-vida-

peace to peace corps

2011-07-29T11:35:00.002-05:00

it seems that saying goodbye is at the same time really easy (physically), and impossible (emotionally). you can never really be ok with potentially never seeing a friend again. at least, not if you're not crazy. but the question is, how comfortable do you need to be before the goodbye stops being painful? and what can one do to avoid that business alltogether? I guess on one end, you can just never really face reality and just avoid goodbyes. You can also embrace the idea, and do it with poise, or whatever word you want to use there. But in the end, I think it's all bullshit. Because in either case you're just lying to yourself. I do think though, that there are other options. I personally prefer extending the goodbye over a long period. Not physically, but psychologically. You start saying goodbye months before you actually leave, that way the actual act means nothing, because mentally you're already there. However, that does have unintended consequences almost every time. Because if you actually care about a person, that last goodbye is just as hard, if not harder, because rather than extending it, you've been building it up. Or, you cut a person off too soon, and maybe even never reach the true potential that your connection could have been, had you not spent the whole time saying goodbye. Which makes me wonder, since I have been following this philosophy for some time, how many personal relationships have I killed before they even formed? And what's the alternative? Because goodbyes are inevitable, and then the question that appears is the following: Is it truly better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

hmm..

2011-07-18T10:06:00.002-05:00

ok, so i've had a couple experiences that i wanted to get on paper before i forget them. to be honest, i wrote them on post-its days ago, and now the details are becoming muddy, so if it all sounds boring and whatnot, well then, go read something else. i keep realizing that this blog is more than anything a record for myself, so if i seem apathetic, well it's because i am.

ok, so first and foremost, it is raining. and yes, i wrote about this before, but it's getting worse. it rains with gusting winds, every night, power and cell phones go daily, and yesterday we had our first hurricane. or second. i don't know. the point is it sucked. it was as if i was in a wind tunnel. and i was indoors. water came from all sides, falling almost laterally, coming in from under the door (and i live on the second floor). the roof leaked everywhere, even though it never leaks, and every outdoor surface had at least 2 inches of standing water on it. it hailed. yeah, that's right, balls of ice fell from the sky in a tropical country. i bet it's not even this shitty in jersey, thousands of miles to the north. and the interesting thing is, for the first time i was a little disconcerted. i would say scared, because i trust our concrete house to withstand a little rain, but the lack of electricity, missing cell phone service, falling tress, and constant lightining strikes feet from my house, made me wonder if our new construction would survive the storm. actually i was sitting for some time, watching the long rebar towers sticking out of our new roof, hoping one would be the recipient of a lightning bolt, and that it would forever remain a deformed mass of iron, but i wasn't so lucky. kind of boring actually in the end.

on a different note, my work is done. at least my community development business. although one story i think is worth noting. so my garden project had one stipulation: lack of participation would result in the return of materials to the project. and i loved using this as a threat to get people to work. maybe not so much as a threat, but the ultimatum had the desired effect. "get this shit done, or i take everything away and give it to somebody who actually gives a damn". and people took it seriously. except for one family, and i decided that they would not get the pleasure of calling my bluff. so a couple weeks ago, i got into a car with my buddy luis and the local community leader, and we drove up the mountain to the tiny adobe house. it stands in the middle of a coffee farm, and there is no road access, so i was forced to leave the car and walk to the front door through dense wet coffee trees. when i arrived, a 70 year old man met me with a stern look. his son had signed up for the project and then left, supposedly with no intention of building the garden. and the conversation (after all the initial pleasantries) went something like this:

me: sir, due to your son's noncompliance with the project rules, i have to pick up the fencing and take it back.

old dude: well, that won't be possible because it's not here. they (the family) took it with them.

me: sadly, that's not going to work. if there's no fencing, then someone will have to pay me the cost, so that the materials can be procured for someone else. if you'd like, you can see the contract your son signed.

old dude: i don't understand this. why do you even need fencing, i used to plant acres of cabbage without the need for any of this fancy crap. and anyway, isn't all this shit free? didn't you gift it to us? how can you take it back?

me: well, to be honest, it's not free. it was given out with conditions, and those were not met. and rules are rules. that's one of the reasons this country is how it is, because no one takes laws seriously.

old dude: well there you have a point.

and this is where it got interesting, because the old guy called his grandson and told him to pull the fencing out of the house and give it to me (yeah that's right, the fencing that supposedly had left with his son).

after about 20 more minutes of the old dude telling me how gardening can be accomplished without materials, i dragged the roll of fencing through the farm with a stupid smile on my face. and yes, i did feel guilty for taking something away from such a poor and humble family. but i did offer them the option of keeping it and making a garden even though their son was a fuckup. but they said no. and now another family is benefiting from this material. hopefully, this will also remain as a lesson for the community as a whole, and people won't take future projects as lightly. or maybe not. at least my conscience is clean.

july, maybe last post for PC

2011-07-05T10:57:00.003-05:00

it's been raining daily, starting at 11 am, for almost, well i actually don't know how long now. it feels as if forever, but i know it's only been a few weeks. the point is, life has been forced indoors, and that can drive a person a little stir crazy. and since endless rain here is tied to power outages (the last two days we didn't have electricity for 40 hours straight), being indoors in the darkness is a little tough. luckily i'll be leaving soon. i think i should look at this as a test of my abilities, a challenge. to add salt to the wound, or make matters worse, or whatnot, it has become almost impossible to dry clothes (since no one here has a dryer and there isn't enough sun), and laundry isn't easy either, so i am currently going commando, and have been for days. hopefully i will have underwear for tomorrow.

on a different note, my work here is basically done. this friday, we will be having our last meeting for the garden project. after seeing all of the hard work that has been accomplished, i can only smile. people have done things that i never imagined would occur so early on, implementing pretty important novel techniques. and the crazy thing is, all these practices have been working out, and so some participants have even changed their minds about organic crop production. i had a guy yesterday hand me a radish the size of an 11 year old's fist. he couldn't believe it either. i just sat there dumbfounded taking pictures.

in the end though, this all pales in comparison to the anxiety of finally getting out of here. the interesting thing is, it's the same as when i left for honduras in the first place. i am excited to move on, but sad to leave. i guess it will happen everywhere i go, might as well get used to it.

june

2011-06-02T12:09:00.002-05:00

ok, i'm back to pose two questions:

1. do you think that if all the time that people spend discussing theology and going to church were to be invested in something productive (and yes, that's offensive but i don't care), like learning a trade or studying science, would we live in a better world?

