, the smaller the country, the longer the anthem. Two younger girls from the school had been recruited to hold the flag so that it was fully spread out. It was a long two hours for them.
Speeches, of course, were given. When it came time to hand out the framed diplomas, each of us “dignitaries” was given one diploma. The students were called one by one and, as their name was called, they went to the back of the auditorium and were then escorted back to the front by one or two witnesses. As they went down the line of dignitaries to receive a hug or handshake, their witnesses signed the school registry to affirm that they had received their diploma. Then, the person with their diploma presented it to them and stood while pictures were taken. The student then was given a small present bag by their witness and, occasionally, by other members of the audience.
Part way through this part of the ceremony, we at the front were served with a glass of banana flavoured soda and several crackers with a dollop of jam. It is hot and thirsty work being a dignitary. For the greater part of the proceedings, I had been unofficially adopted by a small Huck Finn type. He meandered back and forth from my lap to go visit a couple of other wayfarer type onlookers and then back again a number of times. Of course, he was confident that his visits should entitle him to a share of the refreshments. One of the other people dissuaded him of that perception so I was saved from wondering what was appropriate.
Staying for the whole ceremony is not a cultural necessity. By the time the last graduate received their diploma, about half of the audience had headed outside and were on their way to various homes for food and refreshment. The applause was definitely much less enthusiastic by that time as well.
My hostess, Julia, directed me to the home of her daughter where the celebration for her grandson (son? – Spanish and whatnot making for a bit of confusion on that score) was taking place. Money had been sent by her children in the States to ensure an acceptable celebration. The home was a partly finished building with unplastered walls and gravel floors in half of it. But, tables and chairs were spread out and balloons and decorations made the place festive. We had potato salad, fried chicken and rice with vegetables followed by cake. Lovely.
As it turned twilight, I climbed the hill back to the main road and waited for a collective back to Santa Cruz.
Bryan
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Soccer Semi-finals – Nov. 28
The last two nights have been the first leg matches of the semi-finals for the Honduran Soccer League. Fortunately, I have been able to watch both games on TV. The first game featured Real España vs Olímpia. I cheer for Real España so was hoping they would be able to keep to their first place ways. Now, the word is that the Honduran League has some more creative ways of winning than just what happens on the field. Evidently games that are played in Tegucigalpa, especially, are subject to some, what shall I say, pre and post game financing. Wednesday night’s game seemed to bear that out. A sure goal that was clearly okay, despite the numbers of replays I saw, was disallowed. Of course, you can guess which team it was against. Sigh. Fortunately, the team is down by only one goal coming back to their home stadium for next week’s match. The return game will be held in the smaller, Morazan stadium where fans are right on top of the players and where small inconveniences like bags of water, plastic cups of beer and long rolls of paper streamers can be launched against the opposition. I do have to figure a way to get to that game. Last night’s game was less controversial. The Tegucigalpa team scored first so that helped.
Game time snacks include Chicarron. This is deep fried pig skin. Likely not something that will appear on DQ menu boards any time soon. It is crispy and crunchy and served with little wedges of lime and pickled rings of onion. My limit is one small piece so I don’t order it. Fortunately, I was watching with a friend who let me have my one piece and happily ate the rest himself. I settled for some fried tortilla chips with avocado sauce and some pulled beef fajitas.
Yesterday we were in the local court (Justice?) office to continue the saga of ACP. They were trying to recover a truck that had been put into custody by original board members. Well, I was there as the Canadian, international observer. Sort of. Five of us crowded into the Justice’s office. The office featured the local medium size fridge status symbol and, on top, boxes of Cheerios and Fruit Loops. We spent about forty-five minutes listening to arguments and so forth. Things went well for the people I was with and some of the truth was outed. Will see what future sessions entail. Since I was just an observer, I was without translation and had to follow as best as I could. I was pleased that I followed a fair amount and that is a good sign. Now ... to learn how to reply.
In the afternoon, we had our first class sessions in our office. Chepe, Carolina and Manuel had bookkeeping lessons. Since they are all part of CPI activities in Honduras it is good that they have some inkling of how to go about the process. For Carolina, it was doubly good because I illustrated some of the stuff on my laptop and she got to see a spreadsheet for the first time. She will be taking Grade 8 in January and part of the requirements for Grade 8 in our program are being able to make a simple spreadsheet work. Carolina is a girl who has been active in adult education and in her community even though, at nineteen, she has only had a chance to take Grade 6. This year, thanks to some friends, she has been taking Grade 7. She is hoping to, eventually, get into nursing. Until this year, that was only a pipe dream but if our project gets a full set of green lights, she will have the doors opened to her. She was fun to work with as, unlike anyone else I have met, she was able to add and subtract in her head. That was exciting to see. We managed a few things and got some of the concepts across.
Financial accountability is such a huge issue here in Honduras and, in part, the total inability of the population to understand basic bookkeeping allows for incredible irregularities to take place at all levels. As we learn how to do the bookkeeping, obvious places to check and how to look for those problems will give these people a big leg up on others in understanding what is happening in their communities.
A second sunny day in a row. Even though it feels cool when it is cloudy, it only takes a few minutes of sun to warm up quickly. The humidity must be staggering as the whole earth is soaked with the rains of the last weeks.
Bryan
Game time snacks include Chicarron. This is deep fried pig skin. Likely not something that will appear on DQ menu boards any time soon. It is crispy and crunchy and served with little wedges of lime and pickled rings of onion. My limit is one small piece so I don’t order it. Fortunately, I was watching with a friend who let me have my one piece and happily ate the rest himself. I settled for some fried tortilla chips with avocado sauce and some pulled beef fajitas.
Yesterday we were in the local court (Justice?) office to continue the saga of ACP. They were trying to recover a truck that had been put into custody by original board members. Well, I was there as the Canadian, international observer. Sort of. Five of us crowded into the Justice’s office. The office featured the local medium size fridge status symbol and, on top, boxes of Cheerios and Fruit Loops. We spent about forty-five minutes listening to arguments and so forth. Things went well for the people I was with and some of the truth was outed. Will see what future sessions entail. Since I was just an observer, I was without translation and had to follow as best as I could. I was pleased that I followed a fair amount and that is a good sign. Now ... to learn how to reply.
In the afternoon, we had our first class sessions in our office. Chepe, Carolina and Manuel had bookkeeping lessons. Since they are all part of CPI activities in Honduras it is good that they have some inkling of how to go about the process. For Carolina, it was doubly good because I illustrated some of the stuff on my laptop and she got to see a spreadsheet for the first time. She will be taking Grade 8 in January and part of the requirements for Grade 8 in our program are being able to make a simple spreadsheet work. Carolina is a girl who has been active in adult education and in her community even though, at nineteen, she has only had a chance to take Grade 6. This year, thanks to some friends, she has been taking Grade 7. She is hoping to, eventually, get into nursing. Until this year, that was only a pipe dream but if our project gets a full set of green lights, she will have the doors opened to her. She was fun to work with as, unlike anyone else I have met, she was able to add and subtract in her head. That was exciting to see. We managed a few things and got some of the concepts across.
Financial accountability is such a huge issue here in Honduras and, in part, the total inability of the population to understand basic bookkeeping allows for incredible irregularities to take place at all levels. As we learn how to do the bookkeeping, obvious places to check and how to look for those problems will give these people a big leg up on others in understanding what is happening in their communities.
A second sunny day in a row. Even though it feels cool when it is cloudy, it only takes a few minutes of sun to warm up quickly. The humidity must be staggering as the whole earth is soaked with the rains of the last weeks.
Bryan
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Hen Soup – Nov. 26
Yesterday we travelled to visit some more botiquines. There were enough people that I was part of the truck box passenger section. Fortunately it did not rain during the day. Even though the people I was with are not well off, they had collected some clothing for a village en route that had been washed out by flooding a few weeks ago. It is energizing to be with people who are giving out of their own little stores without comment or braggadocio.
The scenery is gorgeous wherever I travel and there are scores of spots each day that I just want to stop and build a home at. The rains have everything growing at top speed so there are hardly any spots that have less than a dozen colours of green.
At one of the homes we stopped at, the lady talked to us about making healthy drinks from the Noni tree. This is a new tree to me but it grows quickly. She had a ten month old tree that was fruiting heavily already. It is not a tall tree and it fruits, evidently, year round. The drink is in high demand here in Honduras and fetches a very high price. The one tree had over $30.00 of fruit on it. Not sure what that translates into for juice and income potential that way.
For lunch we stopped at a home where the lady had built her own Lorena stove a year ago. She built it inside her kitchen and it is right beside her sink. She can now prepare food and cook it without having to go outside, especially in the rain. The stove cost her about $30.00 to build and she is saving 50% firewood now. As well, her eyes and lungs are in better shape. She has tiled the edges and it looks very nice. The smoke goes outside and up a brick chimney.
Rosara, the lady in question, was able to cook soup, coffee and tortillas on the stove at one time. Very user friendly. We talked about setting up a way to heat water for washing using the chimney. That is on my ‘to do’ list sometime. It wouldn’t heat the water to pasteurization levels but would be nice for bathing or washing clothes and dishes. An added bonus on cold days.
The lunch was a hen soup with local vegetables – ayote (like a hard light green squash), baby corn and potatoes. There was rice to add into the soup and then some pickled onions and peppers. The peppers were fairly strong. Fortunately, I was able to swallow the second, smaller and hotter one, almost whole after the first bite. I knew that if I chewed it, I would be in serious trouble. Chicken soup is made from a young broiler and, according to my friends, doesn’t compare to a soup made from an older, layer type bird. The quality of soup we had for lunch was such that I wasn’t about to argue.
On the way home we stopped at an aunt’s place to pick up a birthday cake for a little girl. There was some sample cake from somewhere so we all got a small piece of chocolate cake.
One of our afternoon stops was at a home with walls and floor of adobe. It was doing very well and looked very nice. The community must be fairly proficient in adobe work as there are a number of very nice homes built that way. The floor was a bit rough but not bad for fourteen years of wear and tear. Surprisingly good condition considering the traffic and time. As we visited, several of the yard fowl cruised through checking up on kernels of maize that were dropped by the little girl who was shelling a cob for entertainment. I confess having chickens amble through the living room is still not in my comfort zone. I do like to walk barefoot inside my house and not sure about Oil of Oh Lay Sole Cream. The yard also featured several large rabbits amongst the large flock of colourful chickens and ducks. The home owner said that they hadn’t eaten any rabbits yet because they were too cute. Easter Bunny wins again.
