It’s hard to believe it’s already the end of February. Andy had to remind me that tomorrow is Leap Day (I’m not sure if that’s really a word or not, but it is in my book)! We’ve been here for a month already. Crazy how time flies. I can’t decide whether I think we’ve made good progress or not. There’s still so much to do… We have met a lot of people, and we have traveled quite a bit. So, I consider it a success so far!
Our digester project is coming along. Slower than I would like, but then again I run on American time, not Brasilian time. No. I can’t blame it on them. Andy and I are the ones having issues. Doing this on our own is foreign to us. So, doing it on our own, in a different country, and in a different language? Seems pretty impossible. Luckily we’re still talking to each other, and I have faith it’ll all work out. For people who want technical details: the sewage flow is too fast for us to divert it all straight into a digester. So, we’re thinking about designing a settling tank for the water to flow through, depositing the solids on the bottom, and then taking those solids and putting them in a batch digester. We’re not sure yet if that’ll make the water clean enough, so there may be another step in there. We won’t have any problem with digestion and methane production. Methane is already bubbling up from the bottom in the sewer flow itself. Kind of impressive that a body of water moving that quickly can have such an enormous amount of anaerobic activity.
Here’s the intimidating part: Thursday, Andy, John, Ricardo and I are going to talk to Senhor Campello. He’s pretty much the city planner of Sobral, kind of important. It intimidates me to talk to well-educated Brasilians. I know that sounds funny, and I don’t mean it to sound condescending, it’s all about my lack of Portuguese. It’s easier to speak with people who also make errors. Sr. Campello has volunteered his time, and found money w/in the city budget, to design a type of completely sustainable house that will accompany the digester at Banco de Mudas. He’s a very well accomplished architect. Most all of the amazing city changes that have happened in Sobral over the last 20 years or so have come about from him sitting in a place, looking at a slum area, sketching some ideas, and building from those sketches. I’ve already met him once, and he’s an awesome guy. Super nice and friendly, John’s good friend. So in reality I shouldn’t be so scared. I’m sure it’ll be fine.
Today we met with a Professora from CENTEC, the technology center right next to our house in Sobral. Her lab is going to do some tests on the water for us next week, which is great. I’ll get to be in the lab helping out, which is a really familiar and wonderful feeling. Next week as well, we’re heading back up to Serrinha to install an underground dam next to their well and go to the mass their having up there on the 8th. I’m so excited to go back and see everyone, and even more excited for the mass, because EVERYONE, all the kids, all the families, all the elders of the community (no pun intended ha ha ha) will be there to celebrate. I think we’ll get a chance to see Serrinha like it once was: full of life and laughter.
We’re still working on getting our visas extended and our plane tickets changed so we can stay until the end of May instead of the end of April. I sure wouldn’t mind :o) The weather is beautiful, the people are incredibly hospitable and the food is great. What more could anyone want?
We hope you guys are having a good week and can’t wait to hear from you. If anyone wants a post card or a snail-mail letter, just email us your address.
Beijos e Abracos
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Serra Verde
Serra Verde at sunset
I wish I was that color
Beautiful...
Over the weekend, Andy and I met up with John in Jericoacoara again. Oh darn, beach time :o) He was brought his Uncle Heinz (who literally introduced himself as “I’m Heinz, like the ketchup” I laughed so hard!) and his friend Marcus, both from Germany. They had spent a week or so traveling and seen Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba, both places I haven’t been to yet. But, they hadn’t gone to the beach and swam in the ocean yet, so Jeri was the perfect place to spend a couple days being beach bums!
After spending the weekend in Jeri we came back to Sobral with the gang on Monday, ate lunch and headed straight out to Serra Verde (green hill), the other small village where John works. Its name describes the contrast w/Serrinha perfectly. It is SO green. I thought Serrinha was pretty, well Serra Verde is beautiful. It’s a greener, happier version of Serrinha and for several reasons. One: the have a lot more rain. Their crops are already well on their way to being harvested, whereas in Serrinha, some farmers are having to replant everything since there wasn’t enough water to sustain them over the last couple months. Two: the families are together. That is so amazing and heart-warming to see.
We got there and stopped at a little house in the village Recreio (recess) at the bottom of the hill. It’s owned by Sr Paulo and Sra Rosa, pretty much the original family in Serra Verde. Out of the 16 or 17 families that live up there on top probably 10 or 11 are related to this couple. They keep the little house down there for the children from up top who study below. They have a place to sleep or to eat or just to hang out. It’s a wonderful resource for them because they still hike up and down the mountain every day to go to school. John, Marcus, Heinz and I hiked up the hill around 5pm, right after a huge rain, so perfect time and perfect temperature. It takes just as long as the hike to Serrinha, but this isn’t nearly as steep. We were met part-way up by Manuel, the leader of this community and one of Sr Paulo’s sons. It was great to talk to him as we went up. He is full of amazing stories about this place he loves so much.