2. is it me, or is religion inherently selfish, at least in the case of christianity, where one can only save oneself? what about saving others? and i don't mean in the sense of preaching and missionary work, but actually achieving salvation for others. self sacrifice style. like the homeboy jesus did, supposedly. even though we're all still fucked according to the bible, and unless we accept him as our lord and savior we are condemned to damnation. what kind of belief structure is that? what if i do good and live a life with no sin? what then? do i still go to hell cuz i think jesus was just some bearded dude? how does that make sense?

ok, it's not the time to rant, but i've had a long day filled with people telling me to tie a rock to my feet and jump in the ocean, cuz that would be better than not believing in god, or something. :P

may, almost june, 2011

2011-05-29T10:58:00.002-05:00

seems like i'm down to a monthly update, which i guess, under my circumstances of living in the mountains is no big deal. granted, i do have satellite internet in my office, and all the luxuries of living in a developed country, but still, just go with it. pretend this is being written from the deep jungles of a forgotten land, while spider monkeys curiously watch from the canopy. soon, natives will arrive and attempt to sacrifice...ok enough of that. now i'm just getting offensive. let's get down to brass tacks, or whatever the saying is.

in the last month so much has happened that i don't even think i can fit it all into this blog. not physically, but in the sense that, by the time i write a few paragraphs i'll get distracted by one of the many insects/animals/weird occurences outside my office door, and well, that will be the end of that. so, here it goes:

1. panels are up and functioning. people seem happy, although i have yet to receive the standing ovation i was expecting. maybe i'll never get it. but really, who cares. at least the work got done, people have light, and now they can stay up til the wee hours watching telenovelas and rotting their brains. mission accomplished. hopefully, this will count as real experience and i can go on to be some sort of important renewable energy dude. otherwise, ill probably end up in a basement somewhere, looking at old photos, eating pints of generic ice cream, and falling asleep on my keyboard drooling into the cracks. :)

2. garden's are all distributed except for a small portion, and hopefully soon, people will be eating veggies everywhere. so far, thee interest of the populace is high, although that may be a sham. i think that the true test will come at the end of august, when everyone would have harvested the last of their crop, and well...if they don't go to buy more, then that's the end of my little dream project. but for the time being, i can pretend that i have made some sort of difference. the best part tho, is that a key group of people still call me and come visit to tell me that their plants are growing well, that they are harvesting X that's THIS BIG, and whatnot. and that brings a smile to my face (i'm not sure where else it could be brought to, but whatever).

3. the rest of my work is also basically done. i have gotten myself involved in a crazy regional improved stoves initiative, but it requires little on my part, so i'm not stressing. if it works, then good, and i can take some credit for the organization of the whole thing, but otherwise, that's life, that's honduras, and that's development for ya. shit happens.

4. i have also taken two awesome vacations recently. one, i think i wrote about in the last entry, so it doesn't need to get mentioned. but about a week ago I went to UTILA to go scuba diving, which was incredible. i am now an advanced open water diver, which is pretty dope, although i'm not sure when I will actually be able to use those skills. we did all sorts of interesting dives, saw some really awesome critters (rays, octopii (i don't know how to spell that word), giant crabs, barracudas, etc), and i almost got the bends. actually, more like, i'm an idiot, drank to much the night before, got dehydrated, and thought i had the bends, but...that doesn't sound as romantic, so for my purposes, i got the bends. we also got to see a bit of CEIBA's carnaval, which was interesting, but not incredible. it was like any fair event (not fair like pretty, but like carnival, whatever, you get the point), just bigger. people stood around, ate a lot, walked a bunch, and some had the guts to dance (mostly us stupid gringos).

5. now i'm back in town, trying to sort out my life for the next couple of months before going back to the homeland. and now, we were just informed that our Close of Service date is being moved up a month due to budget problems, so i will be home much earlier than expected. which is a relief and disconcerting at the same time. the closer the date, the more i think about it, the more i lose my mind, the more interesting things here get. so it's an adventure to say the least. the good thing is, i will basically be trapped on my mountain for the next three months, which will give me plenty of time to finish everything, close up shop, read everything i have wanted to for the last few months, watch a shit-ton (literally) of movies, and just get my head on straight before going home. oh yeah, and start looking for a job, which right now sounds like a daunting experience.

ok, so that's basically it. as for stories, well there are many, and it's hard to recall them without some sort of stimuli. i have met some really incredible people in the last month, some that have truly surprised me, and have opened my mind up to bigger and better things. it's amazing how in the least expected moments, things happen, and you change forever.

rainy season has also started, which brings about it's own diversions. frequent power outages mean pitch black nights, which is impossible to experience in the states. by pitch black, i mean, you put your hand to your nose and it's not visible. nights when you truly can experience isolation, or even enlightenment. to be honest, sometimes, it's just downright frightening.

rainy season also means the appearance of a variety of anoying insects, and other critters, that constantly remind you of their existence. for example, there are these little guys called palomillas, which swarm at night for about a week, fly into houses, into your hair, into your clothes, then shed their wings, mate, and die. it's romantic in a sense, until you look around and your walls are covered in dead insects and wings.

and with that, i think i will leave you.

hn-something or other, it's been so long that i don't know which one i'm on now

2011-04-30T10:00:00.002-05:00

i think this blog is on its way out. i haven't written in months, and i my desire to write deminishes with every day. this isn't because there's nothing to write about, it's just that it's all the same. and the less originality there is, the less need there is for it to be public. but if anyone cares, here's an update.

in the last couple of weeks another volunteer (by the name of xiah) and i trained 10 local development technicians in the use of GPS and ArcGIS technologies, which will now allow them to be able to better manage projects, create proposals, and explain their efforts. all in all the workshop was an incredible succcess, with people staying late almost every day to play with their new toys. we even gave out little certificates to everyone, which was a nice touch (all thanks to xiah).

during this same time period, we also began distributing materials for the garden project, which has been a hot mess. apparently promises of delivery in this country (and possibly everywhere) mean jack shit, and things that i should have already given out to people, i am still awaiting with growing impatience. how hard can it really be to buy some transparent plastic sheeting and load it onto a truck? really. however, the good part is that we're distributing stuff out, people are putting up their fencing, and overall i can't complain. on a different but connected note, the project got picked up by USAID and will now have technical support for the next 5 years!!!!! bam!!!!

finally, solar panels are in. being installed as we speak. nuff said.