Bryan
The scenery is gorgeous wherever I travel and there are scores of spots each day that I just want to stop and build a home at. The rains have everything growing at top speed so there are hardly any spots that have less than a dozen colours of green.
At one of the homes we stopped at, the lady talked to us about making healthy drinks from the Noni tree. This is a new tree to me but it grows quickly. She had a ten month old tree that was fruiting heavily already. It is not a tall tree and it fruits, evidently, year round. The drink is in high demand here in Honduras and fetches a very high price. The one tree had over $30.00 of fruit on it. Not sure what that translates into for juice and income potential that way.
For lunch we stopped at a home where the lady had built her own Lorena stove a year ago. She built it inside her kitchen and it is right beside her sink. She can now prepare food and cook it without having to go outside, especially in the rain. The stove cost her about $30.00 to build and she is saving 50% firewood now. As well, her eyes and lungs are in better shape. She has tiled the edges and it looks very nice. The smoke goes outside and up a brick chimney.
Rosara, the lady in question, was able to cook soup, coffee and tortillas on the stove at one time. Very user friendly. We talked about setting up a way to heat water for washing using the chimney. That is on my ‘to do’ list sometime. It wouldn’t heat the water to pasteurization levels but would be nice for bathing or washing clothes and dishes. An added bonus on cold days.
The lunch was a hen soup with local vegetables – ayote (like a hard light green squash), baby corn and potatoes. There was rice to add into the soup and then some pickled onions and peppers. The peppers were fairly strong. Fortunately, I was able to swallow the second, smaller and hotter one, almost whole after the first bite. I knew that if I chewed it, I would be in serious trouble. Chicken soup is made from a young broiler and, according to my friends, doesn’t compare to a soup made from an older, layer type bird. The quality of soup we had for lunch was such that I wasn’t about to argue.
On the way home we stopped at an aunt’s place to pick up a birthday cake for a little girl. There was some sample cake from somewhere so we all got a small piece of chocolate cake.
One of our afternoon stops was at a home with walls and floor of adobe. It was doing very well and looked very nice. The community must be fairly proficient in adobe work as there are a number of very nice homes built that way. The floor was a bit rough but not bad for fourteen years of wear and tear. Surprisingly good condition considering the traffic and time. As we visited, several of the yard fowl cruised through checking up on kernels of maize that were dropped by the little girl who was shelling a cob for entertainment. I confess having chickens amble through the living room is still not in my comfort zone. I do like to walk barefoot inside my house and not sure about Oil of Oh Lay Sole Cream. The yard also featured several large rabbits amongst the large flock of colourful chickens and ducks. The home owner said that they hadn’t eaten any rabbits yet because they were too cute. Easter Bunny wins again.
Bryan
Expect the Unexpected – November 24
The good news about living outside of Canada is that, generally because you don’t know the culture and the language very well, something new and unexpected is always just a step away. The bad news is that the unexpected is always just a step away. Sometimes it is only a half-step away and that can be overwhelming.
Almost all good unexpected the last couple of days. Sunday afternoon, after a long couple of hours uploading my book to a friend who is going to do some work on it, (I was halfway through a 90 minute download when the connection broke – Plan B worked though), I headed for supper – it started out to be a late lunch when I first sat down at the internet.
On one of the routes to the city square, there is a tiny door which looks like a back entrance to the two large buildings around it. I happened to notice the other day that it had a sign on it, “Locos Tacos”. I glanced in the window and saw a bar and TV and then went on. So, last night I returned to the Crazy Tacos to see what it looked like inside.
Inside were about five tables and a four stool bar. It was clean, snug and, a bonus after a weekend of rain, warm. Behind the bar a lovely Christmas plaque with Santa Claus flashed and danced with lights. Spanish music played while two TV’s showed different channels (fortunately the sound was off the one). I thought I ordered a Taco but forty minutes later realized that I must not have. Further conversation with the lady in charge revealed that they didn’t have tacos. So much for the sign out front. Instead she brought me something called a barbacoa. Much better than a taco. (Tacos here are generally deep fried and often rather well crisped.) Two small tortillas with a pile of pulled, spiced beef with onions and cilantro on top. A wedge of lime and an avocado (I think) based dip to compliment. Very good. I ordered a second one.
After supper I headed to the town square to go to Mass. They have a good music group so I got their early enough to listen to them practice. There was an extra copy of the words to the songs so I got to sing along – nice. One of the songs was about the ninety and nine sheep so I was able to piece that out – oh how multilingual that boy is. After mass was finished, no one got up to leave. This is not always a good sign – especially if you are like me and sit in the front part of the church. Well, it turned out that all the local candidates for the upcoming election were invited to a mini election forum. The priest was the moderator and kept things going quite smoothly. The local TV channel was there filming the event and I noticed that the ‘director’ helped the priest move things along. I stayed till after nine and then, after looking around and seeing that many folks had called it a night, slide down the bench to the wall end and left after a speaker had given his thoughts on how to deal with corruption in government.
Today I went into San Pedro Sula to, again ... still ... try and get some of the textbook material we need. Most of the education offices were open ... but not the one we wanted. For some reason, no one knew of a phone number for them either. We tried a number of offices and a number of individuals in each office but no luck. Strike three ... or is it five ... can’t remember.
Manuel is trying to get some bank work done on his home. Well, he needed a copy of his contract with us. Unfortunately, we don’t have a rubber stamp yet. So, the contract was not accepted. Sigh. He is having a stamp made today, I will sign the papers again tomorrow and he will try again. I even went to the bank with him and sat trying look as employerish and foreign businessish as I could. Didn’t help.
Manuel went off to go have a stamp made and I went to say hello to the teachers and students at El Buen Pastor, the Bilingual school Alyssa and I were at two years ago. It was nice to see old friends and get some phone numbers of people I can talk to in English.
The Vice Principal gave me a ride to the terminal where I got a ticket and saw the Sta Cruz bus backing out of the stall. I ran and caught it just as it was ready to move forward. They are always happy to have another customer so were watching hopefully for that last minute rider. This bus was a big, old school bus with only a few passengers. Most worrisome as that generally means a million stops to get things filled. The bus was named the “Divine Women”. Not sure ... maybe there is a better Spanish phrase that it comes from. “Mujeres Divina” roared out of the terminal and hustled down the highway. Fortunately, the first couple of makilas we came to were just at shift change and, within two stops, we were full. Hurrah.
Divine Women had, on the side window a twelve inch translucent picture of Jesus, small decals of Jesus and Mary in each of the corners of the large interior bus mirror and one or two more icon figures on the windshield. With that much protection we were free to move at top speed down the highway. The driver, very considerately, had the turnboy go through their CD’s and find one with English songs mixed in with the Spanish numbers. And in true Honduran fashion, they generously turned the volume up to full so that I, along with the others, could completely appreciate the music.
Happily, we made the trip in one piece and, even more happily, in great time. It was still twilight when I stepped off the bus. A stop for some air time on my phone, another for orange juice and in short order I was home.
Laundry is not drying very quickly. That is an understatement. Having bought an iron on Saturday, I spent ten minutes finishing drying a pillow case for tonight. The rest will have to wait until Wednesday to get final attention.
Bryan
Almost all good unexpected the last couple of days. Sunday afternoon, after a long couple of hours uploading my book to a friend who is going to do some work on it, (I was halfway through a 90 minute download when the connection broke – Plan B worked though), I headed for supper – it started out to be a late lunch when I first sat down at the internet.
On one of the routes to the city square, there is a tiny door which looks like a back entrance to the two large buildings around it. I happened to notice the other day that it had a sign on it, “Locos Tacos”. I glanced in the window and saw a bar and TV and then went on. So, last night I returned to the Crazy Tacos to see what it looked like inside.
Inside were about five tables and a four stool bar. It was clean, snug and, a bonus after a weekend of rain, warm. Behind the bar a lovely Christmas plaque with Santa Claus flashed and danced with lights. Spanish music played while two TV’s showed different channels (fortunately the sound was off the one). I thought I ordered a Taco but forty minutes later realized that I must not have. Further conversation with the lady in charge revealed that they didn’t have tacos. So much for the sign out front. Instead she brought me something called a barbacoa. Much better than a taco. (Tacos here are generally deep fried and often rather well crisped.) Two small tortillas with a pile of pulled, spiced beef with onions and cilantro on top. A wedge of lime and an avocado (I think) based dip to compliment. Very good. I ordered a second one.
After supper I headed to the town square to go to Mass. They have a good music group so I got their early enough to listen to them practice. There was an extra copy of the words to the songs so I got to sing along – nice. One of the songs was about the ninety and nine sheep so I was able to piece that out – oh how multilingual that boy is. After mass was finished, no one got up to leave. This is not always a good sign – especially if you are like me and sit in the front part of the church. Well, it turned out that all the local candidates for the upcoming election were invited to a mini election forum. The priest was the moderator and kept things going quite smoothly. The local TV channel was there filming the event and I noticed that the ‘director’ helped the priest move things along. I stayed till after nine and then, after looking around and seeing that many folks had called it a night, slide down the bench to the wall end and left after a speaker had given his thoughts on how to deal with corruption in government.
Today I went into San Pedro Sula to, again ... still ... try and get some of the textbook material we need. Most of the education offices were open ... but not the one we wanted. For some reason, no one knew of a phone number for them either. We tried a number of offices and a number of individuals in each office but no luck. Strike three ... or is it five ... can’t remember.
Manuel is trying to get some bank work done on his home. Well, he needed a copy of his contract with us. Unfortunately, we don’t have a rubber stamp yet. So, the contract was not accepted. Sigh. He is having a stamp made today, I will sign the papers again tomorrow and he will try again. I even went to the bank with him and sat trying look as employerish and foreign businessish as I could. Didn’t help.
Manuel went off to go have a stamp made and I went to say hello to the teachers and students at El Buen Pastor, the Bilingual school Alyssa and I were at two years ago. It was nice to see old friends and get some phone numbers of people I can talk to in English.