They have real energy in Serra Verde, and it was a labor of love to get it there. Power line poles here are wood, they’re solid cement. It took 20-30 men to drag each of these poles up the hill and install them in the right places. On the second to last pole, near the top of the 800m summit the men got excited that they were to close to being done and walked faster. The result was a cement pole, cracked down the center, and another trip to the bottom to get a pole. It’s still lying there next to the trail, right where it broke.
One of Manuel’s sons raced up the hill after us on his way back from school, and Manuel was eager to tell us why this young man was different from the rest. When a woman up top goes into labor, the men put her in a hammock and carry her down the hill. This time they didn’t have quite enough time, and his son was born right there on the trail. Everything was fine, and he’s probably 9 or 10 now, but I can’t even imagine! Manuel’s wife is pregnant with their 8th child, and, God willing, she’ll give birth to a little girl in a couple months. Hopefully they get a little bit of a jumpstart on the descent this time.
Health care is something interesting here, and something I haven’t talked very much about. At least in Serra Verde, it’s almost non-existent. There is supposed to be a nurse that comes up to visit them every once in a while, but she doesn’t. They even got a paper she was supposed to sign every time she came less she lose her job, a kind of threat. It worked for a while, but now it’s been 2 years since her last visit. She just plain doesn’t want to hike up the hill, even though it’s part of her pay. Instead, when the villagers have problems they hike down the hill and see someone in Recreio if possible and if it’s something serious they catch a bus to Sobral (about an hour away). Manuel’s wife was on her way down the hill, 6 months pregnant, in order to have her checkup. Ridiculous if you ask me.
Anyway, Serra Verde was amazing. They have a rock called Espia (spy) from which you can see for miles! I’ll post a couple photos because words don’t even come close to doing it justice. Like I said before, it’s super green, and the crops are doing well. Families are together, and people are happy. Of course they cooked us supper, beans, rice, pasta, chicken and farofa. A regular feast, one that I hope didn’t cost the family too much. We sat around eating, watching the novellas and talking about the area. Heinz, in a very German/tourist kind of way asked if the kids would sing something or dance or do some sort of entertainment instead of watch the TV and John made a good point. He said something to the affect that kids in the developed world can sit and watch hours of TV at a time and no one complains. But, people see picture of kids and families in developing countries huddled around a television set and it’s considered almost a tragedy. Why? Why is that so unacceptable? It was an interesting thought to me, and helped me realize a preconception I myself had.
I’ll be writing more soon, but for now that’s all the time I’ve got.
Miss you and love you even more!
Cait and Andy
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Traveling again
Hey all,
Tomorrow, Andy and I are catching a bus to head out to Jericoacoara again for the weeekend. Considering it's like $10US a piece for a 3 or 4 hr bus ride, I think we can afford it :o) This time we'll take a bus part way and then be in the back of a truck for like an hour, but hey *shrug. We'll take what we can get.
We've started designing the waste water system we're going to install at Banco de Mudas. It's a little bit intimidating. I'm not the expert here, Andy is. So often I just function as the translator, which can be difficult when we're talking in technical terms, but it's all working out. God is taking care of us. Andy and I were sitting in the office, and I came to the realization that I need to do some of the tests that I learned at the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Spokane in order to really create a working digester system. At that moment Ricardo (the guy in charge) came in and introduced us to a couple students from one of the local universities. They went on to say (in Portuguese of course) "hey, we're students from the environmental lab at CENTEC. If you need to do any experiments you should come on over. Our professora is picking us up right now if you want to talk to her".
Amazing huh? It's not like anyone understood the conversation between Andy and I, it just happened perfectly. So, we talked with the Professor, and Tuesday we're getting a tour of the lab so I can do some tests on the water (shout out to my friends at the WWTP, you know what tests I'll be doing. Wish you could see this water, it's grosser than any PINF I've ever seen!)
So, it's all working out, one way or another. It's really scary, being considered experts on something, but the truth is we're not working alone. We just need to ask for help. There are so many people here who are more knowledgable about this stuff than we are. It's great to make relationships with them and learn from them.
We're still missing the mountains, but we're falling into a routine here, which is nice. We'll go back soon. John and the people there are organizing a mass for March 1st (maybe I already wrote about this, I'm not sure), to "resurrect" the community. So at the latest we'll be back for that.
So, we'll be on the beach this weekend. John's German cousin Heinz is visiting. It'll be nice to have someone to speak to in English (especially for Andy). You should have seen Andy the other day. We were on a school bus back from Serrinha, and two college students who are studying English talked with him the whole way back to Sobral. It was the happiest I'd seen him in a while (not that he's unhappy). He's doing so well. His Portuguese gets better every day, and he understands everything I say when I'm speaking. But it's still hard to understand other people. Good thing I know exactly how he's feeling :o)
So, we love you all, and can't wait to hear from you! Feel free to post comments here on the blog or email us caitlinelder25@gmail.com andy.elder@gmail.com
Beijos
Tomorrow, Andy and I are catching a bus to head out to Jericoacoara again for the weeekend. Considering it's like $10US a piece for a 3 or 4 hr bus ride, I think we can afford it :o) This time we'll take a bus part way and then be in the back of a truck for like an hour, but hey *shrug. We'll take what we can get.
