Goodbye, Fernando

Today I received an email that Fernando, an apple farmer who worked with HODR on an irrigation canal project in Peru last year, was found murdered a few days ago.

Guh. Fernando was one of the first people we met when we visited the communities of Ramadilla/Con Con to look at the canal project, and he was one of the few people to work with us consistently and tirelessly through the whole duration of the project. I remember how he patiently worked with me while we poured cement, added rocks, poked, smoothed, spread. He was also the subject of the photo we used to announce the canal project. Standing over the then-earthen canal, he looked sad, serious.

These are disjointed, nonsensical anecdotes. Fernando was a sweet, kind man. I remember him vividly as an integral part of Ramadilla/Con Con. I'm sad.

I know that I drop into places for brief periods of time, that I don't know the context of my surroundings. Peru, and South America in general, struck me as kind of hard, violent places. Beautiful cultures full of great people of course, but still a rough society. Luz, the mayor of Ramadilla/Con Con, had her motorbike carjacked while we were there. And the whole project in Pisco ended up shutting down early because of the swelling crime.

Then again, in the Philippines, one of our friends was murdered, almost one year ago, in what seems like a bizarro freak incident. Julia Campbell, a Peace Corps Volunteer who also worked with HODR and introduced us all to Donsol, was murdered while hiking in the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. It's not a place known for violence, and the Philippines doesn't strike me as a dangerous place.

I don't know. Maybe it's simply bad things happening to good people. I miss them both.

Hello! How can you possible tie a figure of eight knot in a taut jib sheet stretched between the block and the foul turned winch?!

As part of the playground design, we've included a cargo net which kids can climb on. Of course, we have to make the cargo net ourselves. So I've got a dozen Firefox tabs open, all to various knot/net-tying sites. My favorite is Animated Knots by Grog, which contains such impassioned gems as this:

"History: The Rolling Hitch has a complicated history. It is linked to similar knots named the Magner's or Magnus Hitch. It is all too commonly described without the second turn being 'tucked above' turn one - even when being tied to rope. This is unfortunate. Ashley clearly describes both methods and stresses that the version used when tying rope to rope should include this tucked up second turn (ABOK # 1734, 1735, p 298). Many scouting websites show it without this tuck. The error of using the wrong technique is illustrated by cautionary statements which often follow the description, e.g.,

'... Tip. When adjustments are complete, lock the rolling hitch into place by using a stop knot such as a Figure of Eight in the first rope, below the Rolling hitch, to stop it slipping...'

Hello! Tie it correctly and it doesn't slip under load. And, how can you possibly tie a figure of eight knot in a taut jib sheet stretched between the block and the foul turned winch?"

Oops

I realize that I've been posting my Bangladesh updates in my regular blog. I've copied them over below.

Bangladesh is, in fact, a steamy jungle

10 March, 2008

Eek! It's been two weeks since I last posted. I'm starting to slide on this again...

So, much has happened out here in Bang-land.

• We put together a successful proposal to build playgrounds with Save the Children. Exciting for numerous reasons. 1) My first proposal, and it was successful! 2) It's good for HODR to build relationships with other NGOs. 3) This means that we're extending the project until April, so I probably won't be back until May.
• I learned that Scottish people pronounce gouda (like the cheese,) as "gow-duh." Crazy Scots.
  
• I took a five-day break to Khulna, to attend a biosand filter workshop put on by my friend Rachel! Bangladesh is a random place to meet up after college! The workshop was great, I got to hang out with Rachel, the other attendees were fun, and Khulna featured two western-style grocery stores which stocked...disappointingly little. But I had a hot shower and sit toilet, so I can't complain. And despite having the option of ordering some western food, I think I managed to eat dahl, roti/naan, or Chinese every day.
  
• Also notable has been the change in weather. I've gone from shivering under two thick blankets in January, to kicking off my sheet in my sleep. I'm permanently sticky - and I don't even do any physical work in the field! So Bangladesh is, in fact, a steamy jungle!

A boatride with criminals!

23 February, 2008

This past Thursday we got an extra day off, so Marc and I went to Bagerhat to get some photos printed for our village photo project. The 3 hour trip consists of a walk, a rowboat across a river, a bus, a walk through town, a trawler across a river, a bus, and a rickshaw.

While on the first bus, I enjoyed lovely panoramic views of the countryside while sitting bolt upright in my seat, which was built at straight 90 degree angle. Possibly even 88. It's not natural to sit so straight.

The fields are starting to bud with green, and I noticed a new addition to the neat rows of crops: scarecrows. In America, scarecrows wear jeans and straw hats. In Bangladesh, scarecrows wear long tunics and Muslim prayer caps.

Next we transferred to a trawler (a motorized fishing boat) to cross a large river. When both sides of the boat were filled with seated passengers, I naively thought we would be off. Silly me. A stampede of women then filled the deck, followed by some young men, students, and finally, two policemen leading two scowling young men who were handcuffed together. They balanced on the back edge of the boat, as we rocked and dipped wildly.

I wondered what they did to get handcuffed. Maybe they were dacoits! (I feel the need to use the word as much as possible while in Bangladesh, because I don't think it exists in the rest of the English-speaking world.) Then I got distracted by the man in front of me wearing a red and black tartan-print shirt, with a red and black tartan-covered planner tucked into this front chest pocket.

Bagerhat was good. It looks the same as everywhere else in Bangladesh, but I had real-ish ice cream. My first in 3 months!