First week in San Cris! Yippee!!! It’s been a blast frolicking around the city popping into random shops, cafes, and bakeries. Fav cafe so far is Amor Negro—recommended by Prof. Hunter #yummy. I’ve also spent a fair amount of time chillin around the villa, and I love it. Some days have been hot and sunny, so my lovely friends have helped me to move couches into the middle of the courtyard for me to photosynthesize on.
nancy and my latte
yummy bakery
coffees from amor negro
My stomach has been holding up fairly well this week; however, my finger has a mysterious bruise on it! Ouch!
said bruise
This week I’ve gotten a lot of exposure to the engineering design process. Since my background is in the field of science, it has been interesting to be introduced to a different way of thinking. A lot of science is asking questions and drawing connections; whereas engineering seems to be more of identifying and solving problems. My group and I have been hankering away at the early stages of the rainwater collection device prototype. We’ve determined the current state of the prototype and identified what work still needs to be done. I’m grateful for my group mates for being patient with me as I get a feel for design thinking <3
lagoon from which we will be getting water from
It was also interesting to see how Cantaro Azul used the design process in developing their water treatment device. Not only did they produce a device, but they watched how their clients were using their product and made adjustments to their design to cater more to the clients. This included adjustments like including a table, providing a surface for all parts of the device to keep it off the ground, and wrapping the water jug in denim. Something I hadn’t considered before was that, like myself, people are generally resistant to change. Even though organizations like Cantaro Azul and Isla Urbana are providing water treatment technology to families, it doesn’t necessarily mean the families will use the technology—this presents yet another challenge to think about.
I am crossing my fingers that my stomach keeps up the good work, and I’m excited to explore and learn more over the next two weeks! Yas!
the villa. she is beauty. she is grace.
gwyneth and I like to go to cafes
photosynthesizing