We've started designing the waste water system we're going to install at Banco de Mudas. It's a little bit intimidating. I'm not the expert here, Andy is. So often I just function as the translator, which can be difficult when we're talking in technical terms, but it's all working out. God is taking care of us. Andy and I were sitting in the office, and I came to the realization that I need to do some of the tests that I learned at the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Spokane in order to really create a working digester system. At that moment Ricardo (the guy in charge) came in and introduced us to a couple students from one of the local universities. They went on to say (in Portuguese of course) "hey, we're students from the environmental lab at CENTEC. If you need to do any experiments you should come on over. Our professora is picking us up right now if you want to talk to her".
Amazing huh? It's not like anyone understood the conversation between Andy and I, it just happened perfectly. So, we talked with the Professor, and Tuesday we're getting a tour of the lab so I can do some tests on the water (shout out to my friends at the WWTP, you know what tests I'll be doing. Wish you could see this water, it's grosser than any PINF I've ever seen!)
So, it's all working out, one way or another. It's really scary, being considered experts on something, but the truth is we're not working alone. We just need to ask for help. There are so many people here who are more knowledgable about this stuff than we are. It's great to make relationships with them and learn from them.
We're still missing the mountains, but we're falling into a routine here, which is nice. We'll go back soon. John and the people there are organizing a mass for March 1st (maybe I already wrote about this, I'm not sure), to "resurrect" the community. So at the latest we'll be back for that.
So, we'll be on the beach this weekend. John's German cousin Heinz is visiting. It'll be nice to have someone to speak to in English (especially for Andy). You should have seen Andy the other day. We were on a school bus back from Serrinha, and two college students who are studying English talked with him the whole way back to Sobral. It was the happiest I'd seen him in a while (not that he's unhappy). He's doing so well. His Portuguese gets better every day, and he understands everything I say when I'm speaking. But it's still hard to understand other people. Good thing I know exactly how he's feeling :o)
So, we love you all, and can't wait to hear from you! Feel free to post comments here on the blog or email us caitlinelder25@gmail.com andy.elder@gmail.com
Beijos
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
How to Drink Water
Now, if you were to guess what I am missing the most from home, I’m sure you would say, “I know Andy, and he’s addicted to ice tea and a nice cold glass of milk.” Well, I can safely say that I found something that I miss even more: clean water, as much as I want, when I want it!
Now, I’m used to drinking 2-3 L of water at work, when I was just sitting at the computer…it’s good for me, and I learned to enjoy drinking that much water. Well, I found out that it’s really difficult to drink this much in Brazil. Even when we’re in John’s house, or Jocelito’s house, which are modern, beautiful houses, I have to get water out of a water filter in the fridge or out of a big bottle in the kitchen. The water comes out slowly, and I feel bad drinking a lot of it.
Now, we’re in Serrinha, and the water source is a well that’s a 5 minute walk away. Usually, the houses here have water pumped to them from this well, but the pump broke in October, and they haven’t been able to get a replacement yet, but they should soon. So everyday, the men have to walk down to the well and bring back enough for the day. Luckily, we were fortunate enough for them to bring some back for us.
So I thought that I would describe how long it takes Cait and I to get clean water to drink. We first pour the milky white water into three 2L bottles that the men gave us, and put in 6 crushed up little seeds. These seeds are pretty dang cool…an elementary school kid found out for her science fair project that when you put them in dirty water, it makes all the sediment fall out! They’re actually doing research on these seeds in some of the universities in Rio. Anyway, so I put 6 crushed up seeds in each bottle; this takes 10 minutes per bottle. Then I put the bottles in the little fridge in the school, so at least we have cold water, which is awesome! So the bottles then have to sit for hours…usually 4-6 hours.
Then we pull the bottles out one by one and filter them into my Nalgene. We got a really spiffy water filter for our wedding from some of the guys (Thanks!) and it’s literally saved our stomachs from amoebic dysentery (John got it the first time he was here). It works so well that it actually clogs after a liter or two of filtering. So after 10 minutes of filtering to get a liter of water (it should only take a minute or so if there’s no sediment), I have to take the ceramic filter out and wipe off some of the dirt that’s accumulated. So toward the end of my filtering spree, it’s going much slower, and by the end it’s dirty again. Luckily, Cait and I both have CamelBacks, so we pour the water from the Nalgene into the CamelBacks, so we can have a couple of liters each accumulated. Then it’s time to fill the bottles up again and add the seeds J Needless to say, it’s really made me appreciate being able to safely drink water out of the tap in the US!!!
Now, I’m used to drinking 2-3 L of water at work, when I was just sitting at the computer…it’s good for me, and I learned to enjoy drinking that much water. Well, I found out that it’s really difficult to drink this much in Brazil. Even when we’re in John’s house, or Jocelito’s house, which are modern, beautiful houses, I have to get water out of a water filter in the fridge or out of a big bottle in the kitchen. The water comes out slowly, and I feel bad drinking a lot of it.