The Vice Principal gave me a ride to the terminal where I got a ticket and saw the Sta Cruz bus backing out of the stall. I ran and caught it just as it was ready to move forward. They are always happy to have another customer so were watching hopefully for that last minute rider. This bus was a big, old school bus with only a few passengers. Most worrisome as that generally means a million stops to get things filled. The bus was named the “Divine Women”. Not sure ... maybe there is a better Spanish phrase that it comes from. “Mujeres Divina” roared out of the terminal and hustled down the highway. Fortunately, the first couple of makilas we came to were just at shift change and, within two stops, we were full. Hurrah.
Divine Women had, on the side window a twelve inch translucent picture of Jesus, small decals of Jesus and Mary in each of the corners of the large interior bus mirror and one or two more icon figures on the windshield. With that much protection we were free to move at top speed down the highway. The driver, very considerately, had the turnboy go through their CD’s and find one with English songs mixed in with the Spanish numbers. And in true Honduran fashion, they generously turned the volume up to full so that I, along with the others, could completely appreciate the music.
Happily, we made the trip in one piece and, even more happily, in great time. It was still twilight when I stepped off the bus. A stop for some air time on my phone, another for orange juice and in short order I was home.
Laundry is not drying very quickly. That is an understatement. Having bought an iron on Saturday, I spent ten minutes finishing drying a pillow case for tonight. The rest will have to wait until Wednesday to get final attention.
Bryan
Saturday, November 22, 2008
New Doors for the Office – Nov. 22
The carpenter has been here the last two days working on new doors. He made the doors from scratch and was installing them. This morning he brought his little two year old son, Japhet, along to help with the finishing touches. Japhet would wander back and forth by my office carrying pieces of wood and giving me a smile each trip. I could here his dad listening to the prattle with one ear and voicing that universal, “mmmhmm” sound that dad’s make when they are busy working. For me, as Advent season is just a week away, it was a reminder of how Jesus began his life – fragrant wood chips dusting his hair, leftover pieces of wood clutched in fat fingers and Joseph giving him the occasional ‘mmmhmm’ just to keep him interested and to let him know that he was a special son.
Several reminders this week of how close to the bone most people live here. While not as close to life and death as places I have lived in Africa, the reality of falling off a cliff is constantly present.
Several of us went to visit three Botoquines (little medical/medicine supply centres) that were begun by CPI over the last few years. We visited the ladies who are in charge of dispensing some of the medicines and doing rough first aid. They each have a small cabinet of supplies that is much the size of the cabinet in most bathrooms in Canada. They treat about thirty people a week and do what they can.
Most of their treatment deals with diarrhoea and colds/asthma. Since nearly every family uses wood fires to cook with, they are constantly exposed to smoke which does nothing helpful to general well being. Of course, it is the women and children who spend the most time in the smoky areas.
The cost of a Lorena stove, a fuel efficient stove that uses about 60% less wood and features a chimney to take the smoke out and away is too much for people to think about. The labour costs for a stove are $80.00 and the materials about (I’m guessing here) $30.00. I wonder if we can’t figure out a way to help different groups of people learn how to make a simple version and then move on up from there. Firewood is running about $0.10 a stick so it really wouldn’t take many months to pay for the stove in savings – let alone gains in health.
Another area of hard financial choice is in the area of birth control. The cost of the shots for a month’s protection is 30-40 Lempiras ($2.00). Of course, I think that the cost of a pregnancy is much higher but when there is no money, the risk is taken.
We spent a few minutes with one of the ladies going over the rehydration drink featured in “Where There Is No Doctor”. I need to try making it with some fruit juice added (or tea or coffee) for flavouring. I know that the tea is, to some degree, a diuretic but if we can find a way for people to sort of like the stuff, they won’t be as anxious for other treatments. The treatment that they really want is IV rehydration. That is just too scary for me. Especially when it is being administered by barely trained personnel. Don’t want to go there at all.
We visited a couple who have a small plant nursery. They have traditionally gotten a loan in November/December from CPI to purchase extra plants for sale during the holiday season. The loan was about $200.00. This year, CPI is in between projects and so the loans aren’t available. So, a major source of yearly income is at risk for this family.
Our visits to these small villages highlighted how quickly life changes metres away from the major highways. We were still within two or three kilometres so really hadn’t gotten into anything remote. It will be interesting to see what life is like further back in the hills.
Last night I checked my blog site and had a surge of hope. My readers had gone up 50%. I clicked on the space to see who had joined. Alas, “Sassy” had found her (his?) way to the site. How many people are out there with nothing to do but send Spam and what not to every site in the world?
Power is out, carpenter is gone and the battery on the computer is running down. TTYL
Bryan
Several reminders this week of how close to the bone most people live here. While not as close to life and death as places I have lived in Africa, the reality of falling off a cliff is constantly present.
Several of us went to visit three Botoquines (little medical/medicine supply centres) that were begun by CPI over the last few years. We visited the ladies who are in charge of dispensing some of the medicines and doing rough first aid. They each have a small cabinet of supplies that is much the size of the cabinet in most bathrooms in Canada. They treat about thirty people a week and do what they can.
Most of their treatment deals with diarrhoea and colds/asthma. Since nearly every family uses wood fires to cook with, they are constantly exposed to smoke which does nothing helpful to general well being. Of course, it is the women and children who spend the most time in the smoky areas.
The cost of a Lorena stove, a fuel efficient stove that uses about 60% less wood and features a chimney to take the smoke out and away is too much for people to think about. The labour costs for a stove are $80.00 and the materials about (I’m guessing here) $30.00. I wonder if we can’t figure out a way to help different groups of people learn how to make a simple version and then move on up from there. Firewood is running about $0.10 a stick so it really wouldn’t take many months to pay for the stove in savings – let alone gains in health.
Another area of hard financial choice is in the area of birth control. The cost of the shots for a month’s protection is 30-40 Lempiras ($2.00). Of course, I think that the cost of a pregnancy is much higher but when there is no money, the risk is taken.
We spent a few minutes with one of the ladies going over the rehydration drink featured in “Where There Is No Doctor”. I need to try making it with some fruit juice added (or tea or coffee) for flavouring. I know that the tea is, to some degree, a diuretic but if we can find a way for people to sort of like the stuff, they won’t be as anxious for other treatments. The treatment that they really want is IV rehydration. That is just too scary for me. Especially when it is being administered by barely trained personnel. Don’t want to go there at all.
We visited a couple who have a small plant nursery. They have traditionally gotten a loan in November/December from CPI to purchase extra plants for sale during the holiday season. The loan was about $200.00. This year, CPI is in between projects and so the loans aren’t available. So, a major source of yearly income is at risk for this family.
Our visits to these small villages highlighted how quickly life changes metres away from the major highways. We were still within two or three kilometres so really hadn’t gotten into anything remote. It will be interesting to see what life is like further back in the hills.
Last night I checked my blog site and had a surge of hope. My readers had gone up 50%. I clicked on the space to see who had joined. Alas, “Sassy” had found her (his?) way to the site. How many people are out there with nothing to do but send Spam and what not to every site in the world?
Power is out, carpenter is gone and the battery on the computer is running down. TTYL
Bryan
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Honduras Is On The Road To World Cup 2010 – Nov. 20
Watched Honduras beat Mexico last night in a rain soaked match in San Pedro Sula. The price of the tickets was very high so I opted to watch in a restaurant here in Santa Cruz. There were a few others with the same idea so a nice little crowd.
For supper I had the smoked pork which is a favourite of mine here. The pork chop is cut very thin but the way it is smoked is lovely. At half time, the restaurant folks served the fans a lovely little snack of a fried tortilla (deep fried I think) with a little dollop of refried beans sprinkled with cheese. Very tasty. Lots of salt which I think was to encourage ordering extra rounds of refreshment. I obliged with coffee and hot milk.
After the game, the town resounded with celebration. Fireworks and loud firecrackers were set off in every corner. After I got home, I heard the truckloads of fans sploshing up and down the muddy streets full of exuberant fans.
The game was somewhat interesting and Mexico was obviously not too serious about winning. Their berth in the next stage was already assured. There were flickers of the Mexican’s superior skills but, for the most part, they hung around their own end and let the Hondurans bring the game to them. Things got a little more intense in the last few minutes as a Mexican defender was sent off. But, other than that (from a Canadian fan’s perspective) the game was rather uneventful. Canada was continuing their shameful journey by losing 3-0 to Jamaica. We have big players who are skilled enough to play in Europe but cannot find a way to play as a national team. Not sure what the problem is.
This morning I woke to more rain. My laundry is being done but it is not drying. I may have to buy an iron just to get things dry before I run out of clothes. Or, I will build another grain dryer and use it for a laundry dryer.
Bryan
For supper I had the smoked pork which is a favourite of mine here. The pork chop is cut very thin but the way it is smoked is lovely. At half time, the restaurant folks served the fans a lovely little snack of a fried tortilla (deep fried I think) with a little dollop of refried beans sprinkled with cheese. Very tasty. Lots of salt which I think was to encourage ordering extra rounds of refreshment. I obliged with coffee and hot milk.
After the game, the town resounded with celebration. Fireworks and loud firecrackers were set off in every corner. After I got home, I heard the truckloads of fans sploshing up and down the muddy streets full of exuberant fans.
The game was somewhat interesting and Mexico was obviously not too serious about winning. Their berth in the next stage was already assured. There were flickers of the Mexican’s superior skills but, for the most part, they hung around their own end and let the Hondurans bring the game to them. Things got a little more intense in the last few minutes as a Mexican defender was sent off. But, other than that (from a Canadian fan’s perspective) the game was rather uneventful. Canada was continuing their shameful journey by losing 3-0 to Jamaica. We have big players who are skilled enough to play in Europe but cannot find a way to play as a national team. Not sure what the problem is.
This morning I woke to more rain. My laundry is being done but it is not drying. I may have to buy an iron just to get things dry before I run out of clothes. Or, I will build another grain dryer and use it for a laundry dryer.
Bryan
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Rapidito Mechanics – November 19
Spent a number of hours on public transport yesterday. The best mechanics of Rapidito riding are skills acquired over years of contortions and close contact with fellow passengers. Honduran Rapiditos have four and a half rows of seats behind the front seat. The three back ones hold four people and the one immediately by the door holds three. Behind the front seats is a ledge that holds three or four more people.
