hn5

my entries from the past 2 weeks. long read, but some interesting stories.
part1.

So, instead of doing real work right now, i feel like writing an entry and maybe doing some reading. Today was one of the best days of training, and i know that i need to put it down on paper before it slowly fades in my mind. It all began with two lectures by current volunteers that have both been involved in improved stove projects. alright so what does that mean exactly? well, i guess i should start by explaining what an improved stove is and what a regular one is. in honduras, the majority of the rural population cooks on wood burning outdoor or indoor stoves, usually consisting of just a small burning chamber and a metal sheet on top. well, this stove, or fogon, or hornilla, depending on who you ask, more or less blows. there is significant heat loss due to lack of insulation, and the smoke just goes everywhere, so people develop all sorts of respiratory diseases. in order to fix this little problem, you know, death and illness and what not, a few smart people have developed a number of designs which improve on the basic stove concept. the one which we constructed today is definitely the most awesome one i've seen so far, as it includes an oven as well as a stove top. basically the wood is placed in a compartment which lies above an oven space, while at the same time heating the steel plate above. the whole system is more or less closed except for the wood opening and the chimney, so smoke is directed up and away from the person cooking. and, the whole system is well insulated by ash, sand, rocks, and a special clay mixture, or mezcla de barro, which keeps the heat in the oven, and not outside in the air where it can't cook anything but nearby insects. plus it only takes a few hours to build, and lasts forever, since its easy to clean and maintain. all in all, our group built three of these stoves around the community, and the families who received them, will now have improved cooking conditions for quite some time. awesome. oh, and crazy story, speaking of insects, so, last night i went outside to find a moth the size of my face sitting by the lightbulb in the garage. to be more precise, the wingspan was approximately the length from the tip of my middle finger to halfway down my forearm. i shit you not. when my family saw it they freaked out, because apparently it is an omen of death. since it was pointing at my room with its massive head, my family suggested that i get it as far away from me as possible. well, i ended up shooing it away for about 10 minutes, and once it was gone i decided to go back to my room. as i turned to open the door, i froze, as before me i saw a tarantula, about the size of my hand, yes thats right, my hand, sitting on my doorframe. apparently the moth was right to some degree, but maybe it was more of a warning than an omen. i thought about catching the tarantula in a soap dish, but when i returned, it was already gone. hopefully its nowhere near my room or
bed. speaking of which, im going to sleep. buenas noches. que duerman bien ustedes.

part2.

there are gunshots outside right now. for real. people are driving around the streets, screaming, and shooting into the air. but it has nothing to do with the coup. in fact, its a celebration, as honduras just won 4-0 against costa rica. it was incredible. but the festivities right now are even more startling. as soon as the game ended, you could hear the shouting in the streets. it will probably last all night, just as it was when spain won the eurocup last year. then, madrilenos went crazy in the streets, destroying store fronts and flipping over cars. we'll see what happens when honduras plays in the world cup. in other news, i tought a class today to 50 raging children, cipotes, between the ages of 6 and 13. it was awesome. we focused on garbage management, with 3 activities, one to introduce everyone, another to pick up garbage on the soccer field, and the last to show the decomposition times of different types of trash. the whole thing was totally wild. the kids surprisingly paid attention, loved every moment of it, and even took every opportunity to teach one another. when asked about the diference between organic and inorganic garbage, one responded with a statemement, "organic comes from the earth". "and what do you do with organic garbage?" we asked. "you make abono, or compost", said the child. he then proceeded to explain to the rest of the group how that works, and what you can do to minimize unnecessary disposal of organic waste. it was nuts. anyway, i need to spend some time thinking about this, and i will write more tomorrow once ive simmered a little.

part3.