Now, we’re in Serrinha, and the water source is a well that’s a 5 minute walk away. Usually, the houses here have water pumped to them from this well, but the pump broke in October, and they haven’t been able to get a replacement yet, but they should soon. So everyday, the men have to walk down to the well and bring back enough for the day. Luckily, we were fortunate enough for them to bring some back for us.
So I thought that I would describe how long it takes Cait and I to get clean water to drink. We first pour the milky white water into three 2L bottles that the men gave us, and put in 6 crushed up little seeds. These seeds are pretty dang cool…an elementary school kid found out for her science fair project that when you put them in dirty water, it makes all the sediment fall out! They’re actually doing research on these seeds in some of the universities in Rio. Anyway, so I put 6 crushed up seeds in each bottle; this takes 10 minutes per bottle. Then I put the bottles in the little fridge in the school, so at least we have cold water, which is awesome! So the bottles then have to sit for hours…usually 4-6 hours.
Then we pull the bottles out one by one and filter them into my Nalgene. We got a really spiffy water filter for our wedding from some of the guys (Thanks!) and it’s literally saved our stomachs from amoebic dysentery (John got it the first time he was here). It works so well that it actually clogs after a liter or two of filtering. So after 10 minutes of filtering to get a liter of water (it should only take a minute or so if there’s no sediment), I have to take the ceramic filter out and wipe off some of the dirt that’s accumulated. So toward the end of my filtering spree, it’s going much slower, and by the end it’s dirty again. Luckily, Cait and I both have CamelBacks, so we pour the water from the Nalgene into the CamelBacks, so we can have a couple of liters each accumulated. Then it’s time to fill the bottles up again and add the seeds J Needless to say, it’s really made me appreciate being able to safely drink water out of the tap in the US!!!
Serrinha Part Two
(scroll down for the first part of this post)
I say “guy” because that’s all the people up here. This is the second tragedy of Serrinha. The government has a program to universalize education. Good right? The kids are in school, the parents get money. For Serrinha, it’s a different story. They only had grades 1-3 here, and afterwards the kids went to the bottom of the hill for education. The government decided that was not necessary and gave all the money they had allocated for up here to the schools down below. This left Serrinha’s community with no choice but to send all their kids to the bottom of the hill. Well, the other choice would have been no education for 5-8 year olds, and no money for the parents. Practically no choice. So, the mothers moved to the bottom of the hill with their children. During the week, the families are separated from Mon-Fri, then the women and children make the hike back up to Serrinha to be with their husbands and fathers for the weekend. It’s really very sad. A place that every night should be filled with the sound of children’s laughter is silent. Many families have already permanently left Serrinha. Some men make the hike up and down every day. It’s already taken its toll. One wife had a nervous break down, another never wants to return. There has already been several pre-teen pregnancies, and it’s been like this for years already. On many levels mountain people are different than valley people, and so it’s hard for people to understand why families would still choose to live here. It’s a hard life. They work every day from sun-up (4:30) to sun-down (6:30). I’m still working that out for myself. Part of me says “abandon this! Open a store below, find work where you can be with your family,” and the other part understands that the men are freer here than they would be anywhere else. What else could they do? Work in a factory? Cut sugarcane? Here they are their own boss, and the work together as a community. Some men here can trace their roots back hundreds of years to this land. Growing and creating is a beautiful way of life. It’s a culture that shouldn’t be lost. I don’t mean to give the wrong impression about these men. They’re intelligent and hard working. They installed and maintain the solar panels on their roofs. They’ve designed their own working drip-irrigation systems. It’s not like farming is all that they can do. It’s what they choose to do.
There is some small hope for the families. The government has promised to put in a road on a less-steep part of the mountain. With the road comes real electricity (they’re on solar right now, John’s project) and a school bus for the kids. It would be wonderful. Everyone could live together again. John firmly believes that once there’s a road people will return. It’s hard to imagine now, especially when the road is still 1 or 2 years away, but at least there is still that hope. John is trying to organize a mass for March 1st to “resurrect” Serrinha. It’s in the month of Easter, and will involve all the families and all the people in Sobral that work with John and are friends of the village. I think it’s just what everyone here needs.
We’re going to try and help in our own small way. We’ll be here to watch as they install an underground dam several meters down-flow from their main well. This will help keep it dry and full all year round by trapping the rain water once it comes. And it will come. March is usually when it starts. It always rains, it’s just an issue of whether it rains enough. The well needs to stay full because they’re installing water cisterns behind every house to catch roof run-off during the rainy season. But until that rain comes, the cisterns need to be filled via the well so that the cement doesn’t crack. Seven of 26 holes are dug (by volunteers from Serrinha’s community), and they’re hoping to fill them up entirely with this rainy season. Each holds 16,000 L. The water is supposed to be for in-house usage only, but since it’s just the men up here right now, they’ll be able to use some for irrigation too.