The trick to riding a Rapidito is to plan for a reasonably graceful exit. Years ago, in Kenya, I could squiggle out the rear window and hop to the ground in a trice. That ain’t going to happen anymore. So, you need to time your boarding so that you either in the very front with the driver (best choice – but closest to any collisions) or the front two seats in the back. However, if you are on the folding jump seat, you have to be prepared to get in and out and each stop to allow those in the back two rows a chance to leave. The ledge is nice in that you don’t have to get in and out. However, you are wedged in trying to fit knees and bags in between the same parts of the two people facing you. Rather intimate. If you were a teenager and caught in such a position by your dad at night you would be grounded for life. In six rides yesterday I captured two front seats, two jump seats and one ledge. The last was a boring front seat by the window. Both my bus trips had front seats with leg room and a good view.
The humidity is so high that the slightest cooling or additional moisture in the air causes fog and clouds. Yesterday every valley and ditch was shrouded in fog. The roadside lines of shanties covered with scraps of metal roofing or leftover plastic from discarded billboard signage were wrapped in soft white or totally hidden from view. So quickly do the poor become invisible again.
Bought a small package of processed sandwich meat on Saturday. It was the compressed extrusions from chicken processing mixed with some spices, cooked and sliced. The name on the package was Cargill. Interesting how far the tentacles of the company extend here. They control the seed, the chemicals, the storage, the conversion to animal feed, the growing operations, the processing plants and, now, the value added sales of ‘scraps’. Cheap enough packages but utilizing a former waste product. Each step means a bit of profit leaving the country and going to the pockets of foreign shareholders – none of whom are held responsible for any actions or consequences of company policies and practices here in Honduras.
Enough. When the lights go out you can see the fireflies. Power outages bring their own beauty to light.
Bryan
The trick to riding a Rapidito is to plan for a reasonably graceful exit. Years ago, in Kenya, I could squiggle out the rear window and hop to the ground in a trice. That ain’t going to happen anymore. So, you need to time your boarding so that you either in the very front with the driver (best choice – but closest to any collisions) or the front two seats in the back. However, if you are on the folding jump seat, you have to be prepared to get in and out and each stop to allow those in the back two rows a chance to leave. The ledge is nice in that you don’t have to get in and out. However, you are wedged in trying to fit knees and bags in between the same parts of the two people facing you. Rather intimate. If you were a teenager and caught in such a position by your dad at night you would be grounded for life. In six rides yesterday I captured two front seats, two jump seats and one ledge. The last was a boring front seat by the window. Both my bus trips had front seats with leg room and a good view.
The humidity is so high that the slightest cooling or additional moisture in the air causes fog and clouds. Yesterday every valley and ditch was shrouded in fog. The roadside lines of shanties covered with scraps of metal roofing or leftover plastic from discarded billboard signage were wrapped in soft white or totally hidden from view. So quickly do the poor become invisible again.
Bought a small package of processed sandwich meat on Saturday. It was the compressed extrusions from chicken processing mixed with some spices, cooked and sliced. The name on the package was Cargill. Interesting how far the tentacles of the company extend here. They control the seed, the chemicals, the storage, the conversion to animal feed, the growing operations, the processing plants and, now, the value added sales of ‘scraps’. Cheap enough packages but utilizing a former waste product. Each step means a bit of profit leaving the country and going to the pockets of foreign shareholders – none of whom are held responsible for any actions or consequences of company policies and practices here in Honduras.
Enough. When the lights go out you can see the fireflies. Power outages bring their own beauty to light.
Bryan
Meeting My Shower Menagerie - November 19
Some scattered thoughts from the last few days.
I am sitting in the CAL office with our lovely new beige furniture unpacked and assembled (two plastic tables and eight plastic chairs) waiting for the technicians to come and connect us to the internet. It may also be a connection to Cable TV but that won’t be a priority. There are only so many Latin American game shows one can handle in their lifetime. Of course, the hostesses for those game shows are rather more spectacular than our customary Vanna White types.
It has been raining here for the last three days. Today is only cloudy but the streets are still muddy. The temperature is quite cool and a jacket feels very nice. My Sunday plans of watching the local soccer league games were put on hold. I wasn’t sure they would even play in the rain and I really didn’t feel like finding out.
Instead, I bought a copy of Dr. Doolittle movies in Spanish and watched them. For $2.00 you can buy a DVD with a movie on it. Two years ago, there was generally only one movie on each DVD. Now, the customary number is three or four. Not a bad deal for your money. My laptop has the capability of showing the movies so that is delightful.
Monday was a meeting at the Mayor’s office again with three more officials. One was the Principal of the Education Department for the Santa Cruz area. He was quite delighted with our program plans and that was good to hear. They had a letter ready to send to the Minister by afternoon and it was going to be taken by the Principal (evidently a friend of the Minister’s) to Tegucigalpa on Tuesday.
Yesterday we were in San Pedro Sula trying to track down some more of our curriculum materials. However, the Education offices were blocked by parents wanting to get a Teacher’s College developed for this region. The blockade was in its second day and no end in sight. Evidently this is a common occurrence (even more so in Tegucigalpa) as it is one of the only ways to get action on matters.
The school year is supposed to have a minimum of 200 teaching days. However, because of strikes, disruptions, lack of salary, etc., the real number is nearer 120. The program we are working on will offer a very attractive option. Right now, the only option is a private school and the majority of parents can’t afford those fees. As well, many of the private schools aren’t offering a real quality of education.
Sunday and Monday I met some of the residents in my shower stall. Under the top bar of the shower doors is the home of a small 12 cm long lizard. Obviously it comes out at night to enjoy insects drawn to any puddles or whatnot. Monday I noticed that one of the buckets I use to store water had a companion feature of a miniature frog. Not sure how it got there but he wasn’t getting in the road of my bath so ... let it be. Last night a couple of crickets were meandering through the house. Will see what else appears over time. As long as it is not snakes or cockroaches I am rather comfortable.
Bryan
I am sitting in the CAL office with our lovely new beige furniture unpacked and assembled (two plastic tables and eight plastic chairs) waiting for the technicians to come and connect us to the internet. It may also be a connection to Cable TV but that won’t be a priority. There are only so many Latin American game shows one can handle in their lifetime. Of course, the hostesses for those game shows are rather more spectacular than our customary Vanna White types.
It has been raining here for the last three days. Today is only cloudy but the streets are still muddy. The temperature is quite cool and a jacket feels very nice. My Sunday plans of watching the local soccer league games were put on hold. I wasn’t sure they would even play in the rain and I really didn’t feel like finding out.
Instead, I bought a copy of Dr. Doolittle movies in Spanish and watched them. For $2.00 you can buy a DVD with a movie on it. Two years ago, there was generally only one movie on each DVD. Now, the customary number is three or four. Not a bad deal for your money. My laptop has the capability of showing the movies so that is delightful.
Monday was a meeting at the Mayor’s office again with three more officials. One was the Principal of the Education Department for the Santa Cruz area. He was quite delighted with our program plans and that was good to hear. They had a letter ready to send to the Minister by afternoon and it was going to be taken by the Principal (evidently a friend of the Minister’s) to Tegucigalpa on Tuesday.
Yesterday we were in San Pedro Sula trying to track down some more of our curriculum materials. However, the Education offices were blocked by parents wanting to get a Teacher’s College developed for this region. The blockade was in its second day and no end in sight. Evidently this is a common occurrence (even more so in Tegucigalpa) as it is one of the only ways to get action on matters.
The school year is supposed to have a minimum of 200 teaching days. However, because of strikes, disruptions, lack of salary, etc., the real number is nearer 120. The program we are working on will offer a very attractive option. Right now, the only option is a private school and the majority of parents can’t afford those fees. As well, many of the private schools aren’t offering a real quality of education.
Sunday and Monday I met some of the residents in my shower stall. Under the top bar of the shower doors is the home of a small 12 cm long lizard. Obviously it comes out at night to enjoy insects drawn to any puddles or whatnot. Monday I noticed that one of the buckets I use to store water had a companion feature of a miniature frog. Not sure how it got there but he wasn’t getting in the road of my bath so ... let it be. Last night a couple of crickets were meandering through the house. Will see what else appears over time. As long as it is not snakes or cockroaches I am rather comfortable.
Bryan
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Looking at Old Projects – November 14 Evening
Manuel and I went to see some of the things we planted a year ago. Despite not having been cared for, many of the things were growing surprisingly well. Four of the five beehives were busy beeing. The fifth one had been invaded by ants and, as no one was checking, the ants took over and the bees left. An empty, abandoned beehive is such a lonely thing.
The papaya and banana circles were looking impressive despite having had no mulch added for the whole year. That point of care got missed in translation. It demonstrates very clearly how a family could live reasonably well with twenty or so circles. This would take about 1600 sq. ft. of space. Children could find the grass or other organic material to keep the insides of the circles full without too much difficulty.
Calliandra trees were flowering for the first time and the Noni fruit trees were showing lots of fruit. Each tree, about 1.5 m high, had two or three dollars of fruit showing. A boundary planting of these trees around a homestead would bring a good income. We met a neighbour there who had noted that the coffee harvest was better since the beehives were introduced. Makes sense. Hopefully that was one of the contributing factors.
All in all, the trip was encouraging. It confirmed that many of the ideas we are pursuing are, actually, filled with potential. Now to find a place where we can set them up and maintain them for long enough to demonstrate clearly that that is the case.
Sat outside for two hours this afternoon waiting for a bed to be delivered. It never came. Sigh. I even went to the work of folding my sheets and picking up the foam mattress and cardboard off the floor. Will send Julia, the lady who comes three times a week to do laundry, to check them out. If nothing else, she will talk them into action.
Today I talked with two girls who are waiting for our program to begin. They have finished Grades 1-7 on their own and have, in turn, taught other adults in their communities (including one of their mothers) the Grades 1-6 program. Because they have to work to support family, they cannot attend school full time. Carolina, one of the girls, wants to become a nurse and cannot attend nursing school without her Junior and Senior High. She is nineteen years old and serving her community already as a basic first aid health provider and educator. Very remarkable.
