day 2- the caltech, art center students spent the night at their partner's home. Stefano's mom prepared us a lovely breakfast of oatmeal, pancakes, coffee, and papayas in the morning. his family was so inviting and super sweet
After tying the centrifuge to stefano's pick up truck, we drove through guatemala city en route to landivar university to meet the other students and also to pick up gaby's centrifuge to use as our second prototype.
our first stop today was at the brick/tile maker (group: diego, mallika, orlando). the owner was generous enough to show the entire process of "brick making"- allowing the group to observe and realize various opportunities in not only the technicalities of the process but also its marketing and business plan.
this is part of the preparation of the clay. with the combination of the mud and water, the bricklayers must knead (via stomping) for several hours to get the material to its proper consistency. afterwards, it is stored underneath a tarp to contain its moisture.
after the bricks are molded (usually from a pre-made wood or metal frame), hundreds of bricks are placed into this large kiln. the kiln is not temperature controlled, and so the bricklayers must constantly be "on guard" during the firing process. also, the inconsistent heat distribution and the weight forces many to break during the firing.
a sweet kid we met, who we tried interviewing- the kneading is a long and laborious process. its hard work and takes several hours.
after visiting the brick makers, we headed to tecnologia para la salud (tps) where they make stoves, latrines, water pumps, and other devices to improve the lives of those living in smaller rural villages. this is julio, the owner, giving the team an introduction
the stoves at tps were sometimes utilized by the women living nearby. they were making tortillas when we arrived, and we had to chance to have a taste. they were fresh off the stove and delicious.
this is the dry-composting latrine that julio introduced to us. it is still going through re-iterations.
molds for the latrine
more explanation on the latrine- its usage, and also thoughts on how to create a cheaper, more simplified version
after, we headed towards a small shoe company (shoe team: giuseppe, irene). we got to see how the business was run- how things were produced, the machines they utilized etc. it was amazing to see.
giving the team a demonstration on one of their industrial machines. shoe-making requires multiple steps- very complex. the shoes made here had beautiful craftsmanship. i think the owners were looking for ways to expand their business
quite possibly the last process of "shoemaking"- which is burning off the loose ended threads with fire.
after a long day of research- we arrived in beautiful antigua! i think that day 2 was definitely a great segway into the week. i think everyone learned a bit of something from the places that we visited and collected a good amount of information for us to start thinking critically about our projects and the necessary "needs."
day 2- the caltech, art center students spent the night at their partner's home. Stefano's mom prepared us a lovely breakfast of oatmeal, pancakes, coffee, and papayas in the morning. his family was so inviting and super sweet
After tying the centrifuge to stefano's pick up truck, we drove through guatemala city en route to landivar university to meet the other students and also to pick up gaby's centrifuge to use as our second prototype.
our first stop today was at the brick/tile maker (group: diego, mallika, orlando). the owner was generous enough to show the entire process of "brick making"- allowing the group to observe and realize various opportunities in not only the technicalities of the process but also its marketing and business plan.
this is part of the preparation of the clay. with the combination of the mud and water, the bricklayers must knead (via stomping) for several hours to get the material to its proper consistency. afterwards, it is stored underneath a tarp to contain its moisture.
after the bricks are molded (usually from a pre-made wood or metal frame), hundreds of bricks are placed into this large kiln. the kiln is not temperature controlled, and so the bricklayers must constantly be "on guard" during the firing process. also, the inconsistent heat distribution and the weight forces many to break during the firing.
a sweet kid we met, who we tried interviewing- the kneading is a long and laborious process. its hard work and takes several hours.
after visiting the brick makers, we headed to tecnologia para la salud (tps) where they make stoves, latrines, water pumps, and other devices to improve the lives of those living in smaller rural villages. this is julio, the owner, giving the team an introduction
the stoves at tps were sometimes utilized by the women living nearby. they were making tortillas when we arrived, and we had to chance to have a taste. they were fresh off the stove and delicious.
this is the dry-composting latrine that julio introduced to us. it is still going through re-iterations.
molds for the latrine
more explanation on the latrine- its usage, and also thoughts on how to create a cheaper, more simplified version
after, we headed towards a small shoe company (shoe team: giuseppe, irene). we got to see how the business was run- how things were produced, the machines they utilized etc. it was amazing to see.
giving the team a demonstration on one of their industrial machines. shoe-making requires multiple steps- very complex. the shoes made here had beautiful craftsmanship. i think the owners were looking for ways to expand their business
quite possibly the last process of "shoemaking"- which is burning off the loose ended threads with fire.
after a long day of research- we arrived in beautiful antigua! i think that day 2 was definitely a great segway into the week. i think everyone learned a bit of something from the places that we visited and collected a good amount of information for us to start thinking critically about our projects and the necessary "needs."
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