The other project we’re thinking about involves collecting runoff from the side of a nearby hill that’s one giant rock. We haven’t seen it ourselves, but apparently when it rains the water just runs down the side. If we can somehow bypass it into the cisterns there would be less danger of them drying up and cracking. I haven’t really thought about the ramifications of diverting so much water from the land right below that, but we’re still in the very planning stages of everything.
So, those are my impressions so far. I’m sure it seems like a lot to read, but it was amazing how effortlessly it was typed. Serrinha is a beautiful place. One worth getting to know, and one worth being passionate about helping.
I say “guy” because that’s all the people up here. This is the second tragedy of Serrinha. The government has a program to universalize education. Good right? The kids are in school, the parents get money. For Serrinha, it’s a different story. They only had grades 1-3 here, and afterwards the kids went to the bottom of the hill for education. The government decided that was not necessary and gave all the money they had allocated for up here to the schools down below. This left Serrinha’s community with no choice but to send all their kids to the bottom of the hill. Well, the other choice would have been no education for 5-8 year olds, and no money for the parents. Practically no choice. So, the mothers moved to the bottom of the hill with their children. During the week, the families are separated from Mon-Fri, then the women and children make the hike back up to Serrinha to be with their husbands and fathers for the weekend. It’s really very sad. A place that every night should be filled with the sound of children’s laughter is silent. Many families have already permanently left Serrinha. Some men make the hike up and down every day. It’s already taken its toll. One wife had a nervous break down, another never wants to return. There has already been several pre-teen pregnancies, and it’s been like this for years already. On many levels mountain people are different than valley people, and so it’s hard for people to understand why families would still choose to live here. It’s a hard life. They work every day from sun-up (4:30) to sun-down (6:30). I’m still working that out for myself. Part of me says “abandon this! Open a store below, find work where you can be with your family,” and the other part understands that the men are freer here than they would be anywhere else. What else could they do? Work in a factory? Cut sugarcane? Here they are their own boss, and the work together as a community. Some men here can trace their roots back hundreds of years to this land. Growing and creating is a beautiful way of life. It’s a culture that shouldn’t be lost. I don’t mean to give the wrong impression about these men. They’re intelligent and hard working. They installed and maintain the solar panels on their roofs. They’ve designed their own working drip-irrigation systems. It’s not like farming is all that they can do. It’s what they choose to do.
There is some small hope for the families. The government has promised to put in a road on a less-steep part of the mountain. With the road comes real electricity (they’re on solar right now, John’s project) and a school bus for the kids. It would be wonderful. Everyone could live together again. John firmly believes that once there’s a road people will return. It’s hard to imagine now, especially when the road is still 1 or 2 years away, but at least there is still that hope. John is trying to organize a mass for March 1st to “resurrect” Serrinha. It’s in the month of Easter, and will involve all the families and all the people in Sobral that work with John and are friends of the village. I think it’s just what everyone here needs.
We’re going to try and help in our own small way. We’ll be here to watch as they install an underground dam several meters down-flow from their main well. This will help keep it dry and full all year round by trapping the rain water once it comes. And it will come. March is usually when it starts. It always rains, it’s just an issue of whether it rains enough. The well needs to stay full because they’re installing water cisterns behind every house to catch roof run-off during the rainy season. But until that rain comes, the cisterns need to be filled via the well so that the cement doesn’t crack. Seven of 26 holes are dug (by volunteers from Serrinha’s community), and they’re hoping to fill them up entirely with this rainy season. Each holds 16,000 L. The water is supposed to be for in-house usage only, but since it’s just the men up here right now, they’ll be able to use some for irrigation too.
The other project we’re thinking about involves collecting runoff from the side of a nearby hill that’s one giant rock. We haven’t seen it ourselves, but apparently when it rains the water just runs down the side. If we can somehow bypass it into the cisterns there would be less danger of them drying up and cracking. I haven’t really thought about the ramifications of diverting so much water from the land right below that, but we’re still in the very planning stages of everything.
So, those are my impressions so far. I’m sure it seems like a lot to read, but it was amazing how effortlessly it was typed. Serrinha is a beautiful place. One worth getting to know, and one worth being passionate about helping.
Serrinha Part One
(this is the first part of a rather long post written on the computer while we were out in the rural area of Serrinha, enjoy)
I write this as we complete our second day in Serrinha. It’s a place that can’t be described in a word. It’s beautiful, dry, sad, lonely, stunning, green, calm, peaceful, simple, caring…so many things. I have a hard time verbalizing the feeling of being here. First things first, I’ll try and describe the terrain. We bused from Sobral to a little town right outside of Taperuaba. On the way we were presented with some of the most beautiful country in Brazil: tall green hill/mountains probably about 800 meters tall. We drove through valleys and saw lakes. The classic red soil preceded us wherever we went. Serrinha is one of these hills (it literally means little hill). We took motorcycles to the bottom of the hill, loaded our backpacks onto a donkey, and started our hour-long ascent. And I truly mean we were walking up the side of a mountain for an hour. It’s nothing like the temperate rainforest we’re used to. There’s lots of dust, and dry and cacti, and loads of rocks. I don’t know what ancient force created these hills, but whatever did tumbled HUGE rocks over and under each other. They create the coolest multi-rock caves I’ve ever seen. Imagine tall smooth monoliths leaning against one another leaving just enough room between at the bottom for a loaded-down donkey to pass through. That’s where the beautiful and stunning adjectives come into play.
