Let's see...so for the weekend, Leala and Adam and I went to La Ceiba to do some shopping for necessary supplies that we can't get in our town. And since we were there, we also figured we might as well see Hulk 2 in the movie theater. I called my chick for a bit while everyone else shopped. We hung out with some other volunteers and went to dinner at sunset at a resort beach hotel's restaurant, poolside with the beach 20 yards away. I stood on the shore as the sun set, closer to my chick in the states than I'd been in a long, long time. Fun fact: when we got the receipt at the resort, the total was in both Lempiras and US Dollars.
Then after we ate, we all went to a discoteca to dance. It was a pretty upscale club. Laser lights, blacklights, glosticks, raised dance floor, etc. 100L cover for the guys, our girls got in free. Ate breakfast at a baleada joint in the morning and came back to Olanchito. Tried out an ice cream parlor in town for the first time, and it was delish. Definitely gonna become a regular there.
Monday I didn't do anything spectacular...mostly killed time in the office waiting for my people to show up at the same time so we could make a workplan for the week.
Tuesday I went to the aldea where my first project will be with a guy from the office and met up with the president of the junta de agua there. We needed to measure the flow rate of another water source we're thinking of using a year down the line to expand the water system of the town even more. It was probably an hour of hiking uphill most of the way, then lots of fun climbing on fallen trees to cross the creeks and stuff. I loved it. Finally got to a couple good spots on the creek where we could built a dam and measured the flow rate with a leaf acting as a funnel and a 5 gallon bucket. Time it takes for the creek to fill 5 gallons gives you data to calculate gallons per hour. Got pictures of the area, on my facebook. On the way back, we ate some food off the ground. Seed pod called guapinol, tastes dry and powdery, like flour, when you put it in your mouth, but you chew it a bit and when your spit mixes in, it tastes sweet, like chewing cookie dough. And they're huge, so you get a lot of food from each pod.
Wednesday we drove to another group of aldeas way in the mountains, 4 wheel drive truck is necessary. We did a modest hike through the jungle to do another aforo (water flow measurement) at a creek, then headed back to town to talk with the president of the patronato (town council) who gave us a sample of the bananas he grows, and they were possibly the sweetest bananas I've ever had. Real good. The guy from my office I was with bought a bunch and some cheese. He gave me some of the cheese. Every time we drive way out, we always seem to have people in town asking for rides back to Olanchito. The buses don't go way out to the mountains, usually, so hitchhiking is pretty much necessary for older people.
Thursday was fun. Adam called me Wedesday to see if I was still willing to help him give a charla (interactive educational presentation) to some people at the Health Center in his town, I said I wasn't enthusiastic but I'd do it. I think I talked about this earlier. Meh. Thursday also marked 4 months my chick and I have been an item, so it was a good day.
Friday was scary and cool. We went in our truck further out than I'd ever been, to 3 towns close to eachother in the same valley way up in the mountains. The furthest one just got connected to an actual road last month. Just foot and horse paths before that. That boggles my mind. The mission was to introduce me to the people of the 3 towns, because I would likely be living with them for a couple weeks doing a topographic study for a water system that would supply the 3 with potable mountain spring water. I'd be working with at least one SANAA engineer to make sure I don't make mistakes. This will probably be in November or December, I suspect. A few months away.
The mountain road... wow. If Peace Corps knew about it, they would probably say it's too dangerous to travel on. I spent the 2 hour drive on the one lane mountainside dirt road running through my head the physics of using parkour to escape out the window of a truck as it rolls down the side of a mountain. And that wasn't to pass the time, it was because I seriously thought it might come to that.
Anyway, so the first town we went to, the furthest one, had 2 guys show up to the community meeting. That's a terrible turnout. A sign of community not motivated or united or ready to work for their water system. Second town was pretty much the same. Third town, though, the biggest one and closest to my home had a huge turnout. Probably 80 people. I took a central seat and introduced myself awkwardly as I always do, never really knowing what information to give to group of people. Hi guys! I'm here to help you get the water you've been asking your government to give you for 30 years! And I'm from the US! But they were really awesome people. Campesinos in the mountains are usually a ton more friendly than city people, with noteable exceptions.
We got back after sunset, and one of the guys who got a ride gave us some of the cheese he was transporting to town for sale. Yay free food!
I hadn't done any shopping, and needed dinner badly. So I went to the supermarket, but it was closed, so I went to my site mate's host family's house ostensibly to buy some food from their pulperia. But I sat on the couch and told the mom about my week, and she asked if I had eaten, and I said no, so I got a couple free baleadas and talked to her daughter and her school buddy guy. Then the veteran volunteer chick showed up to get her free dinner too, and we hung out til my site buddy got home, and then hung out more until like 11 pm. It was fun and relaxing.
Saturday was fun. Hung out with my chick, then went shopping with Leala to browse for apartment stuff and get ingredients for her Thai cuisine dinner she's been planning for a few weeks. Adam showed up and we got ice cream. Met back up at Leala's and helped a little in the kitchen and hung out. Ate food, it was good. Leah showed up too, and the dinner conversation between everyone else, the French couple, Leala's host fam... it dragged on longer than I would have preferred. So I moved into the living room to watch the X games on TV, and Survivorman in Spanish (dubbed). I was exhausted, so I went home when the girls all went to the discoteca.
My life is alright, all things considered.
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