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I hope that anyone who goes on the trip in the future enjoys it as much as I did!

Dale Johnson's Honduras Journal

I have been back in the states for over a week now, and I have had enough time to digest my trip to Honduras. The first feeling I have is one of appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to experience the beautiful country and people of Honduras. The chance to see proposed, in construction, and operating AguaClara plants was invaluable and provided renewed motivation for my research work here at Cornell.
I suppose the first thing that has really stuck with me since I've returned is how little AguaClara is involved in the construction and operation of the plants. The trip made the relationship between AguaClara and Agua para el Pueblo's (APP) role much more defined for me. I could see that AguaClara has managed to maintain a sort of disconnected connectedness, if that makes sense. Whereby we provide and stay in contact with those that are doing the actual implementation of our design in Honduras, with us being merely a guiding voice and not a forceful hand. This made me think about the role of "developed countries" in the affairs of so called "undeveloped nations." The common conception I think is that us in the developed countries are somehow like a father figure, extending a helping hand to an immature child who can't defend himself. Upon travelling to Honduras and meeting the people and experiencing the culture, this conception of the inferiority of those in developing nations is clearly mistaken. People in the "Global South" are part of a vibrant living culture with great and powerful resources at their disposal. Any conception of the supposed superiority of American culture is parochial and culturally biased. But I really had an amazing time and feel really lucky at the opportunity to participate in such a great project, thanks for the memories!

Alex O'Connell's Honduras Journal Entry

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