Julia’s youngest son is going to have a celebration in two weeks (paid for by money from his brothers in the U.S.) because he has finished Grade 6. The fact that Grade 6 is a milestone worthy of a party shows again the importance of our project.
Bryan
The papaya and banana circles were looking impressive despite having had no mulch added for the whole year. That point of care got missed in translation. It demonstrates very clearly how a family could live reasonably well with twenty or so circles. This would take about 1600 sq. ft. of space. Children could find the grass or other organic material to keep the insides of the circles full without too much difficulty.
Calliandra trees were flowering for the first time and the Noni fruit trees were showing lots of fruit. Each tree, about 1.5 m high, had two or three dollars of fruit showing. A boundary planting of these trees around a homestead would bring a good income. We met a neighbour there who had noted that the coffee harvest was better since the beehives were introduced. Makes sense. Hopefully that was one of the contributing factors.
All in all, the trip was encouraging. It confirmed that many of the ideas we are pursuing are, actually, filled with potential. Now to find a place where we can set them up and maintain them for long enough to demonstrate clearly that that is the case.
Sat outside for two hours this afternoon waiting for a bed to be delivered. It never came. Sigh. I even went to the work of folding my sheets and picking up the foam mattress and cardboard off the floor. Will send Julia, the lady who comes three times a week to do laundry, to check them out. If nothing else, she will talk them into action.
Today I talked with two girls who are waiting for our program to begin. They have finished Grades 1-7 on their own and have, in turn, taught other adults in their communities (including one of their mothers) the Grades 1-6 program. Because they have to work to support family, they cannot attend school full time. Carolina, one of the girls, wants to become a nurse and cannot attend nursing school without her Junior and Senior High. She is nineteen years old and serving her community already as a basic first aid health provider and educator. Very remarkable.
Julia’s youngest son is going to have a celebration in two weeks (paid for by money from his brothers in the U.S.) because he has finished Grade 6. The fact that Grade 6 is a milestone worthy of a party shows again the importance of our project.
Bryan
Meeting the Deputy Mayor – November 14
On Wednesday we found all three sizes of screen needed to get the sand ready for a water filter. The first store had all three sizes but when we asked about them, they only sold by the roll. Well, we only needed a metre of each size so that was out. Luckily, the next store sold each by the metre and we were on our way.
One of the strange things that is part of trying to business in another country is finding offices empty and closed one day and bustling the next. We went to see the people who have developed the curriculum we are going to use in our program. We are trying to get our hands on a digital copy so that we don’t have to go to the work of typing up twelve textbooks. The real problem is finding the pictures to go with the text. I ramble. The office was closed and locked. We checked with the woman who knows the most – the owner/operator of the canteen at the bottom of the stairway leading to the office. She wasn’t sure where they were but knew they were out for a couple of days. Sigh. The school year ends at the end of the month so offices and officials are busy going hear and there.
We had better luck at the Deputy Mayor’s office yesterday. She was in, along with her interpreter, Oscar. We had a long meeting discussing our program and how it would fit into their education system. She seemed very positive and took the time to arrange a meeting with the “Principal” of the district program. The Principal, evidently, is good friends with the Minister of Education and the Deputy Mayor is hopeful that with his help, pressure can be put on the Ministry to move with our funding. The connections are so fascinating. Later in the morning as we walked up to the town square, the Mayor stopped his truck and got out to chat with us. He is busy campaigning for re-election and so is rarely in the office. However, seeing a gringo with his friend, Chepe, was enough to stop and find out what we were doing. Good news, he said he would be at the meeting on Monday as well.
The most interesting fact that came out of the meeting was given to us by the Deputy Mayor. She pointed to the Primary School outside the window at the bottom of the hill. At the beginning of the year, there were 1500 students registered. Because of the incidental costs of schooling like scribblers, pencils, etc., the number of students is now down to 750. That means that half of the students at this school are sitting doing nothing ... or worse. A program like ours where there are no extra costs, no need for extra materials and texts means that it is open to a much broader spectrum of the population. As well, many adults can access the education they need to obtain jobs in the factories in the district.
That means, of course, more tax money for the Mayor’s office. That in itself is a good incentive to help us succeed. Oscar, the interpreter, says that salaries for office workers are generally ten to fifteen days late.
Had supper with Oscar and his little girl, Giselle. He is left caring for his girl as his wife went to the U.S. to find work and some sort of money. He hasn’t heard if she made it safely – two months. He is trying to find a way he can get himself and his daughter to Canada to live and work. Half a million Hondurans are working in the U.S. – legally, illegally and children born in the U.S. When you think of similar numbers from each of the other Latin American countries, the number of slave/near slave labourers in the U.S. is staggering. What is even more amazing, to me, is that, despite this vast pool of economic slaves, the U.S. is still in financial difficulty.
Bryan
One of the strange things that is part of trying to business in another country is finding offices empty and closed one day and bustling the next. We went to see the people who have developed the curriculum we are going to use in our program. We are trying to get our hands on a digital copy so that we don’t have to go to the work of typing up twelve textbooks. The real problem is finding the pictures to go with the text. I ramble. The office was closed and locked. We checked with the woman who knows the most – the owner/operator of the canteen at the bottom of the stairway leading to the office. She wasn’t sure where they were but knew they were out for a couple of days. Sigh. The school year ends at the end of the month so offices and officials are busy going hear and there.
We had better luck at the Deputy Mayor’s office yesterday. She was in, along with her interpreter, Oscar. We had a long meeting discussing our program and how it would fit into their education system. She seemed very positive and took the time to arrange a meeting with the “Principal” of the district program. The Principal, evidently, is good friends with the Minister of Education and the Deputy Mayor is hopeful that with his help, pressure can be put on the Ministry to move with our funding. The connections are so fascinating. Later in the morning as we walked up to the town square, the Mayor stopped his truck and got out to chat with us. He is busy campaigning for re-election and so is rarely in the office. However, seeing a gringo with his friend, Chepe, was enough to stop and find out what we were doing. Good news, he said he would be at the meeting on Monday as well.
The most interesting fact that came out of the meeting was given to us by the Deputy Mayor. She pointed to the Primary School outside the window at the bottom of the hill. At the beginning of the year, there were 1500 students registered. Because of the incidental costs of schooling like scribblers, pencils, etc., the number of students is now down to 750. That means that half of the students at this school are sitting doing nothing ... or worse. A program like ours where there are no extra costs, no need for extra materials and texts means that it is open to a much broader spectrum of the population. As well, many adults can access the education they need to obtain jobs in the factories in the district.
That means, of course, more tax money for the Mayor’s office. That in itself is a good incentive to help us succeed. Oscar, the interpreter, says that salaries for office workers are generally ten to fifteen days late.
Had supper with Oscar and his little girl, Giselle. He is left caring for his girl as his wife went to the U.S. to find work and some sort of money. He hasn’t heard if she made it safely – two months. He is trying to find a way he can get himself and his daughter to Canada to live and work. Half a million Hondurans are working in the U.S. – legally, illegally and children born in the U.S. When you think of similar numbers from each of the other Latin American countries, the number of slave/near slave labourers in the U.S. is staggering. What is even more amazing, to me, is that, despite this vast pool of economic slaves, the U.S. is still in financial difficulty.
Bryan
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Grain Dryer – Stage 2 – November 11
Remembrance Day in Canada. So many things to be grateful for and an opportunity to take at least a moment to remember those millions of people who have given their lives to put an end to tyranny and abuse of power. Of course, it is also a time to remember and find ways to reach out to the many more millions whose lives have been destroyed by war and the destruction that it brings.
In a small way, this project is an attempt to make peace an option. Ignorance and poverty often are bedfellows with violence. By seeking a way to alleviate these two tyrants we hope to allow people the freedom of choice in their lives. They can access different means of combating their poverty if they have a way of understanding the information that is available. They can find their own answers rather than dumbly accepting the answers given to them by self-serving politicians, neighbours, leaders, preachers ... the list is endless.
This morning I worked with Selin (boy’s name) and Manuel on Antonio’s maize dryer. It is up and the plastic is covering the roof. They are going to finish it themselves. Although not every joint is square, everyone is pleased with the result and they were busy discussing other uses for it. By putting it up on some posts, it will make an ideal setting for Gloria’s (the mother) birthday party. It can then double as a parking shelter. This means it will be used year round and won’t get damaged in storage.
Antonio is going to keep record of temperatures inside and out so that we get an idea of temperature gain. It was hot enough today that the difference may not be huge. I certainly wouldn’t want to be sitting in it though.
My neighbours must be somewhat bemused by my comings and goings. This morning I got all the way to the Town Square and remembered I had forgotten the rebar. Back home. Then, I got halfway to the Square again and remembered I had forgotten the glue. Back home again. Sigh. Twenty minutes walking later, I was in the collectivo and on my way. Tell me this is good for me.
This afternoon, we stopped by the CAL office. We got possession this morning and Jessica, Carolina and Julia were busy cleaning it. It is obviously in need of cleaning and the yard will take several weeks to get in order. The place was looking better already though. The good will of these ladies is incredible. They are so eager to have a chance for themselves and for members of their families and communities to get more education.
Manuel and I spent an hour learning how to make a spreadsheet for accounting purposes. Neat program but there are so many skills that are integral to making it work. Using an English keyboard on a laptop is pretty difficult. The mystery of formulas in cells may take a while to conquer. I think of it as totally amazing and, supposedly, I have had some experience on this machine for a lot of years.
On Manuel’s way to the bus, we stopped at a carpenter shop near my house and ordered a bed and a small table to hold my stove. Will take him a 50% down payment tomorrow and he will start work. Some of the stuff he had sitting there looked reasonably good so I have hopes for a functional product.
Bryan
In a small way, this project is an attempt to make peace an option. Ignorance and poverty often are bedfellows with violence. By seeking a way to alleviate these two tyrants we hope to allow people the freedom of choice in their lives. They can access different means of combating their poverty if they have a way of understanding the information that is available. They can find their own answers rather than dumbly accepting the answers given to them by self-serving politicians, neighbours, leaders, preachers ... the list is endless.
This morning I worked with Selin (boy’s name) and Manuel on Antonio’s maize dryer. It is up and the plastic is covering the roof. They are going to finish it themselves. Although not every joint is square, everyone is pleased with the result and they were busy discussing other uses for it. By putting it up on some posts, it will make an ideal setting for Gloria’s (the mother) birthday party. It can then double as a parking shelter. This means it will be used year round and won’t get damaged in storage.
