What Way Does Your Sink Water Swirl??

You know that whole northern/southern hemisphere drainage thing? The one that says water always drains clockwise/counterclockwise depending on which hemisphere you´re in? Who wants to be a science geek with me!?! At our house, there are two concrete sinks next to each other where we wash clothes in plastic tubs. One sink is for washing and the other for rinsing. Well, the water doesn’t always drain in the same direction in the sinks. If I try to dump water from the tubs at the top of the drain, giving no initial force in either direction, they drain clockwise. But, if I dump the water in from the side, giving a directional force, they drain in that direction. In other words, I can make them drain in either direction if I try. What I want to confirm is that clockwise is the ¨natural¨ direction of drainage in the southern hemisphere. In what direction does the water drain from your tubs/sinks up north? We don’t have a tub, so I can’t let water passively drain. There’s also the possibility that the drainage thing is not true. Has Myth Busters done an episode on this??

So, most importantly Brian´s cousin Patti and her friend Nina came to visit us all the way up in Sícchez. Not only that, but it was my birthday and the town´s anniversary on the same day (I knew it was my destiny to come here when I found out that I share a birthday with Sícchez and my mom shares a birthday with the town obstetrician!!). Patti and Nina: thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming!! I can´t tell you all how nice it was to see family in the flesh and gab, gab, gab, gab, gab (even Brian gabbed!). And these two beautiful women deserve major props for enduring the anniverary celebration and epic hike up to Ayabaca (4,000 ft. elevation gain). They ate my family´s food (pig soup with hair still on the skin), dealt with a large number of perpetually drunk people, listened to muisc loud enough to bust ear drums until the wee hours of the morning, waited until 12am for the dance show to start as the town waited for the sound system to show up (side note: there already were speakers – very loud speakers – but apparently not enough...we had to wait until more speakers showed up so that they could hear our party in Ecuador), and managed to get sick and still hiked the next day with minimal food and no energy. Not quite a luxury vacation. Somehow I think Cuzco went better. But the whole time they were in good spirits and gave us lots of love and even some goodies from the States, which was much appreciated. Don’t worry mom, dad, and Kristyn, there´s no major party when you guys will be here. Nice and boring...just the way we want it!!

The Fireworks Monster behind the crowd at the anniversary celebration in the Main Plaza.

The Fireworks Monster up close! Lots of cracking and spraying of sparks when lit...a doozy of a time!

Brian tried to call OSHA, but no one answered. This set-up is for the speakers, for an area the size of a SMALL basketball court. Ear plugs are obviously of no consequence here. We could feel the vibration in our bones.

We’re nearing the end of the coffee harvest. Almost every house, rural or nearer to the town center, can be seen with coffee berries drying out in the sun. It gives off a very faint rotting smell, but in a weird way it smells good…probably just because I’m a coffee addict. Also on the agricultural front, our family’s cows just gave birth so we’ve also been drinking a ton of fresh (boiled) milk. It’s very thick and flavourful, almost like cream. Alas, the feast or famine phenomenon again: chocolate milk, milk/flour desserts, warm milk with sugar, cheese, cold milk, etc… several times a day. I like it but admittedly in small amounts, it’s kind of a lot to take for a soymilk drinker. However, I have been mixing the milk with coffee and cocoa powder – Kristyn, it makes me think of you – it’s friggin’ delicious! From here on out, the harvests are scarcer until December. I think the only thing that comes into season are the avocadoes (November), but people don’t have very many avocado trees and they keep telling us that they don’t produce like they used to (sob!!). Papaya will also come into season around October.

Fresh-picked coffee beans in a bolsico, a two-sidded bag they sling over their shoulders to carry home stuff from the fields.

Coffee berries drying outside. A common view here.

Half-dried coffee berries.

Gueiby sifting away the shells of corn kernels before grinding them and making tamales. (I know, random picture)

A random mango tree. Pretty, isn´t it?

Some little buggers. I just love ´em!!

Well, we´ve got some pretty good looking beans popping out of our garden. The alfalfa didn´t take, so we have to find something else for a winter cover crop. For now we´re going to plant more beans. It´s nice to grow things.
I finally got the municipality to start using a sanitary landfill instead of throwing the trash behind a tree and burning it when the pile gets too big. I consider this a major success. A sanitary landfill is basically a large hole, lined with compacted mud that is used to throw trash in. Every 30 cm the trash is covered with a compacted layer of mud until it is filled. Then you top it and plant a tree. Used correctly, they effectively prevent leakage and contamination. Now the challenge is to make sure they maintain the landfill correctly and put one in at the health center and primary school. The kids and I also made anti-trash-throwing signs to post around town for the anniversary, but they somehow all dissapeared. Instead, the town was covered with trash the day after the festivities ended. But, at least they have a safe place to throw it now!
I also conducted a class/meeting in one of the rural villages – 205 people, 61 families total – to help them with waste management issues (littering and improper waste disposal are common problems in many parts of Peru). The govener, principal, and community members were very excited and I will be going back there soon to help them construct a model landfill. From there, each family is responsible for building and maintaing one in their home. I will be conducting monthly visits to verify correct usage. They will also be responsible for monthly clean-up campaigns with the kids. Brian keeps reminding me to be cautiously optimistic, for we have yet to experience much follow-through or consistency with responsiblities here. But we figue perfection is overrated. I can only give what they are ready to recive, and my service is not defined by my needs, but by theirs. Go Sícchez!!
Brain says to email him for details of his whereabouts. There are occasional Brian sightings here, but not all can be verified. He´s doing a good job working with the pregnant women and mommies on nutrition-hygine-family planning themes. He´s at the Health Center a lot supporting their initiatives and programs.

So that´s August in short. We can barely wait to see the Ash and Co. gang out here in September!! More friends!!! And I´m now allowing myself to count down the days to my family´s arrival to Peru. Oh how depressing November will be after all of these lovely visits! You all need to keep on coming! We have our eye on Huascarán sometime in June 2009 (hint, hint climbing friends). A volunteer lives at the base camp and can help with logistics. I know, how´d he get so damn lucky?!?!

As always and every day, we´re thinking of you all and send our best energy to each and every one of you!!!