otherwise, life is awesome, just came back from a long vacation, going to take another in may to go diving, and yeah. basically thats it. if i had stories to tell you, i would, but even the most ridiculous things now seem normal, and rarely stick out in my mind. i guess that's part of life. i don't really know how people blog actually. i understand those that rant on current events, that is totally doable, since you have an unlimited fountain of absurd material, but anything else?

some thoughts

2011-04-05T12:16:00.002-05:00

ok, it seems that this blog is basically on it's last leg. i haven't written in a long time, and to be honest, i don't know if i have much of a desire to continue. i enjoy writing here, but for the last few months there hasn't been much to talk about. work is about the same, constantly busy, trying to figure out the now and the tomorrow. socially life is the same, same crew, same places, same party. andrew came here for two weeks and that was pretty awesome, and there are lots of pictures, but at this time i dont want to post them. now erika is here, a friend of mine from rutgers, to volunteer at the coop, and that should be pretty interesting as well. in terms of news, there really isnt much to say. wednesday supposedly, and i say supposedly because these plans have been changing continuously for the last six months, anyway, wednesday, the panels are coming to be installed. also, on the same day, we go to buy materials for the garden project, and hopefully that aspect of the effort will also be complete. luckily, this mostly depends on me, so there should be few problems if i can help it. if i can handle everything for the next month, all of my major projects should be in full swing, with little effort required on my part (that is if local counterparts pull their weight). this means a little travel, a little relaxation, and a whole less stress. maybe then i will write some more. but for now, that's it.

just a thought...

2011-03-05T19:51:00.002-06:00

so about 6 months ago I called a meeting. close to 150 people showed up, on time... now that says a lot for a town my size, and I thought that I had had a breakthrough. you could say that i felt integrated, so integrated, it was like i was one with the town. not only was i a member of the community but a respected one, supposedly.

that day we decided that the town was interested in one project in particular: vocational courses. we selected a number, 12 to be exact, from the list that had been provided to me by the local vocational institute, and we elected (from a set of volunteers), 12 coordinators, who agreed to wrok with me to make these classes a reality.

today was the first meeting of many where we were supposed to begin the process of getting these classes moving (you may ask why it took 6 months to get here, but that can be attributed to a number of reasons, including the coffee season, the institute, and everything else possible). finally, we were at this magnificent point. and 4 people showed up. 4. out of 12. go figure, right? you think that after getting 150 people to show up (and i only invited 40!!!), i could get 12. fuck no. apparently integration is a lot harder than i thought. i wonder what people really think of me here...

time to write

2011-02-22T14:53:00.002-06:00

i think this is the first time that i have gone silent for over a month. i guess it has to do with my work, all the running around the country that i have been doing for peace corps business, but in the end it's mostly been my lack of initiative. my apathy. i just didnt feel the need to write. and to be honest, i still don't really feel like it. at most i think i can say the following:

every single day here is new and different. you think you know the situation, the people around you, the projects you are working on, and then one little thing can change all of that. it can throw you off your path, set you in a wild depression, make you smile, bruise you, and in the end, it all seems to matter very little. the scope is so much greater than any event, any occurence, any one person, that it's all the same. to me, it feels like the pressure has been lifted. because when you know that anything you stress about is miniscule compared to other things that millions of people have to deal with in the world, all you can do is smile, and hope that what you're doing may make a small difference for someone else. hopefully positive, of course. i know that this is pretty generic rubbish. most of it you have heard before. but hearing it and experiencing it is very different. saying you're a grain of sand is one thing, but seeing the rest of the sand box is a whole different matter. and the less you think about what you have to do, and the more you look around and feel it, the bigger the box seems.

hn58.

2011-01-17T22:27:00.003-06:00

i'm back, and this time with three minor complaints:

well no, not so much complaints as commentary. i think the reason it may come off as a complaint is mostly because of my lack of cultural experience. Or maybe not. For you to decide.

1) honduran gas-less gas stations and chicken-less chicken places

When you read the sign SUPER POLLO what is it that you imagine? A chicken with a cape? Maybe a chicken so good you could only describe it with the word super? Well at least, you would think chicken I hope? But the last thing you would expect, upon entering such an establishment is a complete lack of chicken. Right? Unless I made an incorrect turn somewhere between the front door and the heated tray counter? In fact, I think there's a large humanoid chicken flexing his biceps out front? That I think should have been a dead give away, no?

Different situation, similar point. I'm sitting in the back of a pick-up as it approaches a gas station. Man pulls up to the pump. He waits. The attendant, currently lying in the doorway of the gas station convinience store, mutters under his breath: "No hay gasolina". That means, there ain't no gas for all of you who don't speak spanish. Then he laughs and returns to his nap like state. Would you find that shit funny? And it's the only gas station in 20 miles. There are convinience stores all over town that sell gasoline by the gallon at double the price (I'm not sure how safe or legal that is, but that's not the point), but the f-ing gas station is all out. Not that they don't have ways to call in the gas truck in advance or anything. Right?

2. Bathrooms in honduras don't always reach the ceiling.

If you were constructing a house and you had a choice of having the bathroom be sealed in by 4 walls and a ceiling/floor combo OR have walls that only reach about 6 feet up and then abruptly stop, which would you choose? Because using a bathroom where the top four feet are open to all curious spectators, and let's hypothetically say connected to a dining room, is not the most confidence inducing experience...In fact, it maybe one of the most nerve racking moments of my life. Especially for something that usually only provides calm and happiness.

and 3 will have to wait. maybe there really wasn't a 3 after all.

hn57.