Antonio is going to keep record of temperatures inside and out so that we get an idea of temperature gain. It was hot enough today that the difference may not be huge. I certainly wouldn’t want to be sitting in it though.
My neighbours must be somewhat bemused by my comings and goings. This morning I got all the way to the Town Square and remembered I had forgotten the rebar. Back home. Then, I got halfway to the Square again and remembered I had forgotten the glue. Back home again. Sigh. Twenty minutes walking later, I was in the collectivo and on my way. Tell me this is good for me.
This afternoon, we stopped by the CAL office. We got possession this morning and Jessica, Carolina and Julia were busy cleaning it. It is obviously in need of cleaning and the yard will take several weeks to get in order. The place was looking better already though. The good will of these ladies is incredible. They are so eager to have a chance for themselves and for members of their families and communities to get more education.
Manuel and I spent an hour learning how to make a spreadsheet for accounting purposes. Neat program but there are so many skills that are integral to making it work. Using an English keyboard on a laptop is pretty difficult. The mystery of formulas in cells may take a while to conquer. I think of it as totally amazing and, supposedly, I have had some experience on this machine for a lot of years.
On Manuel’s way to the bus, we stopped at a carpenter shop near my house and ordered a bed and a small table to hold my stove. Will take him a 50% down payment tomorrow and he will start work. Some of the stuff he had sitting there looked reasonably good so I have hopes for a functional product.
Bryan
Grain Dryer – Stage 1 – November 10
Luxury. The water is on and, my new, two-burner electric stove (made in Columbia) is busy boiling eggs for supper and breakfast. Obviously, the electricity is working as well so I have light, food and water. Wow. There isn’t really a place to put the stove so it is on one side of the sink right now. I carefully unplug it before doing any dishes – not sure if the ground wire is of full value.
On my way home this evening, I met with the leader of the music group at the Catholic church and thanked him for some very lovely music last night during mass. A very nice group of nine singers, three guitars, two drummers and one electric piano – could almost think of a song with those type of numbers. They wore matching mauve shirts – hearkening me back to High School Chorale days with our striking pink shirts with purple vests – we were sooooo cool. He told me the practice and mass times. Will check out a few other churches to see what they are like.
This morning I went to Antonio’s to meet with people who are involved with the work that CPI Canada has been doing for the last six years. They were headed to a general assembly of our Honduran partner, ACP (Christian Action for Peace??). There have been some troubles with the coordinator finding ways to help himself to funds and assets. The general meeting didn’t go very well so we will have to begin in new ways. Still, a lot of positive work has been done and it was gratifying to see people here taking the initiative, time and money to work on rectifying things. They will continue to work with us in the future. That is very good news.
While Manuel and I waited for them to return from the assembly, he and I began cutting up the tubing to make the grain dryer. By the time we left in the afternoon, it was about half done and looking rather good. We will work a couple of hours tomorrow morning and then come back to Santa Cruz to work on Project stuff.
In the afternoon, we met with the Deputy Mayor of Santa Cruz. Rather confusingly, for me, is the fact that Santa Cruz is a town and a region. Both are governed by the same office. Chepe, one of our long time partners here, is friends with the mayor. Well, the mayor is busy campaigning for re-election and so, is not overly visible in the office. The Deputy Mayor graciously received us and we arranged a meeting for Thursday. She called up Oscar, a main floor office minion, who spoke wonderful English and talked about his goal of studying English in Edmonton. Will have to spend time with him and get a good tour of the town.
The rest of my afternoon was spent finding glue and rebar for the grain dryer. I am quite pleased to have found the rebar and have it cut to my specs. One word of Spanish goes so far.
Eggs are done. Don’t feel badly about my supper. I had a lovely breakfast and lunch at Antonio’s, so only want a snack.
Bryan
On my way home this evening, I met with the leader of the music group at the Catholic church and thanked him for some very lovely music last night during mass. A very nice group of nine singers, three guitars, two drummers and one electric piano – could almost think of a song with those type of numbers. They wore matching mauve shirts – hearkening me back to High School Chorale days with our striking pink shirts with purple vests – we were sooooo cool. He told me the practice and mass times. Will check out a few other churches to see what they are like.
This morning I went to Antonio’s to meet with people who are involved with the work that CPI Canada has been doing for the last six years. They were headed to a general assembly of our Honduran partner, ACP (Christian Action for Peace??). There have been some troubles with the coordinator finding ways to help himself to funds and assets. The general meeting didn’t go very well so we will have to begin in new ways. Still, a lot of positive work has been done and it was gratifying to see people here taking the initiative, time and money to work on rectifying things. They will continue to work with us in the future. That is very good news.
While Manuel and I waited for them to return from the assembly, he and I began cutting up the tubing to make the grain dryer. By the time we left in the afternoon, it was about half done and looking rather good. We will work a couple of hours tomorrow morning and then come back to Santa Cruz to work on Project stuff.
In the afternoon, we met with the Deputy Mayor of Santa Cruz. Rather confusingly, for me, is the fact that Santa Cruz is a town and a region. Both are governed by the same office. Chepe, one of our long time partners here, is friends with the mayor. Well, the mayor is busy campaigning for re-election and so, is not overly visible in the office. The Deputy Mayor graciously received us and we arranged a meeting for Thursday. She called up Oscar, a main floor office minion, who spoke wonderful English and talked about his goal of studying English in Edmonton. Will have to spend time with him and get a good tour of the town.
The rest of my afternoon was spent finding glue and rebar for the grain dryer. I am quite pleased to have found the rebar and have it cut to my specs. One word of Spanish goes so far.
Eggs are done. Don’t feel badly about my supper. I had a lovely breakfast and lunch at Antonio’s, so only want a snack.
Bryan
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Football Fever – November 9
The international referee from Canada (sounds impressive doesn’t it) was called into service yesterday. The lawyer, Lazo, invited me to come to watch the professional soccer game with him Saturday night. At the same time he mentioned that he played in a league (over 35 year olds) and they had a game Saturday afternoon. I offered to come and watch so we met at noon at his office.
The trip in to the office got stalled about ten minutes’ walk from the office because a bus had hit a pedestrian and all traffic (reduced to one lane because of street hawkers) had stopped. I got out of my rapidito and walked – that is how I found out the reason for the traffic stoppage.
On our way to the game, we stopped at Lazo’s mother’s place for homemade tacos. Rather delicious. It is nice to have them when you are reasonably sure of the preparation process. Old Irish Blessing – May your feet never blister and your bowels never rumble.
At the field, we met with the team ... and all their fans. This group of players has been together for many years obviously and it is a family like social gathering with the game just a small part of the entertainment. Their opposition arrived late and, according to the league rules, the game was forfeit. How ironic to cancel a Honduran game because someone was late. Nevertheless, the referees assigned to the game were not permitted to officiate even though both teams agreed to play a friendly match. Lazo knew I was a referee so I was pressed into service.
Fortunately, the teams were slow and the weather was cloudy. Thirty minute halves helped as well. Phew. Both teams played in a friendly manner so the match did not need any major control. At the end everyone stayed around to visit, have a cold beer and half watch the next match.
In the evening, we went to the Stadium in the downtown area to watch Olímpia and Real España. Lazo is an Olímpia fan and I am an España fan. We sat in the section with España fans and so Lazo had to sit quietly. Much to my amusement, he even had to endure a hug beery hug from an exuberant España fan when they tied the game. I nearly cried laughing at his face. As I was wearing an España team shirt, I was able to clap politely when Olímpia scored but poor Lazo had to sit on his hands. The game ended in a tie 2-2.
Of course, the final whistle rarely means the end of the entertainment from my point of view. The last beer and pop had been thrown on the field (whenever the referee ventured too close to the stands) and the fans were headed out of the stadium. However, in order to keep street level frays at bay, the doors to the España section were kept locked to allow the other fans opportunity to leave and get to their vehicles. Well, in short order, rowdy fans were taking turns leaping and kicking at the doors. One gave way briefly and about fifty fans managed to get out. By then, the riot police had moved in to help persuade others to stay put. Once we saw the boys with the night sticks headed to the entrance we found a convenient wall to stand by but still leave us with a good view.
As we drove through empty streets after the game we passed several corners where the young prostitutes were waiting for custom. What a truly lonely and terrifying position to be in. There is no place to go for help if they ever are assaulted. Every shop and home is dark, barred and barricaded. It was very sobering to see their plight.
This morning I was asked, fortunately before being served, whether I wanted hot or cold milk on my Raisin Bran cereal. Although puzzling to my host, I chose cold milk. I’ve had hot milk in other places and it really does take the snap, crackle and pop out in a hurry. Hot sog isn’t nearly as appetizing to me as cold crunch. In addition to cereal, we had pancakes. My host prefers them with refried beans and creama (salty, heavy cream) on them. I had one that way but ended up with a second one spread with floral scented tropical honey. Rather better in my view.
Bryan
The trip in to the office got stalled about ten minutes’ walk from the office because a bus had hit a pedestrian and all traffic (reduced to one lane because of street hawkers) had stopped. I got out of my rapidito and walked – that is how I found out the reason for the traffic stoppage.
On our way to the game, we stopped at Lazo’s mother’s place for homemade tacos. Rather delicious. It is nice to have them when you are reasonably sure of the preparation process. Old Irish Blessing – May your feet never blister and your bowels never rumble.
At the field, we met with the team ... and all their fans. This group of players has been together for many years obviously and it is a family like social gathering with the game just a small part of the entertainment. Their opposition arrived late and, according to the league rules, the game was forfeit. How ironic to cancel a Honduran game because someone was late. Nevertheless, the referees assigned to the game were not permitted to officiate even though both teams agreed to play a friendly match. Lazo knew I was a referee so I was pressed into service.
Fortunately, the teams were slow and the weather was cloudy. Thirty minute halves helped as well. Phew. Both teams played in a friendly manner so the match did not need any major control. At the end everyone stayed around to visit, have a cold beer and half watch the next match.
