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sarahpumphrey's LiveJournal:
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| Friday, February 23rd, 2007 | | 12:09 am |
| | Thursday, February 15th, 2007 | | 9:16 am |
| | Thursday, January 18th, 2007 | | 10:23 am |
Recent Contemplations
Recently, it's been approved to use DDT to kill mosquitoes in Africa to deal with the malaria epidemic - one of the leading causes of death, particularly of children, in developing tropical countries. Here in the US, we know that DDT is a powerful insecticide - we basically killed potato bugs with the stuff. The problem we treated with DDT wasn't nearly as severe as a malaria epidemic, so the African countries clearly have the motivation to pull out the heavy artillery against the small blood-sucking critters. So why does this bother me so much? DDT is an endocrine disruptor - that is, it messes with the reproduction and development cycle. The full effects (and birth defects) that are the result from an endocrine disruptor can't be fully seen until a generation or so of a species is exposed to the pollutant. A little history on DDT in the US: Farmers used DDT on their crops. Topical treatments spread on a field crop run into surface water streams and rivers. Animals that live in the water are considered to be indicator species - that is, if the water is of good quality or not, the health and diversity of the living organisms in the water should bear witness to that fact. With an endocrine disruptor, as a mentioned, it hits organisms in the pituitary, or other such areas. The living, adult things that come in contact with DDT don't express any negative symptoms as a result of thier exposure. The signs will only be shown either in the offspring, or in the ability of the adults to reproduce. So here, back to the US waterways about thrity years ago, the adult fish were happily swimming along, absorbing all the DDT they could carry. Raptors that feed primarily off of fish, like osprey, become concentrated sources of DDT (think about it, the osprey is exposed to all of the DDT that EACH individual fish had been exposed to - so it builds up). Long story short - there was a missing generation of birds the next season around because all the egg shells were too flimsy to survive incubation. There are better, more direct, and less disruptive solutions than DDT. .... I want to finish my thoughts... but have to be at class now. I'll finish later... | | Thursday, December 7th, 2006 | | 2:06 am |
Balance
I'm not sure how to describe what I've been feeling the past few months, but something has been askew. I've noticed it, pondered it, discussed it with friends, and I'm still not sure what to do. Pretend life's a platter, balanced on a pin, full of things that give life its meaning. But if something is missing or added untrue then the proverbial plate will start leaning. The cause of this shift remains unknown to me; I don't know the extent of the slide. So many effected for duration unknown, where do "normal" and "balance" reside? The answers I have not, but they are to be found. Peace and grace are within our grasp. For God can restore and rebuild what was once and make it better than in was before. Current Mood:  restless | | Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 | | 5:45 pm |
I'm back!
I didn't have time to record prior to my departure, but I have just returned from another two week stint in northwestern Tanzania. It was an AMAZING trip. I was working with the dream team and God prepared every detail to help us grow toward a successful project. THERE IS A MORINGA TREE GROWING SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF SHIRATI That's all the more I can type about it for now... but I've got some stories :-) Current Mood:  pleased | | Wednesday, September 27th, 2006 | | 11:59 pm |
this will be fun
following Rob's instructions, we've got quotes from my nearest book, the girls' guide to hunting and fishing, by melissa bank, page 123, starting with sentence 5. As soon as we're out on the landing, she says, "Don't tell me to go easy on him, Nina." She looks right at me, into my eyes. "He comes flying in here like Supersperm. And we're all supposed to congratulate him." Her voice softens. "It's not good for him." | | Tuesday, September 12th, 2006 | | 11:14 am |
moment's thought
Sometimes I wonder why I am so spontaneous. However, it seems to be that some of my clearest thinking and most accurately executed plans have happened in those moments of what seems to be pure impulse. I notice that what may be perceived as entirely random decisions have really been thought through many times internally, it is just their moment of implementation lets the rest of the world know. Anyway - this is entirely random, as usual. Current Mood: content | | Thursday, August 17th, 2006 | | 9:33 pm |
ECHO - Day 4