2011-01-16T11:29:00.003-06:00

well it's been a long time, so i think a little blog entry is in order. but i'm a little tired of the old format, the recaps of my work life and what not, so why not try something new. i will write when i have epiphanies, maybe little stories, but overall, i think it's time to chill with the absolutely inane sputterings that don't enlighten anyone.

furthermore, since my family knows about all my exploits, i don't have to cater to them in any way, and the rest of you could give a shit about solar panels and gardens, so i think cultural exchange is much more important and profound. now, let's see if i'm up to the challenge.

so for a first, i want to reflect on american consumerism. not necessarily buying new things (which is always fun), but buying new things that we have absolutely no apparent use for. think about it. no offense to any of my friends who read this, but why do you need 10 of everything. and i'm being this ambiguous because this applies to almost everything we possess. in fact, i think a good exercise is to look into your closet or dresser and analyze every piece of clothing. when was the last time you wore article A? and the time before that? if there is more than a month long period in between you should probably donate that shit to someone who can use it more often. now of course, this excludes the super fancy, the tuxes and evening gowns and things, which are for specific occasions. regardless, i bet you will find at least one thing that you don't need anymore. maybe two. and if you continue this inspection in the other areas in your house, you will find it filled with shit that you may not even know you had. and that, should make you think. if it doesn't, maybe you should reanalyze your approach to life, and existence on this little planet of ours.

ok, so why am i ranting about this now. and it's true, i am just as guilty of this as anyone else, and at this precise moment i am looking at my 1, yeah that's right 1, book shelf/closet combo thing, and i realize that there is much here that i have no use for. shirts i haven't worn since i started service, pants that i have only worn once. i even have a package of undershirts that i opened, layed out on my shelf, and then never used. not once. granted they're all mediums and i'm a tiny bastard who should have known better, but still. why are they still there. shouldn't someone put them to good use?

and yes, there is a point to all of this. there occured a moment in my mind that acted as a catalyst for this discussion. and it all happened when i did my laundry after vacation. you see, when you go on vacation you bring clothes for almost any situation, logically, because you never know. so i basically had to wash my whole wardrobe, which for a peace corps volunteer should be limited to almost nothing. not in my case. after i was done, i had three clothes lines drying, and then it hit me. i looked around and saw that i was being watched by the 20 coffee pickers that my host dad had trucked in from out of town. in their eyes i could see something like envy/disgust/surprise all mixed together. nothing hostile, but it still slammed me like a dump truck. i looked up and realized that i was hanging up enough clothing for most of them to wear for a whole coffee season. and it was all mine. i don't think i have ever felt as shitty about drying my laundry as i did that day. and it still bothers me.

i guess it's just something to think about when you do laundry next time.

hn56.

2010-12-10T17:33:00.002-06:00

so, it's friday, and I just finished my first GIS/GPS workshop. and by finished, i mean finished teaching, not sitting in as a student. i didn't do it alone, in fact, i wouldn't even call myself principal facilitator or anything, but I would say I did a chunk of work. and i organized it more or less. so i'm fucking proud of myself. it went incredibly well, with 8 tecnicos and ingenieros leaving with a basic knowledge of ArcGIS and some pretty substantial understanding of mapping with a GPS. and we have the second, advanced, portion planned for january, and another 5 day workshop (for a much larger group) for february. that's what peace corps calls training of local capacities. BAM!!

hn55.

2010-12-06T08:49:00.002-06:00

it is so cold here you can see your own breath. now, usually, when you think of tropical south america you think rainforests, steamy jungle, people running around in sombreros and short sleeved collared shirts. at least, that's what it used to look like. but for the seventh day now, we have had a cold front move down from mexico (damn you mexico), and the temperatures have hovered around 12 degrees Celsius. what does that mean for all of you american friends of mine, it is around 50. but wait you say, 50 isn't so bad. and yes, that's true in the states where you have heaters and insulated houses. not so true in honduras, where there is no heat and everything is built with cinder block so once it gets cold, it fucking stays that way. for days. and what's worse is that the temperatures drop to 10 at night, or 40's, which then stays in the tiles and the walls and when you wake up to take the morning bathroom run, it becomes an excruciating experience. you can't escape it. and i thought, with me being russian and everything, that my blood would still boil at this temperature, and the constant percentage of vodka in my veins would keep me warm. well, i was mistaken. it seems that during the first few days all the vodka was used up, and now im running on just my body fat (which is around .5% according to my mirror). so basically without 3 or 4 layers, i am cold all the time.

now, with the knowledge you have just aquired, i would like you to imagine something else. imagine the same conditions but in delapitaded wooden shacks. imagine leaky roofs, uncomfortable mattresses, dirt floors, and a 5 minute walk to the nearest bathroom. imagine being 5 hours away from home, on someone else's property, for months, having to share one room with 20 other people, stuffed together like sardines in rickety wooden bunk beds that seem older than i am. and now that you have all of that in mind, imagine waking up in the morning at 5 am, picking coffee until 5 pm, and making 8-10 dollars for the effort (that's if you're a pro, a typical begginer makes 2-4 dollars). that's twelve hours of work with maybe 2 half hour breaks, and you make what a US mcdonalds employee makes in an hour. oh but, you have to pay for food, your 5 children, clothes, rubber boots, baskets for the coffee, travel (since you're far as fuck from home). and you're stuck here, because you didn't come in your own car, because you don't even own one, so you had to spend 5 hours in the back of a small truck with 20 other people, standing, while you rolled across the mountains at a snail's pace. oh and it was cold. did i mention that. and if it gets too cold you can't even pick coffee because your hands are so cold you can't feel the cherries right and you don't end up picking only ripe coffee. so you sit in your shack and pray that the cold goes away so you can afford a pound of beans and some corn...maybe an egg or two so you and your kids can make it until dinner without lunch.

now, after all of that, it's important to know that the typical coffee picker in this country does this from November to April, every day of the week. and there are almost no protections on this labor, no rights, just what the people are willing to put up with. most of which, i font think i could handle for one day. all because the costs have to be kept low, so the farmer who hired them can make enough to feed his family (because he only makes 1.00-1.50 $ a pound (of dried green coffee) after taxes and costs, if he's lucky) and all of that, because the exporter wants to make a dollar, the importer wants to make a dollar, the roaster wants to make a dollar, and finally because of us, the consumers, who aren't willing to pay for quality and just treatment. and you can say, well i pay 15 dollars for organic coffee at whole foods, and that's fine, but very little of those 15 dollars goes to the producer (and frequently its not even organic), and all the profit ends up in the hands of the middle men. and don't even get me started on starbucks or wherever it is that you go to get a cup of coffee, where you're told that its fair trade and sustainable. if you want to buy into that, go ahead, but i sure as hell ain't fooled.

hn54.

