Another busy day at work - hectic but oh so fun :)

Hello everyone! :)

I hope December is off to a good start for all of you! As I mentioned in last blogpost things at work have picked up quite a bit - and by that, I mean A LOT. So here it is: another 'day in the life of Sheila' as an intern at EMAPA Huacho.

Juan and I have known for a few weeks now that we would have a meeting this morning at 11am at the municipality (like city hall) with citizens groups to discuss bringing water and sewer systems to their area (slums in the southern part of town). Last week we were busy getting all of the required calculations done and documents completed to determine where to build a new well, how deep it would need to be, the minimum flow required, how big of a reservoir we would need to build, and how many homes we could provide service too (also included are a project hospital, school and market). Yesterday afternoon I met with the head of the slum to go over the current and projected population numbers and so that he could give me a better idea as to where each slum is located exactly and what its boundaries are. From there I had to go back into the documents we created last week and update the figures - only to realize that we had significantly underestimated the number of inhabitants, upping the budget from 6.8 million soles to 8.9 million soles (or roughly $2.6 CAD to $3.4 CAD). Woops. At least it's a good thing we doubled checked before presenting it to the municipality.

Making powerful decisions

Hello everyone,

I'd like to share with you what I've been doing at work for the past few days, because it's been quite eventful. And soon I promise to update you on my trip to Tarapoto (just need to find the time).

Two weeks ago (before I went to Tarapoto) we had a meeting at the municipality with a citizen's group from the south (where the urban expansion is) because they want water and waste water connections. We decided that we would visit them this week (on Tuesday) and have a follow-up meeting at the municipality next Tuesday (Dec. 6th). Our visit went well on Tuesday, and we told them that we would put together a preliminary budget so that when we are at the municipality we can talk about financing and who will cover what costs. So we started working on that (Juan and I). Well, Wednesday at 11am we got a call from the general manager of EMAPA saying that he wanted the information by 8am on Thursday so that he could look it over and start looking for financing from his end. Less than 24 hours! Ouf, so we kicked things into high gear. But then on Wednesday afternoon there was an emergency in the construction side: they are digging trenches to put in the plumbing for water and waste water somewhere in Huacho, and one of the electrical poles was not properly installed so it fell over and was leaning against a house. Luckily no one was injured and the electrical wires didn't break, but it could have been much more serious. So Juan spent most of Wednesday afternoon there (and I needed to talk to him to move on with my work) and he only got back at 5pm.

My busy month of November

Hello everyone,

I'll take a few minutes to update you on my life - a bit behind schedule, but that's okay (better late than never, right?). The beginning of November was pretty quiet in my life (although quite hectic everywhere around me - see my last blogpost to find out why). But once the first weekend passed, the rhythm of things picked up quite a bit.

On Tuesday, November 8th, I successfully completed my first solo trip in Peru: nothing big, but I went to Lima alone. I was let out of work a bit earlier in the afternoon so that I could catch my bus and get to Lima before the sun went down. The trip went very smoothly: I arrived in Lima shortly after 6pm and then took the bus straight away to Miraflores (the safest, cleanest, nicest part of Lima). When I got off the coach bus I was excited to be travelling alone again; I had forgotten the rush of how it feels. I mean, I carefully researched exactly where to go so I wouldn't look lost and would be efficient with my time, but it was nice to be independent and self sufficient. SUCH A GREAT FEELING. And I felt much safer this time in Lima. Probably because I know from where to where I was going and now I am familiar with the area, so it is not as scary. Also, my Spanish is much better than when I first got here (I kept thinking back at how much time had passed since the first time I did the trip from Lima to Huacho).

Happy 137th birthday Huacho!

Hello everyone!

So today, November 10th, it is the 137th anniversary of the city of Huacho. For the past week there have been parades, music and dancing shows, a huge bingo in the central square (that lasted 8 hours - we did not last that long though), culinary festivals, and even bull fighting! And to highlight the week's festivities today there was a 'desfile', where many companies and organizations paraded down the central street (28 de Julio) and in front of the mayor and other important people from the city.

Here are a few clips from the event:

If you pay close attention you'll notice me holding the front of the banner (and slightly struggling because it was quite windy that day).

All in all, it was a fabulous day: we got out of work in the morning to go attend the desfile with many other people from the company, and then we all went for lunch together (there must have been at least 40 of us present). In the afternoon, a bunch of us went to play soccer (we usually do every Wednesday after work, but this Thursday was a special exception!). To top it all off it was warm and sunny, so you couldn't ask for a better day.