so a few things have happened in the last few days that i need to write about, if not for anything but memory sake. i will read all of this one day and laugh. regardless, first let's start with yesterday. the whole morning, from 5 30 til 12 was spent working with a local farmer, florentino macias. we spent a large part of the day cortando monte, chapeando, or cutting tall grass. we did this with a machete and a ganchito, or a stick more or less, which was difficult and grueling. why they dont just use scythes, i dont know. maybe that can be a project of mine, reinventing the way hondurans cut grass. anyway, we also spent some time moving some corn around, talking about the farm, his family, coffee, and more or less everything else that was around. we could have eaten watermellon, but some highschool kids destroyed the whole crop and so, well, there wasnt any. i guess i should add that this farm is used as an educational area by the local high school, so it was technically their watermellons, but still, no reason to have destroyed them. punks. but anyway, now, i have big blisters on my hands, a little farmer tan, and quite a lot of new experience. ok, number two, i bought cleats today. or tacos, as they're called here. i even used them to some success in a game against some hondurans today, although they still wiped the floor with us. it was embarassing but fun, and i think it will now become a regular past time. i played better than i have ever before, but i still have a whole world to learn. maybe within a few months, ill be able to hold my own. regardless, it was awesome, we made some new friends, and now we have become even more a part of this community. on a different note, i got a ride today from a dude by the name of hector, who builds houses using some new technology. basically what they do is mix dirt, or clay, not sure exactly which, with cement, and then, press the mixture into blocks that look like legos. this then allows them to construct the house in such a way that doesnt use any rebar, and very little cement overall. basically, its awesome. too bad the machine that does the pressing costs 40, 000, but still maybe that can be refined. its kinda like the compacted dirt method from mexico that we learned about on a trip to this integrated farm place that we went to. i should write about that, but im too tired. but there is something else, something that im not exactly proud of but i feel i need to share with all of you. i killed today. i took a life, without much emotion actually. not that i enjoyed it, but still, i was surprised at my apathy. granted, it was only a chicken, and a chicken that wakes me up every night at 2 am, but still. it was strange. we took it, tied it up by its feet to a fence, and slit an artery by its ear. it bled out quickly, without much resistance. we then boiled it to defeather it, then removed the organs. apparently you can eat the half-formed eggs that are still inside, along with the gizzard, right i think thats what its called, the thing where the rocks are. the rest, well you all know you can eat the heart, the liver, and the chicken itself. apparently we'll roast it tomorrow, and make soup, which im very excited about. i felt some sadness as i watched it bleed but, and now that i think about it, i pity the poor animal. but it kinda makes me think about all the chicken that i have eaten in my life, and at least now, i know what happened every time i needed some legs and thighs. i took some pictures, so you guys can see the final product. dont worry, i didnt take pictures of it dying, i thought that was wrong. but i did take a pic once it was dissected, just for curiosity sake.

part4.
again, its been some time since I have written and I felt obligated to provide some sort of update. this past week has been busy, like most of the time. a number of days were spent getting hands on experience, whether it was learning about organic chicken feed, coffee production, or natural fertilizers and pest repellents. On tuesday, we gave a little talk, charla, to people in the community on how to improve the health of their chickens, with the information we learned last week, and now at least one of the farmers is employing the new technique, which is awesome. on wednesday, i was asked by a local community leader to give a speech on stove building, so now we are getting a group together to construct another improved stove and at the same time explain the process to some local people. although the material cost is somewhat high, the improvements from the design are even higher, and the people who chose to upgrade will save on wood cost and healthcare costs very quickly. why do i say healthcare, well because the number one reason people here go to the clinicas is because of respiratory problems, many of which result from cooking in smoke all day. our stove, if it works right, prevents that. sometimes however, there are flaws in the construction, like there was with the one we built the first time, so tomorrow I will be going to rebuild that. or at least fix some of the problems with my fellow trainees. I have also been discussing projects with my host fam, so it seems that we will be building a chicken coop and a water filter within the next few weeks. whether or not these projects will actually get done before i leave is a different story, but i hope that at least something will get started. its the thought that counts in the end. i feel like there is so much more to say, but i can't remember anything specific. im going to go back to writing every night before i go to sleep, so maybe that way nothing will get lost. at least you guys have this. cuidanse. nos vemos.