2010-12-03T14:05:00.002-06:00

well it seems that I have gone from writing almost every day, to writing once a week, and finally, now, to once a month. and I know its my fault because well, who else is there to blame? but for the time being there isn't much to say that hasnt been said before. work is coming along, with nothing exciting going on. i am supposedly giving a GIS workshop next week to a bunch of tecnicos, so if that happens, that should be a pretty good step up. otherwise, my dad just came, and that was pretty incredible. we climbed the tallest mountain in honduras in 9 hours, with enough water just to get to the top. it was grueling, painful, and all around awesome. most people told me it was not possible in 1 day, but bam, we were down off the mountain by 3 30. as for the rest of our adventures, we cliff dove, swam by a waterfall, hiked coffee farms, ate delicious seafood soup, swam in the ocean, and did a little bit of everything (and somehow i managed to work almost every day as well). so i think overall the trip was a success. next is the brother in january, so i'll see how that goes. the weather for now is crummy, with rain and cold temperatures all day. doesnt really help keep the mood in check, since this is about the time when everyone hits their second strong depressionary slump. i seem to be doing ok for now, but its hard to maintain oneself animated when everything is either on hold or going wrong. but hey, that's life, and if you can't deal here, how the hell will you deal when your career is on the line. right? well, that's basically it, if i think of anything else, ill be back, but i dont know when.

hn53.

2010-11-15T11:49:00.002-06:00

So, today I had a breakthrough, clear evidence that I am doing something right in terms of Peace Corps goals. I successfully transfered organization techniques to a group of people. To the max. And here's the short of it:

I have, in the last few months, organized a local group to participate in vocational courses (a little over 100 people). Now, most of the classes are planned for after the coffee season, but one was done this past week (Preventative Veterinary Basics). We had been planning it for almost a month, and although we had a few setbacks (one week the technico never showed up, the next the owner of the ranchito where we were going to do the class canceled), the course went down without a hitch. I had organized the whole thing, with help from a local coordinator, but the goal was for him to do the organizing. However, since we were in a rush, I thought it best for me to have a role. Well, now it's clear that I will not be necessary in the future. The people from the vet class have already planned another course with a different coordinator, and they already have the transportation, food, and housing lined up. So, BAM. The rest of the mini-class groups will get a little warm up training for me on organization of this type of vocational class, and then they will be on their own. Let's just see if this works out. But thats 1/1 so far. :)

hn52.

2010-11-05T17:25:00.002-05:00

so i'm sick, and it's cold and wet outside. a perfect opportunity to write about everything that is worth writing about, which i guess changes depending on the reader. in this case, i'll just go ahead and write about whatever.

1. halloween - so my favorite US holiday was spent this year in Copan Ruins, with about 150 intoxicated volunteers. that is an estimated number, but I definitely think we were up there. PC guatemala was also represented, so that probably even further added to the chaos. and overall it was pretty awesome, if you ignore the fact that on the morning of the costume party i woke up with a sore throat and a fever. by the time the actual even happened i was feeling completely awful, but i still braved the night, put on my chilean miner costume and made an appearance. that only lasted an hour though, as with every minute i felt my sickness bearing down on me. by 11:30 i was ready to go home, and i said my goodbyes to my booing friends, and went home. however there were some highlights to the trip

a. the canopy zipline was incredible. its about the closest thing to flying that i have ever tried, and it was quite an experience. some friends took photos and video, so if those ever hit the internet, ill be sure to link there.

b. the copan hot springs are incredible. tiered pools. mud bath. natural massage. rainforest. what else can you ask for. and it mostly made me feel better until we hit the road on the way back and our jalon took twice the time necessary, while it got dark and really cold. that probably didnt help my whole sick thing at all.

c. the food was incredible. we ate in as many places as possible, but the main point is that what we ate was rarely tipico. we had steak/avocado/creamcheese/focaccia sandwiches (which for some reason was called a red neck), breakfast burritos, three course meals, and all sorts of other fun things. i would go back just for the food. and not too expensive either, surprisingly.

2. work - well work and projects are coming along. garden meetings are over, and we still have 30 spaces for local families, but there are a few communities in the mountains that are interested, and if their leaders are willing to get trainings with me, then they're in. i have also been thinking that i may just do the leader/participant trainings all at once, two birds with one stone style, and that way save some time and ensure a little more transfer of info. we'll see.

worms are doing great, and it seems that this season i may actually do what i promised last year, depending on funding, which has been promised, but is delayed, over and over again.

the vocational courses are on hold, mostly because of coffee season, but also because of inefficient management on the part of the instructors. apparently they don't manage materials lists for their courses, they just remake them every time (by hand, with paper and pencil), even though they basically stay the same except for actual quantities. they also don't have them in digital, meaning that i have to go to see all of the tecnicos individually, and convince them to give me the lists. regardless, its a big clusterfuck, but understandably so. however, a few organizations have shown me interest in supporting the classes, so once i have the lists of what needs to be bought, i can start begging for money, YAY!!

finally, i have this new idea, which i have been toying with for some time. something about a conference. but since i havent ironed out all the details, im gonna hold off on talking about it until i have everything set.

other than that, that's basically it. lots of reading, lots of watching HBO, some work in my model garden (which is on pause now that i'm sick), and some working out (also on pause). Pretty boring, no?

in fact, this whole blog thing seems pretty lame for the time being, since nothing of note is happening, and the only people who seem to read it are my family. and i talk to them on the phone. so, im gonna take a break.

hn51.

2010-10-25T18:36:00.005-05:00

So I decided that I don't feel like writing much, and thus, I will tell my story in pictures. Or at least, the parts of it I can tell in pictures.

They're all mixed, so just bear with it.

Pic 1: This is Rene, he's one of my garden project community leaders. He's standing next to a compost bin he built himself of his own volition. Kick ass.
This is part of Don Neto's garden. Everyone's work coming along just fine, so there are a couple of these garden pictures. It seems for the time being that I taught them well, at least some of it. The rest they knew already. In fact, maybe I didn't teach them anything at all...
Pic 3: Ok so this flower I thought was awesome, especially because of it's constant erection.
Pic 4: This is what that coffee that I picked looks like now. More or less. Mad dry and mad tasty :)
Pic 5: This is a tomato plant at Arturo's model garden. Only 3-4 weeks since transplant, and it's huge!!!
Pic 6: This is a refrigerator that was converted into a compost bin. Yeah that's right, take that recycling.
Pic 7: Beats. In a model garden. I don't know, I'm proud of them. Kind of like grandchildren almost...

Ok, that's it for now. Oh, wait, one story.

