November 20, 2008

We are quickly approaching 5 months in site, so hard to believe.

November started the big rice harvest. The steep montes (traditional fields) that had been slashed and then burned last March and April are now covered in yellowing rice stalks 4 feet tall with drooping seed heads waiting to be clipped. Standing above the rice plants on the steep slopes, your right hand holds the cutter , which is fashioned out of a piece of wood for a handle, a small triangle of a sharpened machete blade and a piece of rubber to keep the cutter fastened to your hand (sorry I don´t have any pictures-camera´s not working). Each stalk is clipped and then transfered to your other hand. Two big handfuls makes a Manota (bundle), three bundles makes a Puña, 12 Puña makes an Ermu. About 3 Puña makes a five gallon bucket. The average Panamañan (Americans are a lot slower) seems to cut 9ish Puña a day the fastest I have heard is 14. An average Family seems to eat about 5 pounds of rice a day-30 pounds fills a 5 gallon bucket (including some leftovers for the plethera of skinny dogs). Our first host family cut enough rice last year to feed them all year and sell a little surplus in the end (they might be the only family who has that much). This year they have more. That is a word problem for you. How many Puña do you need to cut to feed your family all year? That has all taken a very long time to figure out!

Lately our work has had us moving around to different communities. We have been doing a lot less labor in the fields and more mini projects. We recently installed a Bomba Ariete (hydraulic water pump) for a school in another town. The teacher (there is only one) works a lot with his kids and gardening, growing Papaya, winter squash,corn, beans, passion fruit, and veggies. But has problems with water. Well now he has water. The pump uses the fall of water (in this case we defaced a beautiful waterfall with white tubes and some concrete) to force the water up. For every meter of drop you get 10 meters of lift. It was really amazing that it actually worked. Isaac would have preferred to leave me at home because I was so worried that it wouldn´t and it was a lot of work. Rock was chiseled and a lot of sand bags were moved around. Sorry still no pictures- I will get to that soon.

We have also been doing some work with goats. Which is a lot of fun. I know what my new pet will be when I get home. The viability of these goat projects are somewhat questionable. The idea is to provide a milk source for kids and protein with the meat, plus the poop is great to use straight as a fertilier in growing rice in rice tanks. However, no one likes the taste of the milk, or won´t try it, they don´t want to slaughter their goats for meat and I am not so sure anyone is convinced that organic fertiliers do anything. But, we are working on all of this. We have been doing some training stuff with the ag agency and are plannng a cheese making/cooking class, butchering lessons, and we had a seminar on making composts from the poop the other day. If any thing I am gong to learn how to make goat cheese!

I has been exciting to finally be able to eat salads out of the garden (mostly just Spinach-a vine variety)and cucumber. We have lots of Okra for cooking(that I have never been able to grow in Vermont). It is taking some time sticking to our organic principles and starting with some really ugly soil, especially watching neighbors with their huge green, chemically fertilied cucumber plants. but, The people who don´t have the chemicals don´t think they can grow anything. Hopefully our garden will prove that wrong.

I hope to get some pictures up soon! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.