In the evening, we went to the Stadium in the downtown area to watch Olímpia and Real España. Lazo is an Olímpia fan and I am an España fan. We sat in the section with España fans and so Lazo had to sit quietly. Much to my amusement, he even had to endure a hug beery hug from an exuberant España fan when they tied the game. I nearly cried laughing at his face. As I was wearing an España team shirt, I was able to clap politely when Olímpia scored but poor Lazo had to sit on his hands. The game ended in a tie 2-2.
Of course, the final whistle rarely means the end of the entertainment from my point of view. The last beer and pop had been thrown on the field (whenever the referee ventured too close to the stands) and the fans were headed out of the stadium. However, in order to keep street level frays at bay, the doors to the España section were kept locked to allow the other fans opportunity to leave and get to their vehicles. Well, in short order, rowdy fans were taking turns leaping and kicking at the doors. One gave way briefly and about fifty fans managed to get out. By then, the riot police had moved in to help persuade others to stay put. Once we saw the boys with the night sticks headed to the entrance we found a convenient wall to stand by but still leave us with a good view.
As we drove through empty streets after the game we passed several corners where the young prostitutes were waiting for custom. What a truly lonely and terrifying position to be in. There is no place to go for help if they ever are assaulted. Every shop and home is dark, barred and barricaded. It was very sobering to see their plight.
This morning I was asked, fortunately before being served, whether I wanted hot or cold milk on my Raisin Bran cereal. Although puzzling to my host, I chose cold milk. I’ve had hot milk in other places and it really does take the snap, crackle and pop out in a hurry. Hot sog isn’t nearly as appetizing to me as cold crunch. In addition to cereal, we had pancakes. My host prefers them with refried beans and creama (salty, heavy cream) on them. I had one that way but ended up with a second one spread with floral scented tropical honey. Rather better in my view.
Bryan
Grain Dryer Shopping – November 7
We needed to get a second load of computers – Mazda pickups not having a huge payload – so, I was to meet the truck at 8 a.m. at the junction of the main road to Tegucigulpa and the road to S.C. I boarded a collectivo (small cars or station wagons that ferry groups of passengers to the junction and back) and was at the junction thirty minutes early.
No problem with being early. The stand at the junction featured oranges and coconuts. I opted for the coconut. The proprietor swung a mean machete. She had the top off the coconut in a trice and had left just the smallest skin of coconut meat covering the top. The straw went through that easily and I was enjoying one of my favourite drinks. When I finished drinking the juice, she split the coconut in half and with three twists of a short, stubby knife, had the meat out in one piece. Amazing skill.
Finding parts to build something is always a challenge. Doing it without any Spanish just makes the challenge that more interesting. I went into a hardware store and began ordering (well, drawing and using one word sentences). The man quickly solved the problem for the last couple of items which we couldn’t get across (try describing rebar – the Spanish word is varilla – what connection does that have with an English word??) by phoning a friend who spoke English and letting me talk to him.
Met with the lawyer a second time to sort out things for our Education Project and other stuff. He likes soccer and invited me to come watch him play on a team of lawyers on Saturday. Not sure I would want to be a referee for a match between two teams of lawyers. Hmm. We will then go to the stadium in the evening to watch Reál España (my favourite team – and, incidentally, in first place) play Olimpia (his favourite team). He is a real fan and enjoys sitting in the Sol section of the stadium. The Sol section is facing west so gets the late afternoon sun (Saturday’s game is a night game so won’t be hot). As well, it is the “commoners” area. There are no individual seats – only long concrete steps. In the center of the area is where the real rabid fan base is located. These are the ones who bring fireworks, huge banners, drums and so forth. It is a mass of hyper, jumping, edge of control people. This is also the area that gets showered with beer after goals or calls that go against the home squad. We will sit up at the top and enjoy the game and the fans – never sure which will be more interesting.
Bryan
No problem with being early. The stand at the junction featured oranges and coconuts. I opted for the coconut. The proprietor swung a mean machete. She had the top off the coconut in a trice and had left just the smallest skin of coconut meat covering the top. The straw went through that easily and I was enjoying one of my favourite drinks. When I finished drinking the juice, she split the coconut in half and with three twists of a short, stubby knife, had the meat out in one piece. Amazing skill.
Finding parts to build something is always a challenge. Doing it without any Spanish just makes the challenge that more interesting. I went into a hardware store and began ordering (well, drawing and using one word sentences). The man quickly solved the problem for the last couple of items which we couldn’t get across (try describing rebar – the Spanish word is varilla – what connection does that have with an English word??) by phoning a friend who spoke English and letting me talk to him.
Met with the lawyer a second time to sort out things for our Education Project and other stuff. He likes soccer and invited me to come watch him play on a team of lawyers on Saturday. Not sure I would want to be a referee for a match between two teams of lawyers. Hmm. We will then go to the stadium in the evening to watch Reál España (my favourite team – and, incidentally, in first place) play Olimpia (his favourite team). He is a real fan and enjoys sitting in the Sol section of the stadium. The Sol section is facing west so gets the late afternoon sun (Saturday’s game is a night game so won’t be hot). As well, it is the “commoners” area. There are no individual seats – only long concrete steps. In the center of the area is where the real rabid fan base is located. These are the ones who bring fireworks, huge banners, drums and so forth. It is a mass of hyper, jumping, edge of control people. This is also the area that gets showered with beer after goals or calls that go against the home squad. We will sit up at the top and enjoy the game and the fans – never sure which will be more interesting.
Bryan
Sindikiza – November 6
Early in the morning, the night long chorus of dogs and roosters somewhat stilled, I had a quick bucket bath from my two new waste baskets – the only thing that could hold water. Then off to find the “Express” bus to San Pedro Sula (SPS). Amazingly, it was ready to roll within a minute of boarding and we began the trip.
Each time we stopped along the way, I noticed that the passenger waiting by the road had someone with them or nearby at the gate. Obviously, someone had the time to just be with their friend or family member and see them off – not from inside the house but from the end of the lane. In Swahili, that practise is referred to as Kusindikiza. People are so important that personal agenda is set aside to make sure they are safely on their way. In a deeper way, it suggests that we have control over our time, our lives ... our choices. It is hard to leave a person with too much friction in between when you have been given the gift of “kusindikiza”.
For breakfast I enjoyed a baleada – a large tortilla with bean paste, scrambled eggs and sausage and some heavy salted cream. They are lovely.
Arriving in the central part of the city, I met Manuel and some people who have been working with CPI for a number of years. There are some conflict issues with a former manager of the activities who has absconded with funds and assets. Although not part of the Education Project, I am still walking with these folks as they work on this.
We met with the lawyer working on the case ... who is also working on establishing the legal things we need to begin the education project. Why do legal things need to take so long? After the meeting we walked down to the Cathedral – located, of course, on one side of the town square. Two years ago, there were a score or more of little stalls set up each day on the side street to sell food. The city, concerned about hygiene and traffic congestion (thankfully), built a new, permanent set of food stalls around a large courtyard. You can go from stall to stall and load up with a variety of Honduran foods. The place is clean and the food is piping hot. There were nine of us for lunch and the bill was $25.00.
During lunch we talked about various ideas and things that the group felt were important in their lives. Before I left last year, I had built a small, solar grain dryer and left it with Chepe. He has been using it since then and thought it would be good to have a bigger model. He doesn’t have enough space with sunlight in his yard so he suggested that we build it in Antonio’s yard. We are going to build a 12 sq.m. greenhouse type structure that can dry two or three sacks of maize at a time. Currently, the maize is left on the stocks for a month of drying and then dried on tarps laid on the ground. Showers, chickens and foot traffic all create problems and lower the quality of the product. Using the dryer structure will enable the maize to be harvested much earlier (incidentally lowering the insect infestation) and will create a much better product with far less contamination. I have an idea that the high temperatures will also be hard on the insects and the UV light will sterilize things even more.
All of the people at the table talked about having to buy clean water. A twenty litre jug is $1.00. When you earn less than $100.00 a month, this is a sizeable chunk of the income gone for a simple commodity. We will build a sand filter (the concept was developed by a group in Calgary) at one of the homes and give it a test run. I am very excited about this potential. I think we can build one for about $20.00. Certainly for less than $50.00 the first time around. The first one is always more expensive. These filters are so simple – no moving parts – and can filter such huge amounts of water – up to 200 litres a day – that they can dramatically change the life of a family and, even, a community. I wish I could find a place to test water.
By late afternoon, we had done some shopping (moved up from trash can to basin for bathing, along with some plates and cutlery ) and loaded some of the computers for the project in the back of a little Mazda pickup. Chepe and I were in the back. Dark comes early (5.30 p.m.) so we were in twilight and darkness most of the way. Thank goodness for glasses when trucking through swampy areas. Rule #1 – keep mouth closed (unless you are a frog).
My living room is now awash in computers and monitors.
Bryan
Each time we stopped along the way, I noticed that the passenger waiting by the road had someone with them or nearby at the gate. Obviously, someone had the time to just be with their friend or family member and see them off – not from inside the house but from the end of the lane. In Swahili, that practise is referred to as Kusindikiza. People are so important that personal agenda is set aside to make sure they are safely on their way. In a deeper way, it suggests that we have control over our time, our lives ... our choices. It is hard to leave a person with too much friction in between when you have been given the gift of “kusindikiza”.
For breakfast I enjoyed a baleada – a large tortilla with bean paste, scrambled eggs and sausage and some heavy salted cream. They are lovely.
Arriving in the central part of the city, I met Manuel and some people who have been working with CPI for a number of years. There are some conflict issues with a former manager of the activities who has absconded with funds and assets. Although not part of the Education Project, I am still walking with these folks as they work on this.
We met with the lawyer working on the case ... who is also working on establishing the legal things we need to begin the education project. Why do legal things need to take so long? After the meeting we walked down to the Cathedral – located, of course, on one side of the town square. Two years ago, there were a score or more of little stalls set up each day on the side street to sell food. The city, concerned about hygiene and traffic congestion (thankfully), built a new, permanent set of food stalls around a large courtyard. You can go from stall to stall and load up with a variety of Honduran foods. The place is clean and the food is piping hot. There were nine of us for lunch and the bill was $25.00.
