The smell of diesel at 2500 meters

Hola,
I dont know how much I have to write in this blog.  But, we'll see.  Last night we had fun at the local cantina and we talked up a storm!  It was pay day so the beers were flowing, but there is only one choice of beer and that's Gallo.  I'd compare it to a Natty Light in a really heavy brown bottle.  We had lots of fun talking about everything from futbol to why English words are spelled they way they are to nuiances of the community.  Good people!

We had another day in the field today.  Got up early and headed to Tuchilupe.  Today it was just Andrew, Eduardo and Domi.  We worked great as a team by going out and getting water samples, today from some wells, and springs as well as stored water.  This is so much work!  I took vacation days for this week, this is not a vacation.  Vacation would be sitting by the ocean in a hammock with a cold drink in my hand, or swimming with fish, or going to see some music with friends. 
I've been working really hard this year and I care so deeply about the health of the planet and the people who in inhabit it.  I know that it shows, but sometimes I get down on what kind of difference I and "we" can make when I see babies with snot dripping from their nose in the dirt playing with small plastic pieces.  I try to understand why there continues to be a skin color discrimination between people of the same ethnicity.  I struggle to know what keeps people oppressed.  I understand but can not rationalize why culture superceeds science when there is proof. 
Anyway, I'm having one of those moments when I'd like to be surrounded by some really old friends, one certain new one, and some live dancin' music.  Thats not possible, so Im going to share some photos of our work today. 

This is the view of San Lorenzo where we are staying.

One of the wells in the community of Tucihilupe.  I'll tell you tomorrow if its colonized with e.coli.

Eduardo getting a sample while Andrew takes a GPS reading

Eduardo in front of another well, with cabbage like crops in the background.  My favorite of the homes we have visited so far.

Toothbrushes outside of one home.  Note the census papers that have been stapled to the home for research purposes.

So, you may have noticed that there are no photos of the people that live here.  Because I am here under a grant from UC and COEH, we are under some regulations for human participants of research.  We have an IRB, otherwise known as the review board, which makes sure that we are humanly doing this research.  So, if I want to take any photos of people, I need to get extra consents, which may be tricky or outside the purpose of this study. 

Maya just asked me if I wanted to get a choco banana!  Of course.  Catch ya later!