Tenth Month on Site

Hello!

I hope you are all well. Things have been very busy here as seminars, presentations, and training gets wrapped up before I head back to Florida for the wedding on September 4th!

Here´s an update on what´s been going on this past month:

1. English Class

I´ve had a fairly low number of students, but have moved on to more advanced topics. Some can now conjugate verbs and form sentences and questions. One young male, being in the company of a young female he was interested in, asked me what the word for girlfriend was and proceeded to write, ¨Do you want to be my girlfriend?¨. ¨Yes!¨ the girl responded. I´m glad to see that the teaching is being put into practice to produce some immediate positive results!

2. Aquaduct Work

We´ve had construction of aquaducts in two communities. In one, we had two workdays to fix tube, fill the tank, and send water down the pipe. Water has reached all but one house now. Hopefully with the installation of a sediment release valve the last house will receive water and then we will move on to installing more houses to the line.

In another community we installed about 500 meters of tube and five new faucets, only to find out that the original land owner objected to the installation because hadn´t been contacted and that the residents have been squatting on his land for 40 years. The local authorities have been contacted and we will see what results! Such drama!

3. Waste Management Talk

I talked to the school parents about prevention, reusing, and reducing the amount of waste in the community. Many students receive cookies in a plastic bag every day, which seem to end up scattered on the ground all around the community. Because waste isn´t collected, we are looking to have build a hole to deposit the garbage since burning causes some personal and environmental health problems.

4. Train the Trainer

I am all set to head to Panama City to help train the new trainees, who are arriving in the next week. I will be helping facilitate conversations on the role of the volunteer and also teaching some technical topics as well.

5. Thesis Topic!

After lots of conversation, it looks like my thesis topic will be Chlorine Disinfection in Aquaduct Systems. I will be looking at the effectiveness of chlorine against pathogens in Panama and then model the concentration of chlorine in an aquaduct system. More details to come!

6. I´m getting married!

I am getting married in 23 days! It will be so nice to finally be with my love and not have to say goodbye every three weeks! Preparations continue and it will be nice to see friends and family in September.

Thanks for reading!

Kevin

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21