The “village” itself is actually a collection of 26 houses spread over several hills and valleys, each belonging to a subsistence farmer. We’re staying in a school that no longer operates, but used to teach the first 3 grades. Our tent is set up inside, and for good reason. We’ve already seen a tarantula, wasps the size of Andy’s hand, 8” centipedes, giant lizards, snakes, and loads of flies. It’s comforting to know none of the aforementioned has figured out how to use a zipper. Last night, though, we definitely heard one of the wasps walking around our tent. When you can HEAR a wasp walking, you keep the door closed no matter how hot it gets.
Actually the weather is perfect. It’s only hot during the day. In the morning and once the sun goes down, there’s a beautiful mountain wind that cools everything down. We like it a lot more than Sobral, where it’s 90 degrees no matter the time.
The sadness mentioned above is brought about by two major reasons. The first is the ongoing drought. For the last 5 years or so there hasn’t been nearly as much rain as is needed to grow all the crops. They have the ability to grow bananas, manioc, corn, beans, papaya, mangoes, all sorts of delicious things (there is practically nothing better than a mango right off the tree). However, with the lack of rain, they’ve been forced to buy most of these things recently “down below” as they call the city at the bottom. Can you imagine walking up and down a mountain every day? They work as a community though, so if a guy needs something and someone is already going down, more often than not they’ll pick it up for them.
I write this as we complete our second day in Serrinha. It’s a place that can’t be described in a word. It’s beautiful, dry, sad, lonely, stunning, green, calm, peaceful, simple, caring…so many things. I have a hard time verbalizing the feeling of being here. First things first, I’ll try and describe the terrain. We bused from Sobral to a little town right outside of Taperuaba. On the way we were presented with some of the most beautiful country in Brazil: tall green hill/mountains probably about 800 meters tall. We drove through valleys and saw lakes. The classic red soil preceded us wherever we went. Serrinha is one of these hills (it literally means little hill). We took motorcycles to the bottom of the hill, loaded our backpacks onto a donkey, and started our hour-long ascent. And I truly mean we were walking up the side of a mountain for an hour. It’s nothing like the temperate rainforest we’re used to. There’s lots of dust, and dry and cacti, and loads of rocks. I don’t know what ancient force created these hills, but whatever did tumbled HUGE rocks over and under each other. They create the coolest multi-rock caves I’ve ever seen. Imagine tall smooth monoliths leaning against one another leaving just enough room between at the bottom for a loaded-down donkey to pass through. That’s where the beautiful and stunning adjectives come into play.
The “village” itself is actually a collection of 26 houses spread over several hills and valleys, each belonging to a subsistence farmer. We’re staying in a school that no longer operates, but used to teach the first 3 grades. Our tent is set up inside, and for good reason. We’ve already seen a tarantula, wasps the size of Andy’s hand, 8” centipedes, giant lizards, snakes, and loads of flies. It’s comforting to know none of the aforementioned has figured out how to use a zipper. Last night, though, we definitely heard one of the wasps walking around our tent. When you can HEAR a wasp walking, you keep the door closed no matter how hot it gets.
Actually the weather is perfect. It’s only hot during the day. In the morning and once the sun goes down, there’s a beautiful mountain wind that cools everything down. We like it a lot more than Sobral, where it’s 90 degrees no matter the time.
The sadness mentioned above is brought about by two major reasons. The first is the ongoing drought. For the last 5 years or so there hasn’t been nearly as much rain as is needed to grow all the crops. They have the ability to grow bananas, manioc, corn, beans, papaya, mangoes, all sorts of delicious things (there is practically nothing better than a mango right off the tree). However, with the lack of rain, they’ve been forced to buy most of these things recently “down below” as they call the city at the bottom. Can you imagine walking up and down a mountain every day? They work as a community though, so if a guy needs something and someone is already going down, more often than not they’ll pick it up for them.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Plan...sort of
Hey all,
It's 10:30ish Sunday night. Today we went to mass, which I always enjoy. Since I understand the translation, it's easy to see how universal the Church really is. It's a comforting experience, that also invokes a little home-sickness. So you all are in my thoughts and prayers tonight.
We tried putting pics online on facebook, but the internet isn't cooperating. Then Andy tried downloading them onto his google pics page (picasaweb.google.com/andy.elder), and only 5 made it...so, those are there to enjoy if you so desire.