So I went to meet with one of the communities participating in the garden project. 25 families in this particular town had signed up, and I went to explain all the details of the project and to get them to sign participation contracts with 4 little rules. Well, we started talking and one woman asked me about the distribution of her garden, and whether or not she could put one of the rolls of fencing to use for something else. Now, the point is, every family gets one roll. So i asked her how it was that she figured that she would get two. And her response was that she had two families living in her house (her's and her daughter's), therefore she should get two. And it turned out, that many families had signed up as 2 or 3 in order to get more material. So 25 turned into 12, in about 30 seconds. I didn't know what to do. I had never seen this before, not in any of the other communities, and no other place was so daring as to try to illicit more than they were intitled to. So now I have some extra spots open, and I'm not worried about filling them, but I was shocked. And they were all clearly explained to at the beggining that it was 1 roll per household. Apparently to them, a daughter who gives birth at 16 and stays living at home is considered a separate household. Since when? And how come no one in any of the other communities with their 10 children ( and even grandchildren) per family thought so...

yeah, that's it. it may not seem like much to you guys, but i felt cheated. but hey, you live and you learn. now, i'll make sure to make those kinds of things much clearer for the future. :P

hn50.

2010-10-14T16:32:00.001-05:00

Ok, so first and foremost, this is my 50th entry in Honduras. Or at least, I think so. Regardless, let's just get on with it. Life is awesome. For now, I think that's basically it. Just had my mid term visit, where my my PTS, or Program Training Specialist, AKA boss, came to check out my work. We ended up sitting in meetings the whole time, but it was an awesome time, lots of future work got planned, some strong working relationships were formed, and all-in-all, I think it went well.
Work-wise, things are going well, although currently very slowly. Proposals are awaiting approval, solar panels are coming in December, and the coffee season is slowing things down all over. But, it all comes as a blessing, since I'm definitely in need of a break, and I can use the time to get involved in other things, smaller but equally exciting projects, and in the end stay equally occupied but less stressed out.
Oh, and the coffee experiment is moving right along. Although I'm not sure how it will turn out, because it hasn't been really sunny these days, and the coffee is drying in the shade, which may damage the quality. I guess I won't know until it's all over anyway. Here are a few shots of the process.

hn49.

2010-10-10T12:05:00.003-05:00

So I have decided to start a little experiment, and I think it should be interesting to see how it all pans out. I will make a cup of coffee from scratch, and I mean the scratchiest scratch. I will pick the coffee, dry it myself (se llama cafe melado), depulp it, roast it, grind it, and finally drink it. I thought this would be easy, but after starting yesterday, it seems it may be harder than I think. For two hours I picked coffee in my host dad's farm, and only picked enough for a third of a bucket, which is worth 10 Lempira, or about 50 cents. So 2 hours of work=50 cents. Pretty good for a university grad (one redeeming fact is that only a small portion of the coffee is ripe enough for pciking, which makes the process much longer). For now, its drying, so we'll see what happens. Here are some photos.

So, I will keep you guys updated with the progress of my beans. Let's see if I can make coffee. Maybe at the end I can even plant a few, making the cycle complete.

hn48.

2010-09-21T18:34:00.002-05:00

where do i start? there's so much to say since i last wrote, but to be honest, most of it is pretty boring so i'll summarize what i can, and then drone on about something that some of you may find interesting. and if not, well fuck it, at least i tried.

work is good. i've been busier this month than ever before. i usually have 1 training session (for farmers doing organic model gardens for my food security project), 1 meeting, and 50-100 phone calls to make ever week. i think 80 in one day is my record currently, but as my CCC grows (that little organization that i organized for community-wide development projects) i have to call more and more people for meeting reminders and things.

the solar panel project is getting into it's final stages, with all participants in agreement, the mayor's approval signed and taken to the bank (that's almost 90 thou, baby!), we're ready to install by december. 43 systems in total is the final number. 6 public buildings (3 schools and 3 community centers) and 37 houses. not bad right?

gardens are good too. so far over 180 families have applied for the project, and still i get daily phone calls and house visits, looking to sign up.

there's more brewing, but i'm gonna let it go. i don't want to bore you guys just yet.

anyway, the whole point of this thing today is that i want to share a little cultural idiosyncrasy that i have recently discovered. to be honest, it has been a running theme in my peace corps career that just recently showed its ugly head, and made me realize something absolutely fundamental about the peace corps experience. it's all about trust. confianza.

when we started training, we heard that word a lot. but many of us, including myself, brushed it off. "it can't be that hard to get people to trust you enough to play with their lives," we all thought, "i mean, we're here to do good things, right?"

and when i got to site and found myself welcome in everyone's house, smiled at by every passing individual, and apparently loved by the people of my community, the concept of personal trust drifted further and further away from my mind. but over the months that i have lived in Honduras, in my community, I have come to see how important confianza really is. And how to get anything accomplished on a community level you need to earn your stripes.

1 example. meetings. when i started in capucas and called my first meeting of the 42 current organic producers of the cooperative, only 7 people showed up. Now, when i call a meeting of 10 people, i get 10, or if i call 30, i at least get 25. sometimes people bring friends and i even get more than i awaited. and it's not like i'm giving out free cookies or something at these shindigs. apparently these people care about what i have to say. :P

2 example. politicians are notorious in this country for absolute corruption and failing their constituency. look at the roads. or education system. or energy system. or...well you get the picture. and the people know this. but they still vote, argue about issues, and the politicians keep making promises. what's interesting tho, is that most people have a very conscious distrust for any statement made by politicians. and sadly, this mistrust is then transferred to other public figures, government employees, NGO workers, everyone. because when someone shows up at your doorstep promoting something, you always ask, "what's the catch?"

3 example. and this is the recent one. so, for the solar panel thing, the price per system went up. had to do with the bidding for the installation, but i won't go into details. the important detail is, it went up, 25 dollars per system. to you that may seem insignificant, but when your yearly monetary income can drop below a hundred dollars (thats 28 cents a day), its quite a chunk of change. and to no surprise some people were pretty upset. angry to be honest. a few even accused me of taking that money for myself, and using it for personal benefit. how do you jump to that conclusion? i mean, look at me! i'm harmless. and i had just spent 7 months working on this project, coming up there, talking to everyone, really, is that necessary? and at first that was my reaction. and then i realized, it's not their fault, it's cultural. so i went up there, had a meeting with everyone, and answered all their questions. and you know what? not a single complaint.

it's all about trust. and showing all your cards. complete transparency. and that throws people off, because they have different expectations. they think that no matter what you say, there's something you're hiding. but if you're honest, and give everything you've got, and show that you are willing to sacrfice yourself for their benefit, the whole mentality changes. attitudes flip, frowns turn into smiles (yeah i used that cliche, so eat me), and the whole situation appears to morph in front of your eyes.

this doesn't mean that everyone in town is willing to give me their first born or anything. people aren't trusting me with their finances. but at least for the basics, people care. and when i speak in public, they seem to listen at least 40-60%. and that's heavy. pretty awesome.

yeah i think that's it. i wrote this in two sittings, so some of my energy changed as i wrote. regardless, you're gonna have to live with it.

hn47.