Sheila

A day in the field: Trip to Santa Rosa

Hello everyone!

I hope this post finds you all well as October is winding down to an end! I'd like to share with you what I learned, saw, experienced, and felt yesterday when I travelled to Santa Rosa with the EMAPA crew. It was a really eye-opening trip, and definitely one of the highlights of my time here so far in Peru. You know when you just have a day that really stands out and makes you think? That's how I felt yesterday. It was a great way to celebrate the 7-week mark of my time here (as of today, I have been here for 50 days already! Times flies!).

This is someone's house.

My work at EMAPA Huacho

So, what am I actually doing for my field placement? As most of you may know, I am currently completing an 8-month field placement in Huacho, Peru. But what else?

I am working for a local water utility, EPS EMAPA Huacho S.A., focusing on user education and on environmental assessments (EA). I am studying the feasibility of the construction of three new water purification plants, which includes writing the terms of reference, compiling baseline data and completing studies of the physical, biological, social, cultural, and economic impacts of the project. I am working directly with the head sanitation engineer to complete the three EAs required (since EMAPA is going to build three waste water treatment plants in different areas of the region), while bringing a different perspective to the analysis of the situation. As we are in a low-lying coastal area that is prone to earthquakes (there was a magnitude 4.1 earthquake here my first week, but I didn't feel it), the potential waste water treatment plants need to be able to resist to certain natural disasters. We are also analyzing the risk of toxic matter leeching into aquifers in the case of a failure with the structure. The proximity of the waste water treatment plants to human dwellings is also of concern (legislation states that it must be at least 500 m away from the closest houses, but in one city the plant may be built as near as 100-150 m away from the closest properties for lack of other land). Planting a ring of trees around the facilities has been planned to help reduce the unpleasant odours that will be released during the water treatment process. Furthermore, we are planning preventative measures to reduce the risk of mosquitoes and other insects from breeding near the treatment plants. Throughout our analysis, we must keep into consideration cost, local knowledge (for when maintenance issues arise) and general needs of the population.

My best day in Perú so far

Hello everyone, and happy Friday!

This week I would like to share with you what I did on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday afternoon I got to visit Barranca (about 40km north of here). They have just finished building a brand new waste water purification plant, and the EMAPA Huacho staff (mostly engineers and important people within the company) were invited to go for a private tour of the facility. To my surprise, this construction isn't like your typical water purification plant: it is actually a pilot project in Peru, filtering the sewage by growing lentils.

The first (of many) pools of lentils that the waste water gets cycled through

Friday update!

Until today I did not feel like I had accomplished much since I have mostly been sitting around and waiting for paperwork to get processed, but since yesterday I am now officially a member of the 'proyectos y obras' (projects and works) department and today is my first day with them. I was FINALLY given work (yay for working with an organized engineer! - Juan Candia).

This morning first thing we went to a slum, essentially it's a place just south of the city where there is currently urban expansion, it has no running water/sewage, and it is built pretty much on a big sand dune (but tough enough to be mountain-like). Good thing there isn't a lot of rain, because I think that it would all erode. Not sure how long these houses will last. Anyways, the engineers needed to analyse the site because they're putting in water and sanitation services. Unfortunately I didn't know before going that we were going there so I was in my business shoes, but that's okay. There were TONS of mosquitoes (but they don't look like the ones at home) - they would fly in the wind and then cling to your clothes. We had to de-mosquito ourselves before leaving because it was ridiculous. Kind of happy I didn't have to stay there too long (or at least next time I go I will dress differently). But I had a great morning. After coming back to the office, I read through the  federal standards for all water sanitation procedures. I also read through an environmental assessment for a project and was providing feedback (I read the entire 24-page document and submitted quite a bit of feedback/things to improve this morning). This afternoon I will keep going over my environmental assessment recommendations with the engineer. We'll see how much I actually accomplish and what gets put into practice, but I am learning. And reading and speaking lots of Spanish :) I barely have to think anymore (even though I still make word/verb errors). But it's getting much more fluid I think (biased opinion perhaps?).

I'll try to post more later, but until then, I'm wishing you a wonderful Friday afternoon and a great weekend!
Sheila

A day in the field: Trip to various locations around Huacho

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011, Itxel and I got the privilege to go on another field trip with the sanitation engineer Juan Candia Cuno. This time, we got to visit different regions of Huacho (the city where we are living) - but not the touristy version.

