Happy holidays

Merry Christmas and happy new year to everyone! 

--
Jesse Shapiro
Water and Sanitation Engineer
Plan International
jessepants@gmail.com
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flipflop...not a shoe...a lifestyle.

Address

I got a PO Box in Timor.

 

Jesse Shapiro

PO BOX 223

Dili, East Timor

(via Darwin Australia)

 

paz jesse

--
Jesse Shapiro
Water and Sanitation Engineer
Plan International
jessepants@gmail.com
------------------------------------
flipflop...not a shoe...a lifestyle.

Rain

Hello y'all,  I am now into my third week at Plan working with water and sanitation in 14 IDP camps.  I will extend my contract to at least the end of January and see how the work progresses from there.  The work has continued to be challenging with long hours.  The situation in these camps is anywhere from desperate to pitiful to ok but has only gotten worse with the rains.  Although it rained a bit last week it wasn't that big of a downpour.  Yesterday was the first big rain and it has started to cause some real problems especially in the Jardin and Metinaro camps.  Sanitation and Drainage is and will be big problems in the quickly approaching weeks.  The security situation has been the same but could change as the rains become more frequent.  Yesterday the rains started to cause some tension as some people had there tents and house washed away with all there belongings in Metinaro.  My boss at plan, Dinesh, has left on vacation and another foreigner has come in as his replacement.  Ian has been here a couple days already and is great to work with.  Just like me he feels more at home in the field then sitting in an office so we are dividing up the work with more of a focus on the priorities in the IDP camps, which is great.  Now the amount of work for one is more manageable.  I think I start getting more sleep at nights at least.  

 

One big success we had this week was cleaning out and pump testing a well I identified about 5km from the camp which proved successful.  We now have plans to truck water from this well to the camp rather than from Dili which is the current situation.  We will develop a system for filling a truck to deliver the water in the next week or so if everything goes well and can begin to bring the IDP's in metinaro a larger supply of drinking water. 

 

Today I will start living in my ex-boss's house closer into town as he is off to New Zealand for a couple weeks to get married.  I will be keeping an eye on their cat, busa, which means cat in Tetun.  It will be nice to stay in a proper house for a while as theirs is well decorated and even has a couch. Take care.  Happy holidays.  lv jesse 

--
Jesse Shapiro
Water and Sanitation Engineer
Plan International
jessepants@gmail.com
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flipflop...not a shoe...a lifestyle.

Health Promotion in a school in Manatutu during Triangle's water and sanitation program.

Me, Ann, Dave, and Jesse on the top of Ramalau. Highest mountain in Timor

Look I am actually working. I am doing a water pipeline survey in the mountains of Aileu.

From left to right: Kiyoe, Erin, Bree, Dave, Ann, Jesse, Jesse, Penny, and Ron on a sailboat a couple weekends ago.

View from small hilltop in the Metinaro IDP camp.

East Timor email list

It has recently become aware to me that my blog postings are forwarded around on a East Timor email list.  I was not previously aware of this and did not give my consent, but it is not much of a problem as the blog is publicly available on the internet.  I would just like to mention that the main purpose of this blog is communication with my friends and family, mainly in the US.  It is not to be taken as a chronicle of my life or as a commentary on East Timor.  Mainly just to let my friends and family in on a bit of what I am doing and maybe some funny stories.  Anyway if you still like reading.  Enjoy. 

--
Jesse Shapiro
Water and Sanitation Engineer
Plan International
jessepants@gmail.com
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flipflop...not a shoe...a lifestyle.

Timor Calendar

BUY A BEAUTIFUL CALENDAR FROM EAST TIMOR!

You can buy a Timor calendar where the net proceeds from sale of this calendar will support women from Manatuto, East Timor in their efforts to gain an education from a university in Dili.  Click here to view a low resolution version pdf of the calendar. High quality versions of this calendar, printed out to hang 22 inches by 13.5 inches, are available for order at $10 each, plus shipping. You can order by e-mail to mjones@fjac.com with your name, address, and quantity. Shipping is free for orders of ten or more.

 

Thanks

--
Jesse Shapiro
Water and Sanitation Engineer
Plan International
jessepants@gmail.com
------------------------------------
flipflop...not a shoe...a lifestyle.

Ramalao or bust

My first week working in the IDP camps was a good one.  The job is challanging and stressful with long hours but is very rewarding.  I am back at it again today.  The main IDP camp I am working in is Metinaro with about 7000 people.  There it is no water there and finding it has been tough.  It is a rough spot with more than one problem.  Right now water is trucked in from Dili, 30min away, with not enough to go around.  We identified some other possible sources last week and should test them soon.  Even then water will still be trucked in.  If this camp turns into a permanent village like others before it all around the word then they will need a large and expensive project.

 

This past weekend it was my friend Bree's birthday so we took to the mountains for a trip to Maibissie.  Fifteen of us stayed at the Pousada and enjoyed the cool weather.  Jesse, Ann, Dave, and I got up a bit earlier than others with the goal to climb Ramalao, the highest mountain in Timor.  I think it is roughly 2900m, about 8500ft.  It was only a two hour hike from where you can leave the car and wasn't too tough.  Just as we reached the top though clouds rolled in closing off our view.  We stayed at the top for a hour getting sunburned and eating our lunch.  As we started our decent the rain started.  In combination with the wind and our stupidity it got pretty cold.  Some of us managed to only wear timor dress, flipflops and t-shirts.  It got hairy as the rain got harder and the trail got slicker but we made it back to the car.  We got back to Maibissie to meet the others and the sunshine.  We had a good dinner and played some Foosball (mini soccer) until the early hours before finally hitting the hay. Oh man the cool weather was nice.  I miss it already.  Happy holidays.  lv jesse 
--
Jesse Shapiro
jessepants@gmail.com
http://notashoealifestyle.blogspot.com
http://cee.mtu.edu/~jsshapir
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flipflop...not a shoe...a lifestyle.