Back in the USA, on my way to Haiti
My brief stay in the us has been characterized by contrasts. From the crowded, chaotic and "just barely getting by" scene in India to Christmas in America, the culture shock was severe.
Because I was visiting family during the holidays, I was subjected to the latest offering from the TV Gods. Those purveyors of the most base and perverted material known to man have a new message for America. Torture is ok. On more than one program (sorry, I don't remember their names) a cop of one sort or another beats the hell out of his suspect to force a confession. The preponderance of this technique, now treated in a "wink-wink, nod-nod" fashion, seems clearly designed to obtain america's acquiescence when it comes to the real thing. After all, we have to protect ourselves from the terrorists, even if we have to abandon everything this country was supposed to stand for in the process.
And, of course, it works. Private Bradley Manning who is rumored to have been the source for the wikileaks state department cables is held in solitary confinement, not even allowed to exercise, though he has not been charged with a crime. Because I have such brief, intermittent and shallow exposure to what our media promulgates, I may be wrong here, but it does not seem as though there is the outpouring of disgust that such behavior would elicit in a conscious society.
On a less dramatic front, without really trying I managed to loose 15 pounds while touring India. I suspect it was partly due to the lack of immediate gustatory gratification along with being very active and interested in what I was doing. But back in the us, particularly during the holidays when everyone had extra goodies out, I found the temptation to needlessly indulge in caloric intake irresistible. I suspect I've gained most of the weight back.
So now it is on to Haiti. I was not planning on going there so soon after my Pakistan/India experience but the opportunity presented itself and I could not refuse. I will be working on the first straw bale building in Haiti. This has been a project of Builders without Boarders (http://www.builderswithoutborders.org/), headed up by Martin Hammer, a Berkeley architect. The building's walls and roof are up and I will probably be doing some plaster work, along with other carpentry tasks.
This will be nothing like my experience in Pakistan. There will be no crew there with 5 years of experience. I will not be treated like a king with all my needs considered and supplied. I will be expected to work much more as this is not meant to be just a training exercise. Many of the details required to construct this straw bale building have not been addressed yet so there will be considerable flying by the seat of one's pants involved, I suspect.
And that is fine with me. If anything, by experience in Pakistan was too much under control, too easy. There was little I could add in terms of improvements to their process. It will be interesting to have problems that need solutions. I look forward to being challenged and am hopeful that I will be able to contribute in a meaningful way.
I am also going to Haiti prepared to do a water filtration project. I've obtained a water test kit from Robert Metcalf of Cal State, Sacramento that can detect e. coli and other viruses in the water supply. Humphrey Blackburn of Blue Future Filters (http://www.bluefuturefilters.com/) will help me determine if a slow sand filter would be appropriate and if so I hope to construct one. They are amazingly simple, just a container filled with gravel and sand and flooded with water. A biological layer forms at the sand/water interface (called the "Schmutzdecke") which is responsible for removing up to 99.99% of all bacteria, viruses, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and parasites through predation. Along with a long retention time, this simple device will make water contaminated with cholera or typhoid safe.
Lots of challenges ahead, along with lots of opportunities.
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