Our first stop was the port. This is a pretty busy area (and not very safe), as there are many commercial and local fishers. Since we were there in the afternoon, we got to see some of the local fisherman pulling their boats out of the water.

Typical afternoon at the port in Huacho

A day in the field: Trip to Sayán and Végueta

Friday, September 16th, 2011, Itxel and I headed to visit two other districts in the Huaura province, Sáyan and Végueta. They both receive water treatment services from EMAPA Huacho. Sayán is roughly a 45-minute drive inland and into the mountains, while Végueta is right on the coast, about 20 minutes north of Huacho. We spent the day visiting the two sites with an engineer from EMAPA Huacho, Juan Candia. He wanted to show us the potential locations for new waste water treatment plants in both of these locations.

From everything that I have learned so far in Huacho, this is how their water system works:
1) Pump water from the ground.
2) Inject water with chlorine gas to help clean it.
3) Pump water up to a water tower on a hill/elevated area, to insure water pressure throughout the town.
4) Water drains down into subscriber's homes/businesses using the flow of gravity (only Sayán has continuous service 24 hours/day).
5) Waste water drains by means of gravity to a central location.
6) Untreated waste water gets dumped into river (in the case of Sayán) or ocean (in the case of Végueta and Huacho).

Waste water from Sayán going straight into the River Huaura

First official day of work in Huacho (and everything that's happened up until now)

Well hello again!

I hope you are all having a great first (or second) week of classes for those of you who are in school, and that everyone in the northern hemisphere is enjoying the arrival of fall. I for one cannot wait for spring to come - only 6 more days! - because that will mean sun and the arrival of warmth here in Huacho! I can't complain though, it is around 15-20 degrees every day, but it gets chilly at night, and as it is humid and there is no heating, there is no escaping the cold! Let me fill you in on what has happened since the last time that I wrote to you! (It feels like an eternity has passed, even though it's only been 3 days!)

Alright well Tuesday was a day full of ups and downs - I think that until now I had told myself to be strong and to carry on and not to worry too much, but Tuesday morning I woke up feeling a bit lonely and isolated. As you may have read, Monday was such a busy day and I met so many people, but I was starting to feel that I could not let my personality shine through fully and that I was much quieter than my normal self.

My first day in Huacho

*Note: I wrote this last night but did not have access to internet, hence why I am posting it now.

My first day in Huacho – oh my goodness, I am so tired, all I want to do it to go to bed. But so much has happened today that I want to try to document as much as I can to share it with you all. As soon as I am done, I am calling it a night (and I will post this in my blog tomorrow or the day after that when I have internet access).

Well, let’s start with this morning. I was in Lima. Feels so far away now. I had originally been told I was going to be picked up sometime after 8am to go to the bus station to come to Huacho. So I set my alarm for 7am, thinking that would be enough time for breakfast and such (I packed the night before). Well, at 6:35am there is a BANG BANG BANG on my door. The owner of the hotel wakes me up and tells me that someone from WUSC called, and that I will be picked up at 7:30am instead. I should get up quickly! Well, I decide to lie in bed for another 10 minutes (obviously unable to fall asleep after such a brutal awakening) and then get up. Get ready, eat breakfast (same as usual: fruit smoothie, bread, jam, and tea), brush my teeth, take one last look around the room to make sure that I haven’t forgotten anything, and then I’m out the door. 7:35am. 7:45. 8:00. 8:10. Finally around 8:15, Isabel (a WUSC employee) shows up. Good morning Sheila! How are you? Good – but I have been awake and sitting in the hotel reception area for a while! She doesn’t understand who called the hotel or why , it was not her nor the driver (Julio). Must have been Michel (the WUSC director). Oh well. Early start.

Field placement update!

Hello!

I have great news!!! (Actually, I've known this for an entire week now, I just wanted to keep you hanging until Thursday to discover it.) Last week we had a meeting with Grainne, our field placement coordinator, to give us an update about the field placements and to review some of the terms in our contract. And now we have dates! It has been confirmed that we will be starting our in-country orientation on Monday, September 12, 2011 in Lima, Peru. We will all be returning to Pearson Airport in Toronto on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012, to then be transfered to St. Paul's University College. All of the field placement participants will be livng at St. Paul's for two weeks as we debrief from our international experiences, finish up our capstone projects, and have a banquet! (I will also be turning 23 during this time, so I guess a celebration will be in order!) It's pretty exciting to know when we will be leaving. Until now, I was feeling so-so about the field placement because I have not had much say in the planning or organization (except that I chose to go to Peru over Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Botswana and Malawi), but that's about it. Now at least I can plan my summer accordingly, and it feels as though it's so much more real. So I'm excited.

