I feel like I'm in a groove here in Independencia. I've started teaching English to a few different classes, totaling something like 60+ students in all. I like some of the classes/students far better than others. But I'm teaching in small doses - two hours a day, three days a week - so even the craziest kids have been manageable. Plus, the limited teaching schedule has allowed me to continue with my water and sanitation work, which still has me surveying and conducting interviews.
My most recent interview, with Dr. Anchante, the head doctor at the district's main health post, was ultimately somewhat disheartening. It got off to a great start, with him handing over comprehensive health statistics from the district for 2010 (i.e. how many people visited the health post, what were the most illnesses, etc.). Who knew they would be so well organized? After seeing how inefficiently organizations and institutions run in this country, whether they be disorganized, uneducated, corrupt, or simply ineffective, all of a sudden, it seemed like I had found a solid, well-run group I could team up with. My local health post really had their shit together.
And then we started talking. Dr. Anchante's expert opinion on the cause of the common cold fell perfectly in line with that of my uneducated host father (from training): a cold is caused by drinking too many cold beverages. Brilliant. I found the Dr. Spaceman of Perú and he happens to be in charge of my district's health care. (apparently Spaceman gets his purple pills from Perú)
Other quick news:
Kelly is visiting! She bought her tickets last night and will officially be my first visitor, coming down in less than a month to visit for about a week. After over four months without seeing each other, we're both really looking forward to it. Also, I realize I haven't been great about taking and/or posting photos. I'm sure that will all change with her visit.
I've got a beard. I was looking to grow a mustache to start off the New Year. My thinking was twofold. One, mustaches are hilarious. I've done things for less of a reason than comedy. Why not? Secondly, I gain the respect of everyone around me. Think about all the famous faces who have commanded respect over the years. Burt Reynolds. Tom Selleck. William Taft. Well, I failed to consider that a mustache might also make me look like a pedophile, something that is neither hilarious (right?) nor respectable. Instead, I decided to grow a beard, which I've been sporting for the last couple weeks. I'll post a picture soon.
Sewage is everywhere! Just kidding. But not totally. I visited my town's oxidation lagoon in the last week. Oxidation lagoons are a common way to treat waste water in the developing world. The basic idea is that, by exposing waste water to open air and the sun's UV rays for a defined period of time, the lagoon (read: pond) effectively removes contaminants from the sewage before sending the treated water off to a local river. Or at least that's the idea. Some local folks cut (read: stole) large chunks of the plastic lining that acts as an impermeable membrane between the untreated waste water in the lagoon and the under and around the lagoon. With this lining missing, sewage is seeping directly into the soil. Shit.
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