During lunch we talked about various ideas and things that the group felt were important in their lives. Before I left last year, I had built a small, solar grain dryer and left it with Chepe. He has been using it since then and thought it would be good to have a bigger model. He doesn’t have enough space with sunlight in his yard so he suggested that we build it in Antonio’s yard. We are going to build a 12 sq.m. greenhouse type structure that can dry two or three sacks of maize at a time. Currently, the maize is left on the stocks for a month of drying and then dried on tarps laid on the ground. Showers, chickens and foot traffic all create problems and lower the quality of the product. Using the dryer structure will enable the maize to be harvested much earlier (incidentally lowering the insect infestation) and will create a much better product with far less contamination. I have an idea that the high temperatures will also be hard on the insects and the UV light will sterilize things even more.
All of the people at the table talked about having to buy clean water. A twenty litre jug is $1.00. When you earn less than $100.00 a month, this is a sizeable chunk of the income gone for a simple commodity. We will build a sand filter (the concept was developed by a group in Calgary) at one of the homes and give it a test run. I am very excited about this potential. I think we can build one for about $20.00. Certainly for less than $50.00 the first time around. The first one is always more expensive. These filters are so simple – no moving parts – and can filter such huge amounts of water – up to 200 litres a day – that they can dramatically change the life of a family and, even, a community. I wish I could find a place to test water.
By late afternoon, we had done some shopping (moved up from trash can to basin for bathing, along with some plates and cutlery ) and loaded some of the computers for the project in the back of a little Mazda pickup. Chepe and I were in the back. Dark comes early (5.30 p.m.) so we were in twilight and darkness most of the way. Thank goodness for glasses when trucking through swampy areas. Rule #1 – keep mouth closed (unless you are a frog).
My living room is now awash in computers and monitors.
Bryan
Getting Here – November 5
Where were you when JFK was shot? Where were you when the first footprint raised dust on the moon? Where were you when Obama was elected President? I wonder if that will be one of those memorable milestone moments for many of us. San Francisco Airport was my location.
CNN appeared briefly on the screens in the lounges so that we could see their projections. For some reason, the picture froze for the next hour and all we got was the audio. I have a sneaky suspicion that the bars which featured more channels might have somehow had something to do with that.
A bit of trivia. Flying from Edmonton to San Francisco is considered, amazingly, a domestic flight. On the other hand, flying to San Salvador is an international flight. Silly me to think differently. About two hours before my flight to San Salvador I ventured to inquire as to why the gate number was not appearing on the departure screen. Maybe San Salvador is some major security threat situation and so, like in London’s Heathrow, the gate number is not revealed until the last minute. Alas, I was in the wrong part of the terminal. Fifteen minutes walking solved that problem but another trip through the security screen was necessary. At one time your Grandmother told you to wear clean underwear in case of an accident. Now it is in case you are going through airline security.
Manuel met me at the airport and we took a taxi to the San Pedro Sula bus terminal. A huge, new structure that has scores of shops and eating places is now home to all the bus routes in the country. It has relieved some of the congestion from downtown but means a long intermediate trip to the outskirts of the city where it is located.
Within fifteen minutes we were on board a bus and, promptly to the minute, the Express Bus to Santa Cruz was underway. I am not sure what the word “Express” means yet. The bus started and stopped the whole journey collecting and discharging passengers. An hour and a half later we had travelled the 60 kilometres and were home.
Julia, a lady who has been working with CPI since its inception, met us at the bus stop. We loaded my luggage into a Peter Sellers type three wheeled motorcycle taxi and she went off with it to my apartment. Manuel and I walked the five minutes down, up and down.
My apartment was clean and empty. Truly empty. But, it has electricity and potential for running water. (It worked when we arrived but hasn’t since.) There is a pila outside at the end of the four apartment block where there is water stored for laundry and, in my case, for bucket baths.
After setting my luggage down, we went shopping. Two hours later we had a plastic table, four chairs, a foam mattress, some plastic cupboards and a laundry basket. We took a break for lunch and then got some cleaning supplies. Thank goodness for plastic sometimes. Sturdy (reasonably), cheap, insect proof and easily cleaned furniture in a jiff.
Worldly conveniences in place, we went to see the landlady to pay up the first month’s rent. Fortunately she is not far away. On the way home, I stopped and bought a twenty litre bottle of water and hiked up the hill with it on my shoulder. Several school children accompanied me and began my Spanish lessons.
At the gate, the well rusted lock defeated my key and left it parted asunder. Sigh. I took the two pieces in hand and went to show the landlady. Fortunately, I had, along with the water, bought a little can of oil and had oiled the lock. When I returned with the spare key the lock sprang open like jail doors in an Apostle Paul story.
Bryan
CNN appeared briefly on the screens in the lounges so that we could see their projections. For some reason, the picture froze for the next hour and all we got was the audio. I have a sneaky suspicion that the bars which featured more channels might have somehow had something to do with that.
A bit of trivia. Flying from Edmonton to San Francisco is considered, amazingly, a domestic flight. On the other hand, flying to San Salvador is an international flight. Silly me to think differently. About two hours before my flight to San Salvador I ventured to inquire as to why the gate number was not appearing on the departure screen. Maybe San Salvador is some major security threat situation and so, like in London’s Heathrow, the gate number is not revealed until the last minute. Alas, I was in the wrong part of the terminal. Fifteen minutes walking solved that problem but another trip through the security screen was necessary. At one time your Grandmother told you to wear clean underwear in case of an accident. Now it is in case you are going through airline security.
Manuel met me at the airport and we took a taxi to the San Pedro Sula bus terminal. A huge, new structure that has scores of shops and eating places is now home to all the bus routes in the country. It has relieved some of the congestion from downtown but means a long intermediate trip to the outskirts of the city where it is located.
Within fifteen minutes we were on board a bus and, promptly to the minute, the Express Bus to Santa Cruz was underway. I am not sure what the word “Express” means yet. The bus started and stopped the whole journey collecting and discharging passengers. An hour and a half later we had travelled the 60 kilometres and were home.
Julia, a lady who has been working with CPI since its inception, met us at the bus stop. We loaded my luggage into a Peter Sellers type three wheeled motorcycle taxi and she went off with it to my apartment. Manuel and I walked the five minutes down, up and down.
My apartment was clean and empty. Truly empty. But, it has electricity and potential for running water. (It worked when we arrived but hasn’t since.) There is a pila outside at the end of the four apartment block where there is water stored for laundry and, in my case, for bucket baths.
After setting my luggage down, we went shopping. Two hours later we had a plastic table, four chairs, a foam mattress, some plastic cupboards and a laundry basket. We took a break for lunch and then got some cleaning supplies. Thank goodness for plastic sometimes. Sturdy (reasonably), cheap, insect proof and easily cleaned furniture in a jiff.
Worldly conveniences in place, we went to see the landlady to pay up the first month’s rent. Fortunately she is not far away. On the way home, I stopped and bought a twenty litre bottle of water and hiked up the hill with it on my shoulder. Several school children accompanied me and began my Spanish lessons.
At the gate, the well rusted lock defeated my key and left it parted asunder. Sigh. I took the two pieces in hand and went to show the landlady. Fortunately, I had, along with the water, bought a little can of oil and had oiled the lock. When I returned with the spare key the lock sprang open like jail doors in an Apostle Paul story.
Bryan
Sunday, November 2, 2008
A Small Explanation of the Project
Honduran Education Project
In Honduras, Primary School (Grades 1-6) is meant to be free and compulsory for all children. People living in rural areas, especially, have difficulty finding opportunities for their children to achieve a Primary level of education. Often, children are needed to help provide income or labour for family survival. Students must repeat grades regularly. On average, students take 9.4 years to finish their Primary education.
Class sizes range from a minimum of 40 to a maximum of 70 students. An experienced school teacher earns less than $300.00 a month for a full teaching load (36 hours of class time per week). Textbooks, reading materials and teaching equipment are sadly lacking.
Not surprisingly, illiteracy in the rural areas is as high as 80%. Less than 45% of all Honduran students are able to continue on to Secondary Education.
Christian Peacemakers International has been working in Honduras for the past six years. Recognizing the need for education alternatives, we have set out to offer a Computer Assisted Learning Program for Grades 7-9. Working with the Honduran government, we will put a specially designed curriculum focusing on rural needs and realities into computer format.
Each student will receive their course content on a computer flash drive. Pods of students in each village will be assisted with a computer on which they can study and do their work. Each student can access a teacher via the internet from the nearest Internet Café. After completing each unit, the students will take an exam. In addition to exams, students will be required to acquire a minimum proficiency in Word Processing and do a small project in the fields of public health, nutrition, appropriate development or integrated agriculture.
This three year pilot project will seek to develop a method of allowing students of all ages and locations an opportunity to further their own education without having to leave homes and families. In the broader picture, it will allow the Honduran Government to reach thousands of students without need of huge investments in infrastructure and personnel.
Bryan
In Honduras, Primary School (Grades 1-6) is meant to be free and compulsory for all children. People living in rural areas, especially, have difficulty finding opportunities for their children to achieve a Primary level of education. Often, children are needed to help provide income or labour for family survival. Students must repeat grades regularly. On average, students take 9.4 years to finish their Primary education.
Class sizes range from a minimum of 40 to a maximum of 70 students. An experienced school teacher earns less than $300.00 a month for a full teaching load (36 hours of class time per week). Textbooks, reading materials and teaching equipment are sadly lacking.
Not surprisingly, illiteracy in the rural areas is as high as 80%. Less than 45% of all Honduran students are able to continue on to Secondary Education.
Christian Peacemakers International has been working in Honduras for the past six years. Recognizing the need for education alternatives, we have set out to offer a Computer Assisted Learning Program for Grades 7-9. Working with the Honduran government, we will put a specially designed curriculum focusing on rural needs and realities into computer format.
Each student will receive their course content on a computer flash drive. Pods of students in each village will be assisted with a computer on which they can study and do their work. Each student can access a teacher via the internet from the nearest Internet Café. After completing each unit, the students will take an exam. In addition to exams, students will be required to acquire a minimum proficiency in Word Processing and do a small project in the fields of public health, nutrition, appropriate development or integrated agriculture.
This three year pilot project will seek to develop a method of allowing students of all ages and locations an opportunity to further their own education without having to leave homes and families. In the broader picture, it will allow the Honduran Government to reach thousands of students without need of huge investments in infrastructure and personnel.
Bryan
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