Martin's Service Worker Report

as i'm sure you are all aware, i, liz do the writing on this blog. i have martin's permission to post what he wrote and recently sent in to mcc - his service worker report. i don't know how interesting this is, but it's something from him, and work related. (verses my continual musings about my ongoing parenting struggles.)



Assignment-related:

1. For each group you have worked with, what activities have you carried out? What has resulted from those activities?
During this reporting period the main focus of my work was with the cistern project in Tecozajca and Rincón de Cozahuapa. The first and second groups in Tecozajca are finished. We are currently working with the third group. Altogether we are building 39 cisterns in Tecozajca and 20 cisterns in Rincón. The first group in Rincón is finished and the second group has started. The results have been great with both groups. They are working together and openly sharing information between the groups. They learned quickly and are working hard.

For the last two weeks of October, I worked full time on the house in Zacango for the new family. The result was that they could move straight into their house. There is still a fair amount of work to be done, but at least they had a place to land with a bathroom, electricity and stove when they arrived.

2. Is your work progressing as planned? Yes.

3. Review a highlight or significant learning in this reporting period.
A significant learning in this reporting period happened when we ran into problems with the cement that we bought for the cisterns in Tecozajca and Rincón. The brand we bought takes more than twice as long to set up as normal. Sometimes cheaper prices aren't the best thing. We tried to address the problem by buying an accelerant to add to the cement to make it set up faster, but this was unsuccessful. We therefore changed the process of what gets done each day to make the first day's pour of the floor earlier in the day so that there is more time for it to set up. This has been successsful in addressing the issue. So both communities are using the new process. We also made new cimbra (roof) panels for the molds which are heavier and stronger than the old ones. They seem to be working well.

We didn't build any bathrooms this quarter as we were waiting on funding.


Self-Development:

Reflect on your self-development goals and relationships during the reporting period. The following questions are intended to stir your imagination. Not all questions need to be responded to.

4. Regarding your self-development/learning goals for this year, how are you progressing? What have you learned that surprised you?
I continue to feel more comfortable communicating in Spanish - some due to better communication skills on my part and some due to continued patience on the part of the people with whom I work.

5. Review a personal highlight during this past reporting period.
I have really enjoyed working on the house in Zacango for Bruce and Jaime. Designing the dry latrine/shower room and the kitchen, implementing the changes and working with two local builders, Hilario and Luis has been exciting.

6. What have you struggled with and how are you responding to that?
I have struggled with allergies and mold in my house. When I am sick, it is hard to work. I tried painting a sealer coat on the roof. It doesn´t seem to have helped much. I am thinking about scrubbing and repainting the interior walls. Its always a challenge to know how much work to put into a rental home. Justify funds and finding the time to do the work is a challenge as well.