El Salvador Travel Blog

¡Hola!

Today started like any other by waking up to the sounds of trucks, local music and fire works at about 5:30 AM. For breakfast we had fried plantains with creme and fried potatos.

We arrived at the worksite at about 8:00 AM and immediatley started setting grade for our first pipe. We did as much as we could, but we were waiting on supplies so part of the group went to the wastewayer treatment plant to contiune surveying. At the end of the work day Eddie, Jen and Chris went to meet with the mayor about the current project and other community buisness. They came back with good news, the wastewater treatment plant is getting allowed $209,000 for renivations.

After dinner we enjoyed some time to relax before bed as everyone was tuckered out. We played a few games of hearts and Norm taught some of us Sheeps Head, Don Jime didnt seem to get the difference between trump and any other suit, but still some how beat us almost every hand.

I am supposed to appoligize for all of the spelling errors in these posts...we are tired, dont have spell check and are not used to the spansih keyboard.

Adios

Colin Fitzgerald

This morning we greeted our first Sunday in Nejapa by sleeping in and eating delicious pancakes with honey and fresh fruit. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful day by driving to San Salvador to climb a volcano crater. After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the site of the Boqueron, a volcano that last erupted in 1917. We had planned on taking a 5 hour hike up and down the volcano, but when we reached the site, we learned that the path had been destroyed a few years ago due to an earthquake. Instead, we enjoyed a a beautiful view looking down onto the crater. Afterwards, we were able to buy local fruits and vegetables at a market next to the volcano site.

After returning to Los Ranchos, a few people went to a market close to Los Ranchos to buy tortilla chips and salsa, while others relaxed in the hammocks and played card games. At dinnertime, we went to a close restaurant where we enjoyed different varieties of pupusas, an El Salvador favorite. Tomorrow we will begin the day with a safety meeting with the people in the communities and continue work in laying pipes.

Hasta Luego!
Katie Baldwin

Everyone was anxious to further the project, so Saturday was an early morning as some of us went to work in Nuevo Ferrocarril and the rest went to the wastewater treatment plant to collect data. After a hard morning of surveying, unloading materials, and hand digging a trench, the two groups met back at Los Ranchos for lunch and relaxation. There was a wedding reception at our hostel during the evening, but instead of wedding crashing, we went to a discoteca in San Salvador to have our own fiesta.

What do a spider the size of small plate, a scorpion, a 250 gallon water tank from a civil war, and an opossum have in common? Answer: They all can be found in a shed being taken down in El Salvador. Yes, it´s true, all of these items and many more were surprisingly found in the shed we took down today. Yet these interesting findings were greeted with joy, as the resituation of the shed meant that work was soon to begin.

That being said, today we were able to begin work in the community of Nuevo Ferrocarril. The first work began with a few members opening manholes in La Granja in order to confirm that the entire system was still working while others resituated the shed. After the shed work was complete, pickaxes and flat shovels were put to great use as a mix of nearly 20 el salvadorians and american studets chopped away at the hard-packed, clay-like soil in order to create a 4 foot deep trench stretching behind the school. As this work was being completed, an excavator (which was thought to be out-of-order) was brought into the communities, and the first manhole location was dug out, allowing for the very skilled masons to begin their work. During this time, manhole supplies began to arrive, along with other needed supplies! Also, as the day winded down, the first full trench was dug by the excavator to an existing manole and pipe was laid in the ground. Overall, everyone was pleased to begin working, and we are eager to return to Nuevo Ferrocarril tommorow morning in order to put in a few more hours of work before the weekend!

We all send our greetings and hope that things are going great back in the states!
Until later,
Isaac Groshek

Our first full day in country began with a tour of the communities. We met with everyone who would be helping us with the projects, checked up on past work, and made sure that everything was in order to move forward the next day. The group split up into two; half of us verified plans to begin digging trenches and laying pipes while the rest of us went to the wastewater treatment plant to choose a location for the flume, which will measure flow through the plant. Our successful, exciting first day of work was followed by an intense game of fútbol, and then capped off with a refresing swim (shower!) in the local pool.

Hello to all of our fans out there on the internet. We arrived safely in El Salvador this afternoon after a long day of flights and driving. We briefly stopped at a shopping center to get phones and an upgrade to our current bathwater situation (the promise of hot showers are always a good start to the trip). We arrived at Nejapa´s hostel around 5 PM and figured out which cabins were for which people. After some unpacking, we sat down for a delicious first meal of chicken and rice with steamed veggies. Everyone is pretty tuckered out now so it´s going to be an early night but we wanted to make sure an update went out to let everyone know we are safely in Nejapa and ready to get to work tomorrow.

