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I saw a back yard fenced in by razor wire, one of a kind in Atima. Enclosed by the fence were beautiful white ducks in a small pond. They could not stop antagonizing each other with their screeching. Mayor Tito's face smiled at me from a bumper sticker. 2010-2014.

Andrew Sargent's Journal

My initial reason for participating in this trip was to analyze the construction changes the different plants had undergone over time. I joined AguaClara to develop technical engineering skill and hoped this trip would teach me a few things. While I did learn a lot about the construction evolution of the plants, the bulk of what I learned came from the context in which the AguaClara project operates.

Being a foreigner in Honduras, one immediately feels a sense of alienation from the natives. Unlike in NYC subways, it is cultural acceptable to stare at other people for long periods of time. Everywhere we went, from the moment we landed until the day we left, the native people stared at us. Foreigners are intriguing to the people of Honduras because many of them have never seen one before. However, not being used to this cultural norm makes one feel slightly unwanted in the country. That concern was put to rest at the first town meeting we attended in Atima, a small, poor town interested in investing in an AguaClara plant for their community. The town held a meeting to vote on the implementation of this new AguaClara plant. While some are concerned over the involvement of foreigners, the majority of the townspeople look at it as a blessing.

The family I was staying with had no running water, which was an initial shock to me, but the more I learned about Honduras, the quicker I realized that that is a normal occurrence. The people of Atima had a horrific water systems infrastructure and saw AguaClara as the way to improve their lives. The response we received from the people of Atima really spoke to me about the appreciation the people who benefit from AguaClara have for the project.

These feelings were reinforced at the town meeting we attended in Alauca. The meeting opened with a discussion amongst the townspeople as to whether they actually needed an AguaClara plant or if the project was being forced on them by another party. Every single townsperson vehemently supported the AguaClara plant being built. I distinctly remember one man thanking god that we had come and worked with them on the plant. The overwhelming support was something that you do not see while working on the project at Cornell. It is easy to forget that AguaClara is not a hypothetical project and that it really changes the lives of thousands of people with every plant built. The strong feelings the beneficiaries showed toward the project really spoke to me and emphasis the core goal of the AguaClara project.