2010-09-02T12:45:00.002-05:00

i left my house today to do some GIS work for the cooperative, a project that I have been involved in since I arrived here in site. the work involves mapping each parcel that pertains to certified farmers, in order to be able to demonstrate to inspectors the extent of property, locations of letrines, garbage cans, etc. usually its pretty monotonous, with hour long hikes along perimeters of fairly boring farms, with parts as steep as 45 deg. the climbing of the hills could be fun, but there's usually little scenery, and too much of one's concentration goes towards trying not to fall on one's ass.

However, today, well today was different. In fact, it was one of the most incredible experiences I have had in Peace Corps and maybe in life. Def top 25. If there was an MTV special on the life of DIMITRY this would be in there, with some comedians joking about all the little adventures. Regardless, here's the story, I know I won't do it justice but hey, whatever.

we started the hike at the entrance to the farm, a small grove of cedars that my host uncle has been cultivating for years now. the maderables, or timber yielding trees, are a hobby of his, and the whole property is covered in various species, with ceibas, cedars, guamas, and many others. most are juveniles, with only 2 or 3 years of growth, but still, they are already reaching 30 feet in height.

as we crossed the grove, i realized that the incline of his land was even steeper than expected, and soon enough we were slowly falling (you could not call what we were doing climbing or walking) down the steep clay terrain. the close we got to the river that borders his property, the steeper it became. at the end, a 75 degree incline prevented our decent, and we climbed through trees and down vines to arrive at the riverbed.

here the trip became much easier, and much more beautiful. as we walked along the rocks we entered an almost pristine forest that my uncle has been preserving ever since he recieved the property from his father. and it was forest then too, so at least 80 years left untouched. it looks as jungle does in indiana jones movies. deep underbrush, tall tropical trees, filled with butterflies, beetles, and a spongy floor, as soft as a sleepy's matres (leave off the last s for savings, lol).

we then turned onto a small stream that runs through the forest and marks the border of his property. now we were really in it, climbing over fallen trees, getting caught in vines of all sizes, and finally we arrived at a natural spring that my uncle is extremely proud of. to be honest, it's quite incredible. water comes out of the rock, crystal clear, with a sweet flavor like no other water. he's thinking of building a small pool there for tourists, so maybe if any of you come visit, you can take a swim in it one day.

we took a drink and continued walking. as the stream cut deeper and deeper into the rock it became a dark tunnel, with vegetation above and cliff faces on both sides at points 5-10 meters tall. we reached a point, and my uncle said, "you know, i have never, in my life, walked past here. i know there is a small pool up above but i dont think i have ever seen it." and he was right. but it was no small pool. as we reached the clearing we found ourselves staring at a waterfall and an 8 foot deep, 10 foot wide natural pool, with a small underwater cave going off to the side. it was paradise. we sat for a moment and then the clothes came off (til boxers, don't worry I'm not gettin naked just yet) and we both dove in. and although the water was freezing we swam for a good chunk of time, trying to touch the bottom, diving into the cave to see if we could touch the walls. it was absolutely incredible.

once we were out and dressed, we began the ascent towards the road and the end of the property. but we underestimated the true path of the stream, and found ourselves clinging to vines and climbing of completely vertical cliffs. fallen trees were our bridges, small seedlings and rocks our handholds, and luckily our rubber boots held tight to the slippery walls. within a few meters of the first pool we found another, equally deep and large. we continued further to find other little waterfalls, small draps of 5 feet. the whole place was unreal, very cinematic. as we reached the top we realized that it has started raining a long time before, but due to the thick canopy we had not felt a drop. in the end, as we walked out of the finca, we were soaked, smiling, and chatting happily about all of the trips we'll be taking to the pools now that we know they're there.

i think however, the craziest part of the experience was that it was somewhere so close to home, yet completely unknown to me and the owners. how do you have property and not know every inch of it? but i guess you learn something new every day right?

2010-08-16T16:07:00.000-05:00

new photos people. go to the my photos link to the right. peace.

hn46.

2010-08-04T19:26:00.002-05:00

its funny that i always want to start my journal entries with "its been a while". its as if i feel guilty to you guys, even though this blog is for me as much as it is for you. regardless, my bad. its been a while. maybe im actually apologizing to myself? anyway.

life is the shit. hands down, all is good in the hood. 100%. well maybe not 100%, but close. so let's see...

it seems all the projects i'm working on, from small to big, are making progress. and that's pretty excellent. the worms are alive and well, making fertilizer and living their happy lives of food and sex. they seem happy in their pulp beds, although if i could find some sort of worm viagra i would be real happy too, they need to munch less and bang more. i wish i could tell them. i guess it's my fault for not following a basic rule of ecology. but hey, they're alive and making the best organic fertilizer around, so i'm content.

solar panels are moving along full swing. we collected the first half of the household contribution from all the participating families. that money in turn will be passed on to the contract bid winner, a company that will install the systems up in the mountains. now all that's left is to train the community members in organization techniques, community energy system management, and solar power basics. i think we will also be setting up the monthly bill structure, training electricians in the town, and well...kicking ass. 44 families, 6 public buildings. that's pretty awesome. in november the panels come, by christmas they're all installed, and by new years i can celebrate.

the garden project is also doing it's thing. all of it got a little hectic when USAID tecnicos told me that they are on contract only until Sept. 30, so that means that we need to try to collaborate as much as possible, and have mad training sessions, while the connection exists. supposedly these contracts are frequently renewed for the next cycle, but i don't want to count my eggs too early. so we are going to be doing 10 model gardens, paid for in part by the mayor (supposedly, not confirmed yet...so cross your fingers) and by USAID (trainings, maybe seeds). we just did a day in the field with the latter, viewing some of their installations in other communities, and it seems like they will be an incredible ally in the achievement of our goals.

and then there's always the work with the cooperative, which is moving along slowly but surely in the background. the gps mapping project is rolling again, and now i have trained two local youths how to handle a GPS, so they're pretty much doing it without me. i still make the maps themselves, but i think i'm going to try to teach the basics of some of the locally available software to them. otherwise, there's the upcoming certification in sept/oct, an ecotourism project that's in the works, and the constant effort to improve production techniques among the coffee farmers. i have been somewhat slacking on the last one, but then again, we do talk about it a lot casually, so maybe i'm making some sort of small impact.

and i think that's that for work. sounds busy, but it's really not so bad. i still have plenty of time to see my friends, share experiences, eat some non-campo food, and maybe go out once in a while.

so not only do i feel productive, i also enjoy quite a large amount of freedom. this may be a fluke though, and the whole thing will come crashing down one of these days, but i'm staying optimistic. so far it's only been getting better every day.