Until the next post,
Chris

--Welcome to the El Salvador Project travel blog.  The travel team will be working to ensure that this is updated as time permits during the implementation of the winter 2009 trip.  For those of you that do not know much about the project, I would like to give you a brief background and share with you what we plan on accomplishing during this visit.

--In fall 2005, members of the West Bend Rotary Club approached EWB-UW with a problem that the communities of La Granja and Nuevo Ferrocarril in El Salvador are facing.  These communities are facing a severe health problem caused by the lack of a wastewater collection system and minimal education of the effects that wastewater and the pathogens it contains have on their health.  Year round, stagnant pools of wastewater fill the streets, a problem which is severely exacerbated during the wet season.  People walk barefoot through this water, while animals drink and defecate in this water.

--According to the World Health Organization's 2008 Millenium Development Goals report, about 1.1 billion people have no access to improved drinking water and about 2.5 billion people live without improved sanitation.  This means that roughly 1.4 billion people have fresh water that goes untreated.  This is a global concern, and Engineers Without Borders is doing its part to assist these communities so that they do not become another statistic, like the 2.2 million people that die each year from diarrhea caused by untreated wastewater, removing them from the 38% of people in El Salvador living without improved sanitation facilities.

--During the winter 2008 implementation trip, EWB-UW began the excavation of soil and interment of 203 mm diameter schedule 30 PVC.  About 500 Meters were successfully buried.  The technical work was complimented with educational workshops held at the local school and at "Fe y Esperanza", the church for the two communities.  These workshops introduced children to the transfer of germs, proper sanitation practices, and the importance of listening to their parents.

--This break, the El Salvador Project plans on finishing the 700 meters needed to cross the Pan-American Highway and connect up the community of La Granja.  Throughout the course of this semester, the education team has been working on materials and workshops to be shared with the communities.  Half-sheets were printed and are being laminated, which contain information on how to properly use and maintain the wastewater collection system on one side, and methods to prevent illness on the other.  Along with the half-sheets, a series of coloring books have been worked on to help explain the operation of the wastewater treatment plant, how children can improve their health, and how to be safe around the construction site.  Workshops will be held on construction safety, the water cycle, how the treatment plant works, and on general health practices and germ transfer.

--Through working closely with the communities and having local leaders appointed to manage community work, we hope to ensure that the collection system is sustainable and more importantly, to ensure that the users are safe today, tomorrow, and well into the future.  Thank you for your interest, reading this introduction, and your continuing support of the efforts that EWB-UW is providing to communities all across the world.  I look forward to keeping you posted on the work that is being accomplished.
 
Take care,
Daniel Merrick Burkhardt

Friday, September 2nd:

Friday started as an early last morning in the communities, finishing up the last couple tasks for the trip. We split up as Chris and Isaac went to La Granja to take measurements for the as-built of the already implemented system while Ellie, Missy, and Jen checked on the water conservation sinks (which are working great!) They then met with Don Julio and Doña Mima for a meeting over soda to discuss some documents for the Alcaldía. After Mima gave her stamp of approval, we all said our goodbyes with excitement for the next step of the project. The three girls then met Isaac and Chris to walk down to the point where the implemented system connects to the WWTP. This was great to see as it really helped show the enormity of the entire project.
After a busy morning, we rushed back to Los Ranchos to get ready for lunch with the Alcaldesa. We met her and some of her staff members at a nice restaurant on a volcano (Café San Fernando) with a beautiful view of the cities below. We had a delicious meal of typical El Salvadoran cuisine and then headed to San Salvador to try to find tickets for the national fútbol game that night against the Dominican Republic National team. Amongst the craziness of the pregame festivities, Isaac and Diego were able to score us tickets! We headed back to the hostel for a quick bowl of atol, which is basically like a corn pudding/soup. (Some liked it better than others.) Then, we went back to the city for the game. It was a great experience. The energy in the stadium was incredible. IT was so different, yet somewhat reminiscent of Badger football games with a raging crowd, and similar chants. Like the Badgers in their game this week, the El Salvador team won!

 
Saturday, September 3rd:

On our final day, we were all glad to be able to sleep in a bit. We had a delicious breakfast at Los Ranchos before saying goodbye to Sylvia, Herman, and Vilma. As always, we will miss them until next time. On the way to the airport, we stopped at a market to shop for souvenirs. After some successful bargaining, we were off to the airport. We were all sad to leave our friends in El Salvador, but as we settle back into Madison and get ready for school, we will also be preparing for our next time to Nejapa.