An update and pictures too!

You can see my pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/mdraley.

Yesterday was a very tired day. I got up at about 6:30 to shower and be ready for breakfast at 7:30 so that I could ride with Felipe, Arturo's son, to the University to wait for Arturo. I ate breakfast - a banana and a "liquado," a mixture of oats, milk, and ice cream made in a blender - and then I lost it. I'm not sure why. I didn't really feel bad, so I think it was just nerves. I took a pill for nausea anyway and I think it made me really sleepy. I made it to the university and was falling asleep waiting for Arturo. I went to the library to use the computers there and a lady who I met the day before came in saying that she was supposed to meet with me without Arturo. So I tried to explain the purifer to her and was telling her about the byproducts and how we can use them to clean. She was concerned about the environmental impact of the purifier. So we talked for a bit and she told me something about Arturo meeting with the engineer and his office - I wasn't really sure what she said. So I went back to Arturo's office and a man I met the day before called me into his office (which is in the same room as Arturo's) and was asking me about the purifier. I think he's an engineer and he knows a lot about water. He kept talking about the taste of salt in the water. Well he had to go talk to his boss so I waited for Arturo, not really sure if I was supposed to be there or somewhere else. I was very confused. So someone else in the office - his name is Antonio - took me to the secretary and she called Arturo on his cell phone. He was driving back to the University and would be there in 10 minutes. Antonio asked me if I wanted a Coke and I said yes! It was very nice of him. He spoke to me in English and it was kind of weird. I found it hard to transition back into speaking to a Mexican in English and kept answering "si" instead of "yes." I think I say "si" about a thousand times a day....

So Arturo finally arrived and we talked with the man and the woman I had talked to earlier. I couldn't keep up with their conversation because I was falling asleep. It was really bad. So we came home for lunch at about 2:00 and Maria and Arturo told me that I should sleep this afternoon. Usually we go back to work, but yesterday we took the evening off because we already had accomplished everything we needed to do. So I slept for 3 hours. It was marvelous! Then I got up and worked on some calculations for the water project.

This morning we had breakfast at about 10:00 and Arturo told me there were 3 things we needed to do. 1) Talk to the folks at EDGE about the hardness of water here and ask them how it will affect the purifier. 2) Figure out how much it's going to cost to purify the water each day and how much water we need to purify to break even. 3) Make a budget for the installation of the water purifier.

I guess I need to back up a bit and tell you about what we have planned for the implementation of this water project. In Mexico, the American way of giving things away for free is highly frowned upon. They think it takes away a person’s dignity and that if you give someone free water today, tomorrow they will expect free food, and the next day, free clothes, etc. Therefore, after talking it over with EDGE, I decided that Arturo’s proposal for selling each bottle of water (20 liters – like you see in offices) for 3 pesos (about 23 cents) is the best way to do this project in this culture. Three pesos is half the price they pay for water from the government and some name brand companies sell bottles for 20 pesos each. So the people are still benefiting greatly from it. Another problem we are working on regards the hardness of the water here. Arturo and Maria showed me a faucet they had removed and it was covered in this hardened gunk from the calcium carbonates in the water. They have to replace their faucets each year because it builds up so fast! Can you imagine what that stuff does to people’s kidneys? So the plan is to also install a water softener through which we will process the water before it goes through the New Life International water purifier that I brought. That way the water will be without calcium carbonates and without germs! And for only 3 pesos per bottle!

So today we figured out that we can at least break even purifying one tank (110 liters, 55 bottles of water) each day and if we purify two each day (220 liters, 110 bottles of water) they will have some money to put into a fund to pay for emergencies in the community. For example, if someone gets sick and needs medicine, they can help them. Or if the soccer team has an away game and they need a bus to take there, they can cover it with the money in the fund. Sounds great, huh?

I’m also going to try to figure out if they sell sno-cone machines here, that way the kids can have a treat and they will be able to make some more money to help out everyone in the community.

More updates will come your way soon!