Sobral, the city we're in right now, will pretty much be our home base from here on out. There are two villages outside of Sobral called Serrinha and Serra Verde. We'll be doing projects (hopefully) in both and the biogas digester here in Sobral. We're going to Serrinha tomorrow and will probably be there for a week or so. 7 water cisterns are being installed for the farmers there so that during the dry season they still have water. Our first project is to determine the local for an underground dam. This'll hold the water back under the earth and keep their well full instead of dry in the coming months. These projects are important because this is the rainy season, so if they want water in the coming dry months it has to get done. They're in the midst of a 5 year drought, and all the families are subsistence farmers. So they live off of what they grow. The other possible project is some sort of rain collection system off of some rocks. We'll have more specifics when we get back!
In Serra Verde John is thinking about some sanatation projects: bathrooms and a shower. He already has some good designs, so we'd really just be along for the ride. We're excited either way!
So, we should be back online in a week or so, with pictures and stories to tell! It's exciting to finally be getting started (don't get me wrong, I love the beach, but I also like be productive, you all know that :o))
We'll leave you with a picture (if it'll work). We got to see a seahorse refuge area when we were in Jericoacoara. This is Andy and I holding one in half a coconut shell. They're super fragile so we put him right back (Don't worry).
All our love
Beijos
It's 10:30ish Sunday night. Today we went to mass, which I always enjoy. Since I understand the translation, it's easy to see how universal the Church really is. It's a comforting experience, that also invokes a little home-sickness. So you all are in my thoughts and prayers tonight.
We tried putting pics online on facebook, but the internet isn't cooperating. Then Andy tried downloading them onto his google pics page (picasaweb.google.com/andy.elder), and only 5 made it...so, those are there to enjoy if you so desire.
Sobral, the city we're in right now, will pretty much be our home base from here on out. There are two villages outside of Sobral called Serrinha and Serra Verde. We'll be doing projects (hopefully) in both and the biogas digester here in Sobral. We're going to Serrinha tomorrow and will probably be there for a week or so. 7 water cisterns are being installed for the farmers there so that during the dry season they still have water. Our first project is to determine the local for an underground dam. This'll hold the water back under the earth and keep their well full instead of dry in the coming months. These projects are important because this is the rainy season, so if they want water in the coming dry months it has to get done. They're in the midst of a 5 year drought, and all the families are subsistence farmers. So they live off of what they grow. The other possible project is some sort of rain collection system off of some rocks. We'll have more specifics when we get back!
In Serra Verde John is thinking about some sanatation projects: bathrooms and a shower. He already has some good designs, so we'd really just be along for the ride. We're excited either way!
So, we should be back online in a week or so, with pictures and stories to tell! It's exciting to finally be getting started (don't get me wrong, I love the beach, but I also like be productive, you all know that :o))
We'll leave you with a picture (if it'll work). We got to see a seahorse refuge area when we were in Jericoacoara. This is Andy and I holding one in half a coconut shell. They're super fragile so we put him right back (Don't worry).
All our love
Beijos
Friday, February 8, 2008
And We're Off!
Hey all,
Tomorrow we're going to Sobral to meet Jocelito (johns college roommate from when he was at GU), and from there we'll head out to Serrinha, one of the little villages, to check out a possible irrigation project. Sobral will pretty much be our home base from here on out.
We'll write more when we get there, and hopefully post some pictures. The internet connection should be better.
All our Love, Beijos
Cait and Andy
Tomorrow we're going to Sobral to meet Jocelito (johns college roommate from when he was at GU), and from there we'll head out to Serrinha, one of the little villages, to check out a possible irrigation project. Sobral will pretty much be our home base from here on out.
We'll write more when we get there, and hopefully post some pictures. The internet connection should be better.
All our Love, Beijos
Cait and Andy
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Carnival!
Oi gente (hey you guys)!
Andy and I are in Jericoacoara (jeri-cwa-cwara) for Carnival with John. From Fortaleza we took a 5 hour bus ride here. It's further North along the coast of Ceará. It's a beautiful little beach town, full of people for Carnival. So, imagine what you see on television of Carnival in Rio or São Paulo...this is nothing like that :0) It's a lot more tranquil. Jeri is pretty much a lazy, laid-back hippie-meets-yuppie kind of town (the hippies selling jewelery on the beach and the yuppies buying it). There was a concert on the beach tonight, but unlike normal Brasilian concerts which start at 11PM and end at 4AM, the concert went from 3PM to 8PM. It's all the locals would allow. John said 10 years ago barely anybody came here for Carnival, and you could lay on the beach and pretend like it was just a normal time of the year.
I would love to see Rio or São Paulo, and dance in the streets all night long, but this is good too. Practically a second honey moon. Andy and I can swim, eat, swim, sleep in a hammock, eat some more and no one tells us to do any different. It's hard letting go, after preparing so hard to come. I always feel like I should be doing something, but then I remember to enjoy this, work is coming soon, sit back in my hammock and sleep :o)
We only have rough plans right now about where we're going from here. Wednesday we go back to Fortaleza and prepare to go out to the "campo" the rural area where we'll be working. We'll go up there for a couple weeks, get to know the people (2 villages, one w/150 people, one w/50 or so), see if there's a project to do there, and then head to Sobral to work on a biogas digester. Super rough, especially since we're working on Brasil time...