I survived bark burn and fire ants, but counterbalanced these experiences by visiting the Gulf of Mexico for the first time ever, and topping it off with mass consumption of sweet potato fries. If you're ever in Florida, you really ought to try sweet potato fries. Now that I've regained my land legs I'm going to try to wash the sea salt out of my hair. Current Mood: satisfied | | Wednesday, August 16th, 2006 | | 10:12 pm |
ECHO - Day 3
Today I peeled, crushed and mixed moringa seed kernels to treat "dirty" water... and by "dirty" water I mean we had to use some mildly algae-tainted pond water, pond water with some organic soot, and diluted decaf coffee. See, the water here in Fort Meyers, Florida is, in short, totally clean. The entire surface of the land here acts as a giant sand filter. It rains so frequently that anything that could be considered clay, or even silt, has been long since eroded away. Thus creating convincing "dirty" water for our experiment left something to be desired in the category of authenticity. After our water experiment, the true fun began. Beth Doer, the local Moringa expert, handed over two sacks of dried Moringa leaves - ready to be ground. Joel, Oliver and I got real familiar with Omega VI - the little grinder that could. I fed the hungry grinder while the guys took turns grinding and pushing leaves down. After the Omega VI was done with the Moringa, we sieved the product to produce a very fine, green powder - and whatever wasn't fine enough went in a separate pile to be used as "green fertilizer" and as an additive to the animal feed. Our grueling morning of grinding resulted in about five 2 cup bags of perfectly pulverized Moringa powder. There was a bag for each of us, and one remaining to share with the other workers here on the ECHO farm. Around noon, we arrived to the community lunch to bring additional nutrition to the meal. As if it had been planned this way, Megan had made spaghetti and a delicious tomato sauce from scratch. My plate resembled an Italian flag as I topped my pasta with vivid red sauce, leaf-green Moringa powder, and white Parmesan cheese. The meal was both delicious and nutritious. I spent my afternoon exploring the Moringa trees on campus here. I photographed many of the trees, and noted how they had been pruned. I read both of the papers Beth had written, and it confirmed my belief that this tree is really something special. Kyle and I had dinner with the Henry's at New Mission Systems International. They are a really nice family who lived and worked in Uzbekistan for 8 years... there is such an environmental mess there! I guess there are environmental messes in many places, but I just learned about the Aral Sea (ok, I already knew about the issues in general, but I've now heard about the details and the names of places). I can't believe it's Wednesday - the week is flying by, yet it seems like it's been a year since yesterday. I want to incorporate nutrition lessons, green house construction, and hands-on growing to my students next year... I am inspired about this and want to see it as community development in Cincinnati as well as educational for everybody involved. Current Mood:  creative | | Tuesday, August 15th, 2006 | | 9:51 pm |
ECHO - Day 2
I got to see Kyle today! He picked me up after lunch and took me to see where he works and his new set up. The offices there are totally decked out in the styles of where ever the people working in the respective offices travel. My favorite one (not that I'm bias or anything) was the office of the guy who works in Kenya. He had smooth, polished wood furniture, a massive warrior shield on the wall, drums, head-dresses, masks... it went on and on. I got to talk to some of Kyle's co-workers and they were all very nice. He misses the people back up in Cincinnati - but is adjusting to life next to the Gulf Stream. I've had a wonderful day, that included a campus tour, eating random leaves off of plants I'd never heard of before, tasting some REAL Moringa, a Bible Study, and creating a new "dish" which consisted of a sweet potato with mango juice and an egg on top (odd as that sounds, it was really quite tasty). I'm exhausted now, and everybody else has already gone to bed... so I guess I had better follow suit. Tomorrow starts at 7:30 and it's gonna be ALL DAY MORINGA! :-) Current Mood: cheerful | | Monday, August 14th, 2006 | | 9:13 pm |
ECHO - Day 1