The other exciting news I received is that Grainne has made an exception for those of us who wish to travel beforehand! Originally we were told that we must all depart from Toronto together as a group and travel to Peru on the same flight, but we were informed last week that if we wish, we can change the date of the plane ticket to fly to South America earlier. This is absolutely AMAZING, because I have a large break before the field placement starts. I am taking three required courses this summer, but they will all be over on Monday, July 25th. I have a physical check-up with the doctor on August 8th, and after that I am free as a bird until I begin my field placement! I had originally thought of going to visit Rosalie (my little sister) in France where she will be working for the summer, but I am now strongly reconsidering just taking off early and going to visit Bolivia and Argentina? Why not! I think I have convinced my best friend, Roop, to come along on the ride too! If anyone else would like to join along you are more than welcome to come!

So that's my exciting news! Next week I'll be writing about one of the most innovative, under-used technologies in the developing world that I am currently doing a group project on. So stay tuned!

Have a great week everyone!
Sheila

How did I get here?

My life has taken a turn where I get much more joy from helping others than material things.  Since I left high school, I have had a complete change of career paths: I began studying in September 2007 in a double degree program in mathematics and business at the University of Waterloo, but quickly decided that was not for me.  Only a few months into my university career, I decided to transfer into an International Development Honours program, through the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo. Here is my story.

Since childhood, I have loved travelling, and decided that I always wanted that to be a part of my life. I loved many subjects in school, notably mathematics, biology, and history. Around grade 6 I remember wanting to be a civil engineer (probably because I loved playing Roller Coaster Tycoon). After that I was convinced I wanted to be an orthopaedic surgeon. In grade 11, my math teacher told me she thought I would make a great diplomat: I am already fluent in French and English, I can easily converse in Spanish, and I have well-developed negotiation skills.

When I was 'university shopping' in grade 12, I attended the fall open house day at the University of Waterloo. That day, Mark Kielburger gave the keynote address. His speech was incredibly motivational, talking about child labour and the inequalities that exist in this world, and empowering youth to stand up and make a change. I felt as though I was almost too old to start helping out (I was 17 at the time). The following summer, after graduating high school, I spent 2 weeks on the Arizona/Mexico border volunteering and learning about border issues that exist between the two countries. This sparked another passion of mine, humanitarian work.

In the fall of 2007, I began studying at the University of Waterloo (UW) in a combined Mathematics and Business program (jointly run with Wilfrid Laurier University). I love math, and figured that combining it with business would be quite useful. I thought that I might specialize in finance, to one day work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) on my way to becoming a diplomat. I quickly decided business was not the right fit though. I transferred into International Development, a new program at UW that started in the fall of 2008. I am also completing a minor in Geography and Environmental Management as well as a Diploma in Environmental Assessment.

In February of 2008, I travelled to Guatemala to build a house with Habitat for Humanity, which was an incredible learning experience. A few months later, I decided that I wanted to lead my own trip. In February 2009, as a trip leader for Habitat for Humanity, I selected and led a team of 10 individuals to go to El Salvador during reading week to build two houses. Over 9 months, I spent an average of 15 hours/week organizing the details of the trip such as flights, accommodation, insurance and fundraising.

During the 2009-2010 school year, I completed a 9-month study term abroad in Lyon, France. Already fluent in French, I embraced the French culture and learned as much as I could about local customs and events, while improving my communication skills in a foreign environment.

I am currently back in Waterloo completing required courses and preparing for my internship. For my last year of university (2011-2012), I will be travelling to Huacho, Peru to complete an 8-month field placement with the local water and sanitation services provider, EMAPA Huacho. This will be an amazing opportunity to work in Spanish and experience the realities of a small water utility trying to expand and improve services to meet the needs of all while confronting watershed degradation and water source pollution. I will be working to improve corporate governance and educate users to reduce water consumption and waste. More information about the organization can be found under the 'EMAPA Huacho' tab.

I'd love to hear your feedback! Feel free to follow my blog and leave any comments you have. I'll be posting every Thursday afternoon, so tune in next week to find out a bit more about what my plans are after graduation!

Until next week,

Sheila