Life Journey
Reflections from Guatemala
Part 3 — Reflections
This is the third part in a three-part series. Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2.
People
The most interesting aspect of my voyage is the people. I had the honor of spending most of the time with two very dedicated men. The first is a man who I was fortunate enough to work with at my current employer for a decade — Mike Paddock. Mike has quite a story, but the short of it is this — he decided to retire from his well-paying engineering position (program manager for the design of multi-billion dollar transportation projects) to devote his life to working with EWB (and other organizations, including the United Nations) to develop sustainable infrastructure in developing countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Africa. His commitment to not only these communities but to educating new engineers is truly inspiring. You can read more about Mike and EWB in his recent book on Amazon:
Dr. Todd Davis is a professor of civil engineering and EWB faculty advisor at MSOE. He also has a fascinating story, having started his engineering career in Guatemala working for a NGO (non-governmental organization) helping design and oversee construction of infrastructure in various regions. Similar to Mike, Todd is passionate about the EWB mission, and to engineering education. Todd has also been a wonderful friend in aiding me at my part-time teaching gig (I still feel like a newbie, even after four years).
The university students were remarkable, showing poise well beyond what I exhibited at their ages. An overwhelming desire to interact with these communities and make a tangible difference (while still in school) is something deeply impactful in how they will view the world going forward. I am humbled serving as a mentor for these young men and women.
I also was fortunate to communicate with our two interpreters, Cata and Bernabe, both natives to the Joyabaj region (I am still trying to track down a group picture of everyone), who were very forthcoming with my myriad of questions regarding the geography, culture, etc.
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Unfortunately my lack of conversational Spanish greatly limited interactions with others (I have since started Duolingo Español classes to better prepare for next time!)
Reflections
I cannot help but go away from this experience deeply changed. I have, through my friendship with Mike, heard countless stories of EWB projects: the reasons for the projects, challenges in design, difficulties in procurement, off-the-cuff resourcefulness in averting construction issues, tangible impact on communities, and the solid friendships created.
On a technical matter, I came away with a profound appreciation for water. Water is something that most Americans (including I) take for granted every day — wherever there is a faucet water will flow seemingly endlessly — and the water is almost certainly safe to drink. Throughout my trip, including the last night in a nice hotel in the tourist city of Antigua, tap water was not safe to drink. Bottled water is the norm everywhere, which is not only costly but contributes to a ridiculous amount of plastic waste. I witnessed women hiking with water jugs on their heads to fetch water from far-away places, only to have to boil the water before using it for cooking. Or a man precariously balancing a stack of 4–liter jugs of water on the back of a dirt bike, gingerly traversing the boulder-laden trail up the mountain. Given the complex geology (Part 1), water wells on one half of the Joyabaj region are notoriously difficult to drill (holes may need to extend in excess of 2,000 feet to reach a viable and sustainable source of water), leaving residents with nothing other than surface water (which is often contaminated with e-coli, Guardia, and other naturally occurring pathological coliforms that lead to serious illness). Municipal efforts to treat large quantities of water have had dicey results, with insufficient resources and planning devoted to establishing and maintaining a stable and healthy water supply (a multi-faceted issue that I discussed with both Mike and Todd at length).
I was amazed at the resourcefulness and resiliency of the local people. They make do with so little resources. With the abundance of trees in this heavily forested area, there are no structures made out of wood (the termites are so bad that any dead wood simply turns to sawdust in a matter of a couple of years). Practically all structures are made of reinforced concrete. And given the cost of cement (let alone the difficulties in securing adequate financing), every structure remains “under construction” with rebar sticking out of every building so it will be easier to add the next floor when the money is available. The roads are, by US standards, very rough (some would say impassable).
As an engineer who mostly puts lines on paper and text in contract documents, I found something profound in interacting directly with the beneficiaries/owners of a project. There was something magical but yet tangible in seeing the emotions on community members’ faces when discussing a future facility, talking about their experiences in a project under construction, or celebrating the opening of a completed project. It is heartwarming to see these projects significantly improve daily life of many people. Whether it is the ability to safely traverse over a raging river, send kids to school each day, or to turn a water tap at their house instead of lugging jugs of water over kilometers of rocky terrain, the satisfaction that some good has come of it is real.
I can see the appeal of this organization. It is granular, working beside people of vastly different cultures, backgrounds, ages, and realities. There is tremendous satisfaction in seeing that these projects, albeit tiny by USA standards, are enormous to these communities, and lives are improved (including deaths avoided) as a result. This is the basis of why most of us go into engineering: to help people.
I will remain involved with the EWB chapter and the Alcona bridge project. I have been invited to return with the group next February (2023) to the first of what will be four construction trips.
Oh, by the way, I also realized that I’m not as young as I used to be 😄. Even two weeks later my body was still reeling from riding in the back of those pickup trucks!
If you’re interested in how the Alcona bridge construction went, check out the implementation trip in Winter of 2023!
Bridge Building in Guatemala. Connecting communities; connecting… | by Blue Marble | Medium
— blue marble 🔵
