This morning started with a delicious breakfast (as always) prepared by Alé, our host. While enjoying breakfast, we also posed for some photos for the hostel’s website. We are the first guests at the hostel, so it is exciting to witness the start of will surely be an amazing business. We will a little bit rushed on our way out the door, we almost missed the “convi” that takes us to Cántaro Azul every morning. On the first two days of taking the “convi”, I rode shotgun, but today I rode in the back of the van. The van was very crowded, and basically everyone there was headed to the same place. At one point, one woman brought a garbage bag full of tortilla chips into the van.

When we arrived at Cántaro Azul, we greeted everyone and looked for a place to start working. After visiting the school yesterday, we were ready to apply what we have learned so far, as well as our research, to designing a constructed wetlands. In the morning, we worked briefly in one the meeting rooms, where we talked to Símon Mostafa, an employee of Cántaro who has been helping us all week. Símon did his PhD research on constructed wetlands, so gave us a ton of helpful input on our design, like how to design the grease trap. When Símon left to go to a meeting, we started working on our final report, and performing calculations for sizing the wetlands. We combined the techniques and design from what we saw yesterday with design equations from the EPA and the ASCE.

After working inside, we started working outside because the weather was so nice. We ate our lunch outside, which was a salad with beans and potatoes. The report we are working on contains our recommended design, as well as our assumptions, maintenance requirements, and the work that needs to be done to build the wetlands this summer. Using equations from the ASCE Field Guide to Environmental Engineering for Development Workers, we found the surface area required to treat our water to an acceptable standard. We based the height of our wetland off guidance from the EPA guide to constructed wetlands as well as the wetlands we saw yesterday. It was great to see the principles detailed in the guides actually practiced in a real constructed wetlands!

After lunch, both of the GEO Teams met with Sandra, a member of the Cántaro administration staff, to talk about the presentation we will be giving on Friday. On Friday, we will be giving one general presentation to a larger group of Cántaro Azul staff, and a presentation on the specifics to a smaller group. After talking with Sandra, we watched the UV Hermanos team demonstrate their prototype. Our team decided to head to a coffee shop to work, since we wanted a better internet connection. The cafe we were planning on going to was closed, but we found another one quickly. The café seating area was basically a greenhouse, with local art all over the walls. After ordering our drinks, we continued working on our report and design.

After working at the café, we headed back to the hostel, and worked more in the kitchen. We are nearly done with our report, including the CAD drawings of our proposed wetlands. I am interested to see how our design will need to be changed to fit better with the construction materials available. For dinner, we went to La Capitanía, a Chiapan resteraunt. We tried chicken with mole sauce, as well as a cheese dish that served on fire! After eating, the manager of the restaurant gave us a tour of the room where they make Posh, a Chiapan drink made from corn, wheat, and sugarcane. The make posh in many flavors, including chocolate, banana, and cherry. We learned about the process of making Posh, and saw the barrels where some of the batches are aged for over three years.

Tomorrow, we are excited to return to El Enceuntro , as well as finish our report and presentation. I can’t believe this week is already halfway over.