2010-07-28T15:48:00.003-05:00

so here's the break down, ill make it short and sweet.

news:

solar panel project is moving, money about to be collected, panels should be installed by december, and 45 families, 3 schools, and 3 churches, will have light. for 20 years. sweet right?

worms are about to get a 1,500 dollar investment for structural improvements, so...sweet right?

just started a garden project that will benefit a possible total of 2000 people directly. thats right. 2000. 200 home gardens, with an average of 8-10 people per household, so...sweet right?

doing mapping with some local youths, teaching them gps usage, and maybe some software stuff later once we get to that point. kinda sweet right?

started working with the local school on their garden, so we'll see where that goes. not sure how sweet it is yet, so we'll hold of on our judgement.

organized a group that consists of all of the community leaders, and we started planning community projects at the whole community level, not just neighborhoods. so that's pretty dope too.

a week ago i was told that i dance like a latino. take that all of you who have ever told me i can't dance. these hips don't lie bitches.

and for the time being that's it. im not in a mood to write much, but i feel obligated to share, so here it is. questions?

hn45.

2010-07-12T12:31:00.002-05:00

ok, so time to dish it out again. this time, i think i have found a way to keep my thoughts in order, keep them fresh until i write again here. i have started jotting one or two word notes, little memory-joggers that allow me to reflect upon the whole week, or at least the past few days. in this case there are three topics, three little vignettes that you guys can enjoy, or not, depending on your disposition. i'll mix it up too, that way the serious stuff is nicely sandwiched between two nicely toasted funny stories, or at least, funny in my mind.

size 32 pants-

ok, so this is a new crusade of mine. it's hard to say when it began, but I had never known the true extent of my situation until i actively began to search for a pair of jeans last month. you see, peace corps teaches you that owning two pairs of pants, both dirty and torn, is ok, because when you live in the campo you don't really need much else. but if you ever want to go out, get a bite to eat in a nice establishment, goo to a meeting with important NGO people, you always feel out of place. and to be honest, at first, i was damn proud of being a gringo from the campo, and showing up dirty to a fancy restaurant was somewhat of an honor. but now, well, now i want a clean pair of jeans to go along with the rest of my wardrobe that frequently doesn't really match with a pair of cow-shit-stained jeans. anyway, so i went jeans shopping in santa rosa, and that is when i first got a taste of the phenomenon that i will now call the "32 dilemma". you see, no matter what brand of pants, what style, what width, all of the jeans that are sold in santa rosa, are 32 length. that's great for anyone of that size, the world becomes your infinite oyster, but for the rest of us, the 31s, 30s, 28s, and well, anyone other than a 32, that's a problem. the funny thing is, i don't really know many hondurans that are taller than me, in fact, i don't know any, which means that not a single pair of jeans that a honduran dons in his existence, fit. at least not at first. what i was told by all the sales people is that everyone gets them tailored to size, to which i raised an eyebrow and all i could ask is...people tailor jeans? well apparently they do. but i wasn't ready to give up just yet. i thought, maybe it's just santa rosa, its a tiny town, and it actually makes sense that the stores wouldn't order anything else. when everyone fits into your one-size-fits-all pants, and they can just be altered, there's no problem right? so i thought, i will go to san pedro sula, the industrial capital of the country, and try my luck at the mall, where therich of honduras go to shop. they still have cheap pepe jeans there, and they should have different sizes because, well the rich would never put up with that kind of shit. and guess what, i was not only mistaken, but to such a degree that i was blown away. i tried 5 stores, 2 of them major international department chains, and only 1, just 1 had pants in different lengths. except that they were levis, and for the low price of 70 dollars a pair. now i earn maybe three times that in a month, so, levis were out of the question. finally i gave up, went home pantsless, or just dirty, and decided that until both my pairs of pants disintegrate i will never buy another pair of jeans. so yeah, thats that.

-jealousy

ok so this is the serious topic, but i will make it short. so for those of you who know me, i am not a jealous person. i could give a shit. i'm sometimes envious of other people, but it's usually brief, and i come to my senses quickly. but there is something in my life here which somehow every time strikes a nerve. and it's totally silly to even think this way, but i can't help it. so basically it's this, many peace corps volunteers are super busy. and it always flips on the envy switch for me to maximum. i want to work. i want to work all the time. and right now, i basically am busy maybe half the time. and to be honest, it's horrible. its suffering for me. im here to work god damn it, and frequently it just doesn't happen. so i feel guilty, which then turns into envy, which makes me feel worse, and finally i snap out of it, but it always leaves this thick residue in my psyche. i guess it's motivational, but regardless, it sucks. that's it, just wanted to share that.

-acid

ok, so this is a story so rediculous and absurd, i thought it worth mentioning. so i'm at a hotel in santa rosa this one time, and i'm sittin around with my friends, gettin ready to go out for some pizza. i open the door to go into the hallway and i am hit with this smell, something heavy and acrid, and i look down to hall and find myself staring at pools of liquid that are, like, steaming, smoking, or evaporating in a visible way. regardless the shit is so toxic, that it fills your mouth, your nose, your lungs, and it feels as though it is burning you from the inside out. you can almost feel your cells screaming. so we all jump out of the room, slam the door, and take another connected hallway to the stairwell. as we arrive we find some cleaning women looking at the hallway as the tiles seem to melt away beneath the pools of noxious liquid. so i figured, i'd ask, maybe they know whats going on.

-so what is that stuff?

-its acid.

-umm...what's it doing on the floor?

-well the floor was dirty, for quite some time, so we figured we'd get it really clean.

by the way this is all said in a very matter of fact way, as if regular cleaning supplies are out of the question, and an old fashioned floor washing just doesnt exist

-what kind of acid?

-just acid, what does it matter.

-what about protective equipment, we almost suffocated when we came out of the room, and you guys are just chillin in it?

-no we dont need that, its fine, no worries, move along.

so yeah, and thats how it ended. we got back that night and the floor had that typical acid slick on it, with our shoe soles slowly melting away with every step.