Questions to keep in mind: In thinking about your meeting with Isla Urbana last week and Cantero Azul this week, you were exposed to different devices to aid in providing drinkable water to families in Mexico; what have you learned about design and implementation from these experiences? | This week you started to work on your device to be implemented. What have you learned about yourself and design/building in Mexico.
Monday 5/13:
We had our first day of ENGI 350 and CEVE 314 in a more classroom-like setting. I enjoyed both of them a lot. For 350, we reviewed a lot of the Engineering Design Process and how the Design Analysis and Solution Steps play into it. In 314, we went over kinda vocab stuff and basic definitions of water and interacting with it. After class, I felt really bad from all the traveling so I went to my room and watched Baby Driver (6/10, ending was a bit strange but I liked the old mans ending)
Kinda woke up and got Quesadillas with ⅞ people! Got back to my room and dyed lol, literally could not move. I felt so bad, I kinda thought I was gonna die. I eventually got myself up and joined people for Gin in the kitchen. I have no poker face but also people can’t figure out what I’m thinking quite yet. After people left, I stayed up until 2:30 working on stuff then slept (not smart but I was too hyper after sleeping)
High: Gin with friends <3
Low: Thought I was gonna die
Buffalo: Big ol Nap
Looking Forward To: Learning our groups
Tuesday 3/14:
I woke up sick :<. I was still well enough so I got ready and went to class. During class, our groups were introduced! Kiana got moved instead of Jordi (we all thought they were going to split up the Freshman Civi’s lol). Post 350, we started working on our 350 project and I tried to finish my assignments asap, I got all built 314 # 6 done. I realized at this point that I was still burnt out from the semester. After 314, we walked to a river side to observe the river where all the sewage/runoff is dumped. It smelled like the water treatment plant next to my house during the summer.
Once we got back, Kiana, Gwyn, and I went to a coffee shop => Amor Negero (later joined by Sammy). We got good work done, came back and made dinner. I sat in my room for a second then we played cards as a group. I lost to a version of Crazy poker (neeeeed to play again). I was soooooo jittery after playing, its been years since someone played me so I got a bit too hyper. Played a new card game Brian introduced and it was super cool. Worked on my todo list then slept.
High: New Crazy Poker Rules; Top-Bottom, Double, Sandwich, Married (queen-king), staircase (three in a row, looping A’s), add to 10 (any two cards add to 10, not including 10) Low: Social interactions are hard
Buffalo: Song list been popping today
Looking Forward To: A hug
Wednesday 5/15:
I woke up kinda late but I saw that there was a message from Dr. Hunter saying that class would start at 9:45 am instead of 9:30 so I wasn’t actually late! Class was fun, I took good notes and doodled during class (the doodles really help me make lasting connections with the material). Our group tried to do work in our group and we got a good start. When we started 314, I sat right next to Dr. Loyo so I didn’t have to wear my glasses. I think I am going to try and sit here more often so I do not have to wear them more. This is the class where projects 2/3 were talked about more and we got to test our rain water from week one in San Cristobal for E. Coli!
After class at 5 ish, we regrouped and went to explore the square and the pedestrian streets. It was me, Gwyn, Kiana, Brain, Liam, and Nancy. After a bit, me, Gwyn, and Kiana went to Amor Negero and the others kept exploring. We got good work done then went home and did more work. I cleaned up the kitchen then slept.
High: No glasses during class
Low: Missing a couple people from my major lol
Buffalo: Woke up late
Looking Forward To: More Gin
Thursday 5/16:
I woke up, met up with everyone else, and walked to where Loyo and Hunter were staying. We headed from there to Cantero Azul. We got there and we had a great presentation from one of the founders, Fermín Raygadas. We learned about the engineering design process they went through to develop their water table. Most of their work went into making sure it was usable by the community, not the technology needed to sanitize the water itself. This device and implementations have been 18 years in the making and it’s genuinely amazing to hear about.
I find it very interesting the differences between Cantar Azul and Isla Urbana. Both have to think about what it means for people to interact with their devices and how hands on the NGO needs to be. Cantar Azul requires almost constant monitoring at first where they are teaching people what it means to have clean water and how to make sure its safe, there is a lot of upkeep outside of using the actuarial device. Isla Urbana on the other hand has to initially help people understand how to maintain their device but their intent is to have been completely autonomous both with their maintenance and also expanding the systems. Other than stating the difference between the two groups, there is no real point because each is tailored to the community they are trying to help, Isla Urbana is not going to be able to help Indigenous communities in Chamus or vice versa with Cantar Azul in Mexico City. I think they could be used but it feels like forcing a puzzle piece into the wrong spot.
This entire experience has made me think about how truly important it is to fully understand a design challenge that largely has to do with understanding how people will interact with your device. Many times, this is even more crucial than the end design itself. Like if you have a technology that works, your main goal is not shaping it in a way that can be used efficiently, effectively, and with ease. I knew that implantation is absolutely necessary but seeing the effects in person makes it so much more real and I look forward to practicing empathy within my work more.
After the visit, we walked back and walked through the market as a group. There were fun shops and what not, we then went to the bank and got ice cream for 20 pesos! We then walked back but then stopped at this snazzy anime shop that had 5 pesos stickers, I neeeed to go back. The rest of the evening was mostly a night in. It started raining so we just played gin!
High: Presentation
Low: No Chuyu
Buffalo: Cheap stickers
Looking Forward To: Class
Friday 5/17:
I woke up and today we had our classes switched. We went back to the Cantero Azul and had a presentation about the chem lab where they had to test water for different contaminants depending on what a community needed to test. We learned about how it was super in depth about how they have to tailor the number/which tests they do to each community and how it takes a lot of checking in to help people learn about what it takes to make safe drinking water.
Afterwards, we went to lunch with professors. I had some really good hot cocoa and slapping salmon. When we were back at the villa, we had class with Dr. Hunter. Afterwards, it was mostly zoning and trying to do work. I have been having the worst time focusing when it comes to the personal assignment, group work is easy cause other people are depending on me. I love the material we are learning about so I am still able to engage in conversation during class but actually typing everything out is so much lol. I’ll get a handle on this. That night it rained, we played gin, then I slept.
High: Hot coco
Low: A lot of walking
Buffalo: Switched classes
Looking Forward To: The tour thing Saturday
Closing Remarks:
This week went by in a flash, but it was so much learning more about what it actually takes to make water same to consume/use. There is no cure all for a problem, but I feel inspired and hopeful for the future.
Picture(s) of the week:
Both of these are really nice pics with (most of) the group. The first one is also aesthetically pleasing in my opinion.