For many us who have been thinking about Ben over the past couple of years, it has been a stretch to imagine Ben’s daily life while living in the relative comfort and ease of the United States. For both George and Joe, it was worth the whole trip just to watch Ben interact with his host family, his colleagues at the Hardeman water cooperative, and ordinary citizens of Hardeman. Ben is quick with jokes in fluent Spanish that always get laughs, he is well respected by the leaders of the town, and the kids in his host family adore him.
While we were visiting, Ben was made an honorary citizen of Hardeman by the city council for his work on clean water. He is the first Peace Corps volunteer to serve and Hardeman and probably one of the only American’s that many Bolivia’s will ever meet. Needless to say, Ben represents us all extremely well. Both of us are completely impressed with the work that Ben has done and will continue to do for the people of Hardeman and Bolivia. For as much as many of us like to talk about making a difference with our lives, Ben is out there actually doing it.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Day 5 Life in Hardeman
Many of us have heard about these wells that Ben is supposedly drilling all over rural Bolivia. Although hard to believe, it's true. Ben, in fact, does actually know how to drill a well. George and Joe now have the blisters to prove it.
We woke up on in Hardeman and had a tasty breakfast of bread, cheese, and the Bolivian version of cappuccino: hot water, instant coffee, powdered milk, sugar, and unsweetened cocoa. Most of the dining at Ben's house occurs outdoors on a dirt floor under a tin roof. This open-air structure is perfect for keeping the hot sun out but cool breezes in.
After breakfast, we made the grueling commute of 20 feet from Ben's house to his office at the Hardeman water cooperative. After meeting his colleagues, we started gather supplies and tools to drill a shallow well on the grounds of the water cooperative. The method Ben uses to drill wells is called hydraulic percussion and is highly dependent on manpower and water to drill. All the tools and parts can be made in a basic welding shop or purchased in a local hardware store making it cheap and easy to bring clean water to people in the countryside. The goals of Ben’s drilling projects are to bring a sustainable, easy to implement, clean water to rural Bolivia. It’s possible that Ben was planning a new advertising campaign using George and Joe as examples. It would go something like: “if these two out of shape gringos can drill a well, anyone can.”
George and Joe started the first 6 feet of the well with a simple posthole digger that was identical to one at the Shultz farm. From there, Ben set up a pulley system that could lift the heavy pipe that was filled with water. Once set, one or two people pulled a rope that lifted the pipe while the third person pushed the pipe further and further down the well. See our pictures below of 1) Ben pulling the rope on the pulley, Joe pushing the metal pipe into the well hole full of water, and 3) George holding the tip of the drill prior to the drilling.
We woke up on in Hardeman and had a tasty breakfast of bread, cheese, and the Bolivian version of cappuccino: hot water, instant coffee, powdered milk, sugar, and unsweetened cocoa. Most of the dining at Ben's house occurs outdoors on a dirt floor under a tin roof. This open-air structure is perfect for keeping the hot sun out but cool breezes in.
After breakfast, we made the grueling commute of 20 feet from Ben's house to his office at the Hardeman water cooperative. After meeting his colleagues, we started gather supplies and tools to drill a shallow well on the grounds of the water cooperative. The method Ben uses to drill wells is called hydraulic percussion and is highly dependent on manpower and water to drill. All the tools and parts can be made in a basic welding shop or purchased in a local hardware store making it cheap and easy to bring clean water to people in the countryside. The goals of Ben’s drilling projects are to bring a sustainable, easy to implement, clean water to rural Bolivia. It’s possible that Ben was planning a new advertising campaign using George and Joe as examples. It would go something like: “if these two out of shape gringos can drill a well, anyone can.”
George and Joe started the first 6 feet of the well with a simple posthole digger that was identical to one at the Shultz farm. From there, Ben set up a pulley system that could lift the heavy pipe that was filled with water. Once set, one or two people pulled a rope that lifted the pipe while the third person pushed the pipe further and further down the well. See our pictures below of 1) Ben pulling the rope on the pulley, Joe pushing the metal pipe into the well hole full of water, and 3) George holding the tip of the drill prior to the drilling.
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