Villa Rosa

The past two days I have been working non stop on getting maps and imagery going for the Villa Rosa project. As I explained before, Villa Rosa is a neighborhood that is set in the hill side of Haiti a few miles from here and was hit hard by the earthquake last year. The infrastructure of the neighborhood is a disaster, the structures are in terrible shape, and there is no constant running water, electricity and plumbing...which are the basic needs we all have in our homes that these people have as a luxury if things work properly. Shared toilets, no employment, and barely a few square feet to house them. With the work my team and I did Monday, I was able to construct several maps that space out the general problem areas with regards to structural integrity, sanitation, flood zones, drainage, walkable paths, roads, garbage collection areas, public toilets, etc. We had a meeting today with representatives from Build Change (the workers who are doing the calcs and building) and Cordaid (funds) to show them what we did. It looks like this project might be the one I will be on the whole time I am here unless something else happens between now and my departure. There was a schedule/timeline set forward for 6-8 weeks from now, which is about the time I will be here. I will be able to implement the content I have helped collect and put it toward a useful design that can improve up to 10,000 people's lives...super cool! We have another site visit set for Monday to really look into the problem areas which will be the first to be worked on. Should be cool.
Other than that, nothing much new. Same old meals, routine. I must say, though...the little market next door to our office (and I mean little...only two refrigerators and a table) has the best Coca Cola bottles in the world. They come cold enough to have a bit of slushiness to them, but not too cold where they are icy. And no artificial sweeteners, just sugar. From the bottle of an original Coke bottle is just the best. So for everyone assuming there is a lack of resources here, think again...
Since I left the U.S., I have had a problem with the tip of my computer cord not wanting to power my laptop continuously. A couple weeks ago my computer slid off the couch and jammed the cord, thus creating the problem. After that it has been off and on working/not working, so I had to tape it in place to assure constant connection. After that didn't work all that great, I set out to ask anyone if they knew of a cord that was "lying around" that could work. No luck, but Kate, a licensed architect that is a design fellow here, suggested I go to the computer store across the street and ask, which I didn't even know existed. I brought the adapter and damned if they didn't have the proper cord connection I needed to replace for about $10. In Africa, that ain't gonna work...Europe probably not...but in Haiti, I had to walk about 100 feet. Pretty cool and lucky at that.
Glad to hear from many of you that are enjoying my updates and supporting my efforts. I really appreciate all the enthusiasm, it really helps me get through each day. Just having fun making a difference...that's all I am here to do.
Cheers.