Just like I remember, the people are amazing, hospitable, and a lot of fun. We've never gone hungry or thirsty, though camping last night was rough...we really should have brought sleeping pads :o) They say the first night is the worst, so hopefully tonight will be better. It's SUPER hot, but that just makes the water (which is warm too) feel that much better. Andy's Portugûes skills are improving by leaps and bounds every day, and mine are being tested to the max. It's intimidating to think that at some point we'll be left all by ourselves in the campo...but we'll manage. Anyone who's been outside of the US knows that hand signals do wonders!
Well, our rented internet time is limited, so we've got to go. We'll write as often as we can. The connection in Fortaleza is slow, and we'll definitely not have any in the villages, but we'll keep you updated somehow!
We miss everyone, but don't miss the snow :o)
Beijos!!!
Andy and Cait
PS Andy hasn't had any more mosquito bites yet, but he hasn't killed any either, so it's still 163:3
Andy and I are in Jericoacoara (jeri-cwa-cwara) for Carnival with John. From Fortaleza we took a 5 hour bus ride here. It's further North along the coast of Ceará. It's a beautiful little beach town, full of people for Carnival. So, imagine what you see on television of Carnival in Rio or São Paulo...this is nothing like that :0) It's a lot more tranquil. Jeri is pretty much a lazy, laid-back hippie-meets-yuppie kind of town (the hippies selling jewelery on the beach and the yuppies buying it). There was a concert on the beach tonight, but unlike normal Brasilian concerts which start at 11PM and end at 4AM, the concert went from 3PM to 8PM. It's all the locals would allow. John said 10 years ago barely anybody came here for Carnival, and you could lay on the beach and pretend like it was just a normal time of the year.
I would love to see Rio or São Paulo, and dance in the streets all night long, but this is good too. Practically a second honey moon. Andy and I can swim, eat, swim, sleep in a hammock, eat some more and no one tells us to do any different. It's hard letting go, after preparing so hard to come. I always feel like I should be doing something, but then I remember to enjoy this, work is coming soon, sit back in my hammock and sleep :o)
We only have rough plans right now about where we're going from here. Wednesday we go back to Fortaleza and prepare to go out to the "campo" the rural area where we'll be working. We'll go up there for a couple weeks, get to know the people (2 villages, one w/150 people, one w/50 or so), see if there's a project to do there, and then head to Sobral to work on a biogas digester. Super rough, especially since we're working on Brasil time...
Just like I remember, the people are amazing, hospitable, and a lot of fun. We've never gone hungry or thirsty, though camping last night was rough...we really should have brought sleeping pads :o) They say the first night is the worst, so hopefully tonight will be better. It's SUPER hot, but that just makes the water (which is warm too) feel that much better. Andy's Portugûes skills are improving by leaps and bounds every day, and mine are being tested to the max. It's intimidating to think that at some point we'll be left all by ourselves in the campo...but we'll manage. Anyone who's been outside of the US knows that hand signals do wonders!
Well, our rented internet time is limited, so we've got to go. We'll write as often as we can. The connection in Fortaleza is slow, and we'll definitely not have any in the villages, but we'll keep you updated somehow!
We miss everyone, but don't miss the snow :o)
Beijos!!!
Andy and Cait
PS Andy hasn't had any more mosquito bites yet, but he hasn't killed any either, so it's still 163:3
Friday, February 1, 2008
We arrived!
Hey everyone! Caitlin and I just wanted to let everyone know that we arrived in Brazil safely! We were able to make all of our flights, and John (our contact) met us at the airport. Right now we're at he and his wife's house (her name is Joana); they have a beautiful house and have been wonderful guests! We'll send pictures when we can. :-)
We won't be able to get online here in Fortaleza as much as we thought; John only has dial-up here. We'll do the best we can, though.
But we're not going to be here much longer...tomorrow (Saturday) we'll be heading to Jericucara (6 hrs NW of here, on the coast), to celebrate Carnival on the beach :-) The plan is to be back on Wednesday.
We'll write more when we can; we love you all and you're in our prayers!
Tchau,
Andy and Caitlin
Caitlin's addition:
Andy: 3
Mosquitoes: 163
I'll be keeping count... :o)
Beijos
We won't be able to get online here in Fortaleza as much as we thought; John only has dial-up here. We'll do the best we can, though.
But we're not going to be here much longer...tomorrow (Saturday) we'll be heading to Jericucara (6 hrs NW of here, on the coast), to celebrate Carnival on the beach :-) The plan is to be back on Wednesday.
We'll write more when we can; we love you all and you're in our prayers!
Tchau,
Andy and Caitlin
Caitlin's addition:
Andy: 3
Mosquitoes: 163
I'll be keeping count... :o)
Beijos
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