I complained about their work ethic and then I come back after winning the grant proposal while being on vacation with my mom and aunt and half of what we agreed to do next week was done while I wasn’t there...So they, or at least my supervisor, does get down to business, which I did know but it’s in spurts. I could look at this situation of things being done when I wasn’t there in several ways…1. It is a more sustainable project because it’s being implemented Nicaraguans 2. Do they really know what’s best for this project? 3. Do I really know what’s best for this project?
I try to outweigh any doubts about any project, especially this one, with hope and faith: everything WILL work out. So I jumped on that train of thought from day one when I was given this project to work on. After talking to my mom and aunt who have lots more life experience and are a bit more mechanical they were raising questions that I had tried to answer but couldn’t so I banked on hope and faith…again. But I do have to face these issues my supervisor sometimes seems to ignore. These issues include: 1.What happens when the tank is full? 2. What happens to the waste material being poured down the drain?
Well my questions got answered by an unexpected source. On the last day of vacation with my mom and aunt we got WAY off the beaten path and back in the rainforest of Nica we met a professor and eight students from University of Portland who for two weeks had been traveling around Nica and visiting a variety of development projects. They were spending these last three days writing a collaborative paper about their findings, which were more sustainable etc. First off, I wanted to be in their class. Secondly we caught this professor at just the right moment and he was super excited to learn about my absorption tank project. AND HE KNEW ABOUT THE TANKS. He answered all my questions and doubts and told me how the materials and design worked. He gave me his unconditional support and I felt good. He also had two student aids for translation etc. who were prior Peace Corps volunteers. One of them had also done a similar project in Guatemala and willingly gave me contact information to learn more about a simple device that can built to strain out food materials. To say the very least it was a very productive conversation that included a side of grad school possibilities…of course.
So I get back to Ciudad Sandino and we aren’t following the work plan laid out and agreed upon while writing the grant. That’s annoying but I shouldn’t get caught up in that. (Hopefully this happens a lot) Instead let’s concentrate on the people, why I’m here: relationships, bettering and empowering people’s lives. I don’t doubt that it will happen, because I’ve already seen it happen, but let’s do more…
I’m excited about the last three weeks, I have a focus. I get to watch change in progress. I get to be behind and on the scenes.
As for this weekend though my colors are black and red…it’s a celebration of sorts and you can google it if you really want to know…
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