I was starting to wonder if I would
need to rename my blog because I haven't posted much relating to agriculture, but after today I feel like the name makes more sense.
My friend Danielle and I met Carlos a little after 10 this morning to discuss
our work on his thesis, a biocharcoal research project. Carlos is working on
his master’s degree and is studying the quality of biocharcoal as a soil
amendment in corn fields. Nine farmers and their families are involved in the
project. There are three sites, with three farms on each site for a total of
nine farms. Each farm has six different plots of 3x3 meters. Each field has
different amounts of fertilizer and biocharcoal added to the soil. This semester, Danielle and I
are working with Carlos to determine the cost of production of biocharcoal, and
a potential to market the biocharcoal to other farmers in the area. We talked
to Carlos for two hours and we got an understanding of how biochar is made,
what it is used for, and other information that we will need to determine a
selling price. I have a good idea of what questions to ask to determine the cost of production, but I will need to do some research to figure out the value of the biochar and the different qualities--which changes based on the type of wood burned in the stove. Next week Wednesday we will go out to the farms and meet the
farmers. Each family has a biochar stove and an opportunity to use the stove to make extra biochar. By determining the how effective the biochar is and a potential marketing strategy, we hope to provide a way that these farmers can earn extra money for their families.
I decided to buy ice cream for my host family today. Although many things are less expensive here, ice cream is not. I bought a half-gallon of Eskimo ice cream for $5 at the Eskimo store and we had it for lunch. Lunch is also different here because my family always serves me first, and they usually don't sit down and eat with me, so that will take some getting used to also. (I'll try and post a picture soon--it comes in the cutest milk pail container) I have had rice and beans every day since getting here. Last night I told my host mom that I really liked the gallo pinto con crème...so that's what I ate for breakfast too. I'll probably think twice before I say that again lol.
Communicating with my family is
still very difficult. Many of the words they use are not familiar to me even after they slow down and explain them. I am starting to understand many common phrases, so that is encouraging. My family is so nice and understanding which makes living here a lot more fun. I am so glad that I brought card games because my family plays them for hours every day. My friends and I decided that we needed to find an internet café and we found one that we really liked. The café is similar to ones in America and has tables in the second floor with a wonderful breeze. (After a half an hour walk in a rainstorm, we finally made it). Overall, I think this experience is giving me an understanding of what it is like to live in a city and walk everywhere. As an independent person, I am also learning what it is like to rely on other people and their schedules. So far, so good!
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