Hi hi readers of this blog!! Sienna is writing this one, so you know it’s gonna be pretty epic. Especially considering the subject material; the water filter project! Yay! It was amazing and I can’t wait to share it with all of you, you’ll be so proud of your kids and friends. Anywho, let’s start!

March 17:

We started the water filter project on March 17 in Siem Reap, at the house of our partner, Vey. We started with unscrewing a few molds, then sanded down the inside, and oiled it up. This would make it, as was explained to us, easier to take the molds off as the cement we’d pour into them wouldn’t stick to the metal. (They really thought of everything huh?) We spent hours doing this in the sun or under shade, the warm weather making the work that much more fun! In the afternoon we went back, mixed cement, and poured it into the molds. All of us had a turn using hoes to mix the cement in these giant tubs, though I think Wade and Noelle enjoyed it the most out of all of us. On that day, Simon brought his speaker and, with permission from Vey, we played some music. Because of this the work didn’t feel as hard with some of us dancing and singing along. When pouring the cement, I personally enjoyed it with all of my heart. It was difficult to get the buckets we were carrying filled with cement, so eventually those of us with the buckets just dipped our hands in and started scooping. All of us did get pretty messy. Who would’ve guessed that wet cement splashes everywhere? Especially when scooping it into buckets, yikes… That same night, we also went to the nearby night market. A few of us found some trinkets like skirts and pants, as well as jewelry. This brought up morale for the next day, though we weren’t really lacking it to be honest.

March 18:

Our second day was by far my personal favorite. We went on an hour-long drive out to a more rural area of Cambodia. When we got there, we mixed biosand in water to clean it. This sand would be put in the filter, and would help sift out the unhealthy bacteria. Therefore, we spent a lot, and I mean a LOT, of time cleaning tubs and tubs of it. By the end we had bags of sand in the double digits. This took us all morning! Even then, when we were eating lunch, some of the workers that we had been helping had to take over and finish washing the rest of the rocks. During our lunch, we had a few animal buddies. A kitten that had taken a fond liking with most of us, and a chicken that had attached itself to Johnny. They certainly brightened up the lunch table, the cat falling asleep on my bag and the chicken hovering around Johnny’s feet. We had some time after we finished lunch, then got to do the coolest thing ever! We rode an iron buffalo, it’s a walking tractor with a giant wagon attached to the back. It was a great experience! The first time all of us rode it, a few of us were forced onto the edge of the wagon. I’m pretty sure on one of the rides August almost fell out at some point. No one fell off though, we’re all safe. Don’t worry. It’s ok. We then went to some houses of people who had signed up to receive a water filter, installing water filters left and right. Most of what we did was just bringing and pouring the rocks into the filters, and then stepping back to let professionals finish the process. The filters are made to last about 40 years, and the sand should be replaced every year or two. Vey keeps up with families who ask for filters and makes sure the maintenance process is clear. The sun was blaring, but a few of us always opted for the iron buffalo over the van, and there are absolutely no regrets. When we got back to the hotel, I think all of us took a MUCH needed rinse.

March 19:

On this day, we went back to Vey’s house, and we unscrewed the molds from the cement we had poured earlier. There were two cartoonishly large wrenches that we had to use to pop the bottom part of the mold off, using a much larger tool that the wrench would tighten and loosen. It was complicated, I don’t fully understand the process to be honest. It was fun to twist the bolts off the screws and pull out the cement filter we made though! Anyway, the metal molds, though pretty thin, were a lot heavier than I thought they’d be, so pulling them off the cement was a bit tricky. Luckily we all helped each other though, our dream team group. Love it. In the afternoon, we went back to Vey’s house to sand, oil, and bolt and screw the molds back together in order to fill more molds the following day. We had a lot of fun and got into a nice groove because once again; dream team. For our dinner we had an amazing experience with a local singer, singing live at the restaurant with an amazing voice. Our energy was beginning to dwindle that day, so it was great to have that pick-me-up at dinner. Wade planned a super fun evening activity for us where we split into two teams and had to, in 25 minutes, find objects around town that started with every letter of the alphabet in order, no skips. It was super fun and we all got sweaty one more time before bed. Thanks to Wade for such a fun and clever activity!

March 20: 

We did a rinse and repeat of the cement mixing and pouring from earlier. Though, we only spent time doing it in the morning this time. Our afternoon was all to ourselves besides an activity called ‘Dopamine Menu’ that Hadley and Becca had us do. We basically just learned more about small activities and self care routines we can do with ourselves or other people that will make us happy and give us dopamine!

March 21:

We celebrated a birthday and the last day of the water filter! Happy 19th birthday to Simon! We all wrote him a card and Hadley and Becca were able to find some of his more favorable candy choices. During the water filter that morning, Vey wished Simon happy birthday multiple times, though the birthday boy was not given special treatment and had to work just as hard. During this day, we were taking off molds and re-screwing them. Sadly, two of the filters fell apart upon removing the molds. However, Mr. Hing, who works for Vey and who we the pleasure of getting to work with this week, was able to salvage them. He demonstrated incredible worth ethic and skill that inspired us all and kept our spirits high while working each day. After the re-screwing, we put the molds on a cart and wheel them over to a neighboring house. We laughed a lot that day! To celebrate Simon’s birthday, we found a rather private lunch spot that also let us watch a movie! ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ is a French film, more recently made, about a sort of murder mystery. It was a very interesting movie, and its ending sparked debate within the group that lasted until we left the building. Which wasn’t for a while. Our bigger birthday celebration was at dinner.  We ate at this delicious Italian restaurant called Il Forno. I’m still craving for another slice of pizza, everyone’s food looked so good. At the end of the day we ate ice cream and played Bananagrams, and it made all of us happy to see Simon having a very happy birthday.

To explain the water filter:

Its official name is a biosand filter. Starting from the top is a diffuser that sits above rocks and sand, protecting the sand and biolayer from damage. The biolayer is the next part; micro-organisms that live in the top 1-2cm of the sand that help by eating pathogens in the water. After that is the Filtration sand layer, which removes pathogens and suspended solids. It’s specially selected sand, as as mentioned earlier, thoroughly cleaned before use. Below that is separation gravel, it supports the sand and it’s filtration process. The final level, the one at the very bottom (aka we put it in first) is drainage gravel, large rocks that supports the separation gravel, and prevents rocks or sand from going into the tube that ultimately sends the water flowing.

• Sienna