Last Day in The Community
By Ariana Rausch
August 30th, 2022
Our day started out like any other day, we got in the van at 8:20am, and had breakfast at our usual spot, Mary Tere’s. We did not stay long at the restaurant because we had lots of work to do and today was our final day. Before going to the community, we split up into our respective teams, water testing and surveying, and came up with a game plan for our last day with the community. The survey team wanted to go to the upper end of the community and around the school to get as many surveys in as possible. However, two of our Spanish speaking team members remained in El Carmen while they recovered from COVID-19. Despite this setback, the survey team persevered and had Parker, from the testing team, transfer to the survey team, so they can finish out the trip on a high note. We all knew that this was our final day so every goal that we had set for this assessment trip had to be completed today.
The survey team spent all morning bouncing from house to house in the upper end of the community as well as in the many houses scattered behind the school. They chose these particular locations to ensure they got comprehensive/ diverse data from all of the houses they visited throughout the entire duration of the trip. By the end of the trip the survey team completed over forty different surveys from families all around the community with varying access to water.
While the survey team did an excellent job gathering information and improving their Spanish skills, the water testing team went straight to the drawing board. As soon as we arrived in the community, Klara, Loren, Nol, and myself immediately began to evaluate the results of over twenty different water sources throughout the community. After evaluating our results, we determined that there was one large aquifer below the community which could be used as a water source. We were able to make this determination because the chemical composition of the water at different points in the community was similar. In the coming weeks, there will be additional testing done to determine the different layers between the surface and the water and the depth of the aquifer, which will help us determine the capacity of the aquifer.
After we ate our final lunch at Javier’s house, we met with the water board to give them an update on the work we had done and the future steps we plan to take when we return to campus. Each member of the water board had a heartwarming speech prepared for us, thanking us for our dedication and commitment to providing water for them. After each of the board members spoke, our project managers and our lead engineer spoke to the members, thanking them for their generosity and warm welcome into the community.
After we said our goodbyes to the water board, we saw the entire community as they marched towards the cemetery. Although the occasion was sorrowful, there was a kind of beauty about how every person from the community, young and old, appeared to show their respects for their deceased family member. The bond and compassion this community showed is definitely something that my team members and I will remember long after we finish this project.
Overall, I would consider our assessment trip a success between the survey team and the water testing team. We were able to gather extensive amounts of data to analyze and use to build a well which exceeds the community's needs.