I´m in Copan Ruinas, Honduras, taking a break from all the hard work of concrete construction. We have hauled concrete blocks, both 6" and 8", laid block, with mortar mixed by hand, and then stuffed the cracks between. The sand for the mortar is sieved by throwing it on to a screen. Just when I think it´s all manual labour, I see the cement mixer for the big loads of concrete for filling block holes around the rebar, and for the foundation.
I´ll definitely be in shape for paddling this summer!
It´s all a bit of a blur--connecting with some old friends and meeting new ones. All in support of the local community organizing NGO that encourages their neighbors to farm with better practices, and facilitates better education for young and old.
It´s definitely a different world, and a bit surreal now that I sit in front of a computer, connecting with home just a little.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Arriving
We flew in to San Pedro Sula last night late. The flight was totally uneventful, just like you want them to be. Today is the day to hang out and wait for others to arrive.
This first build is in memory of Jack Allen. It will be a high school computer room. See much more at http://knowwhereyoustand.blogspot.com/
Right now the challenge is to figure out this keyboard. Many keys have 3 characters, including the 2 with both " and the at symbol. So far, I have not figured out how to get this third character, including that at symbol. Try sending email or signing into blogspot without it. I had to get creative.
This first build is in memory of Jack Allen. It will be a high school computer room. See much more at http://knowwhereyoustand.blogspot.com/
Right now the challenge is to figure out this keyboard. Many keys have 3 characters, including the 2 with both " and the at symbol. So far, I have not figured out how to get this third character, including that at symbol. Try sending email or signing into blogspot without it. I had to get creative.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
I'm off!
Off to Honduras THIS week!
I’m off to far and foreign lands this very week. Further than I’ve ever been before. Not only is it further south than I’ve ever been, I’ll be immersed in a culture that I’ve dabbled in only very briefly eons ago. A week kayak trip with only a couple of hours in the Loreto market hardly qualifies as encountering a culture. Sure, I paddled several hours a day on the Gulf of California, but we pretty much stayed with our University of Calgary-led group.
Now I’m off to Central America, and not to a tourist destination. My family is worried about my safety. “What are your emergency contact numbers?” they ask. “Be careful,” they warn. “What are the health considerations?” I wonder. I HATE needles unless they are in my hands, and not meant for me. How much cash should I carry? I understand Traveller’s Checks aren’t used much anymore.
Stepping off into the unknown heightens the anxiety level. My own, I confess, and those who care about me, too.
However, I’m not going alone. I’m going with a group who has done this before. So many times, they have a handbook. They have volunteers on the ground there, making hotel reservations and getting ready to pick us up at the airport. I won’t even be flying by myself—I’ll be with several others, one of whom I know I know. One I think I know. One will have stayed overnight with me the night before, so though I don’t know her now, I will by the time I fly.
So what’s my problem?
I need to remember to trust. Just like when I stepped off the high tower in the ropes course a year and a half ago, I need to focus not on my big step into the unknown, but on those helping me get there safely. Then I can relax—at least a little.
I’m off to far and foreign lands this very week. Further than I’ve ever been before. Not only is it further south than I’ve ever been, I’ll be immersed in a culture that I’ve dabbled in only very briefly eons ago. A week kayak trip with only a couple of hours in the Loreto market hardly qualifies as encountering a culture. Sure, I paddled several hours a day on the Gulf of California, but we pretty much stayed with our University of Calgary-led group.
Now I’m off to Central America, and not to a tourist destination. My family is worried about my safety. “What are your emergency contact numbers?” they ask. “Be careful,” they warn. “What are the health considerations?” I wonder. I HATE needles unless they are in my hands, and not meant for me. How much cash should I carry? I understand Traveller’s Checks aren’t used much anymore.
Stepping off into the unknown heightens the anxiety level. My own, I confess, and those who care about me, too.
However, I’m not going alone. I’m going with a group who has done this before. So many times, they have a handbook. They have volunteers on the ground there, making hotel reservations and getting ready to pick us up at the airport. I won’t even be flying by myself—I’ll be with several others, one of whom I know I know. One I think I know. One will have stayed overnight with me the night before, so though I don’t know her now, I will by the time I fly.
So what’s my problem?
I need to remember to trust. Just like when I stepped off the high tower in the ropes course a year and a half ago, I need to focus not on my big step into the unknown, but on those helping me get there safely. Then I can relax—at least a little.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Packing to go
I'm thinking of packing up for the trip. What do I need? There's a suggested list. I know the kind of things I usually take on trips. I have my usual bags.
It brings up the question "how much stuff do I really need?" I wonder if I can pack in one bag only. It's bigger than a carry-on, and has a day pack that zips off it. I also have a small carry-on bag--I could take that too.
What takes so much space, it seems, is shoes--I don't have tiny feet, by any stretch of the imagination! The suggested list says "two pairs of work shoes." Hmm... maybe, maybe not. I don't even own two such pairs of shoes. I don't have room for them at home either.
I do know I'm not going to be in high class places, where they expect a different set of clothes each day. I imagine I'll go for "keep it simple" and only what I can carry easily, by myself, in one trip.
It brings up the question "how much stuff do I really need?" I wonder if I can pack in one bag only. It's bigger than a carry-on, and has a day pack that zips off it. I also have a small carry-on bag--I could take that too.
What takes so much space, it seems, is shoes--I don't have tiny feet, by any stretch of the imagination! The suggested list says "two pairs of work shoes." Hmm... maybe, maybe not. I don't even own two such pairs of shoes. I don't have room for them at home either.
I do know I'm not going to be in high class places, where they expect a different set of clothes each day. I imagine I'll go for "keep it simple" and only what I can carry easily, by myself, in one trip.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