Amazing! Wonderful! I have news to share with the world :-) This week I am at ECHO - Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization. I was drawn to ECHO due to my interest in the natural coagulant (that's for water treatment) Moringa. ECHO is located in Fort Meyers, Florida because this terrain provides opportunity to emulate conditions found in areas of the world where many people suffer from mal-nutrition. Their garden replicates agricultural conditions found in: 1. Tropical Rainforest 2. Tropical Highlands 3. Tropical Lowlands 4. Tropical Monsoon 5. Semi-arid 6. Rooftop The people here are amazing - I find commonality with them. I have some plans set up for the rest of my week, but it's not horrendously ridgid... so I am very comfortable with this. Today - We had a worship service at 8:30, then did prayer requests and break out sessions to get to know people. Then I was given a tour of the library and set up my schedule. I met with many people who've worked internationally in development and agriculture. I helped pick Chaya for lunch. Chaya is very drought resistant, so it would grow well in an area like Roche. It's also pest resistant because it contains cyonide. Animals with multi-chambered stomachs (like cows, goats, sheep...) can eat Chaya raw, but one chambered stomachs (humans, pigs, horses) would not do so well to eat it raw. Chaya is easily prepared for human consumption though - simply boil it for 5 to 10 minutes, then pour off the liquid. It cooks down like spinach or greens, and is loaded with nutritional content. I also got to cut the pineapple - that was very yummy . After lunch I went to a seminar on Nutritional Landscaping. I obtained information about vital nutrients and what foods were rich in each of them. We did a group project in which we designed "kitchen gardens" for family units in different climates. Some of them were really intricate, dictating which crops would be grown in which seasons to supply the people with food year round. I do not know seasonal agricultural, but could see how beneficial and practical its application is in areas where one must grow their own food. I think I may break some of this information down for my students through STEP lessons this year. I had dinner prepared by a very nice couple - they had been missionaries in Kenya and are now back in the United States for a while. The woman is from Finneytown, and we reminisced about Skyline Chili :-) Tomorrow I will go on a tour of the entire campus in the morning. And in the evening I will join the Bible Study with some of the people here. I will either study all afternoon, or try to meet up with Kyle and check out his office at New Mission Systems International. Wednesday I get to learn about Moringa ALL DAY. I will be crushing and mixing and drying and tasting... yeah, the whole bit most likely. And Wednesday afternoon, I get to - well - climb the Moringa Tree and pick as many pods as a Pumphrey can pick! I get to keep all that I pick - so I might have to pick them and then shell them while I'm at it or I'll never make it back to Cincinnati with all of these pods. Thursday I will be in the Semi-arid agricultural area - I'm going to learn as much as I can about those plants. Thursday afternoon there is another group project which should be fun. Friday will be filled with whatever I have not already done while I'm here - which will be so much! I am thinking about trying to get an internship here for after I graduate... I'm going to have to look into this. It's really incredible and there is so much information to learn - I'm enthralled! Saturday it's back to the 'Nati... that reminds me... I still need to arrange a ride to pick me up from the airport! Volunteers may email me or leave a voice message on my cell phone. Current Mood: impressed | | Sunday, July 23rd, 2006 | | 3:31 pm |
| | Friday, June 30th, 2006 | | 10:49 pm |
| | 10:30 pm |
| | Friday, June 9th, 2006 | | 8:07 am |
travel bug
I think it's contagious, and I mean that in a good way... the travel bug seems to have caught on to nearly all of my closest friends from college. One by one or group by group, friends of mine have been setting off to see the world and gain enlightened perspectives. It's really exciting and I feel blessed to be surrounded by people inspired in this way. Opportunities for global engagement seem to be around every corner, and the people I know are making the best of it. Current Mood: inspiredCurrent Music: Mighty Mighty Bosstones | | Wednesday, May 17th, 2006 | | 7:23 pm |
Officially...
I am the only person living in this house who is still in school. I'm also likely the oldest, but I haven't checked on that statistic yet. It's no wonder it feels like everybody else has more evening free-time! Well... back to the grind. I've got numerous lab reports and papers (not to mention a homework assignment from a PREVIOUS QUARTER) that all has to be turned in... um, plus some papers to grade from my students. Current Mood:  overwhelmed | | Monday, May 1st, 2006 | | 5:37 pm |
Angela's Lime Chicken
Oh my goodness... she's a gourmet chef! I'm writing this one down for future reference: Served on a bed of lettuce, with sautéed tomato and onion and garnished with fresh basil... Ingredients: - juice and zest of 2 limes - 3 tablespoons of sugar - 2 sticks of vanilla - 8 tablespoons of olive oil - salt & pepper - 1 peeled onion - 6 small tomatoes - lettuce - 4 chicken breasts - 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar * DRESSING: Combine the lime juice, zest, sugar and scrapings from the inside of the lemon sticks. Heat mixture until sugar dissolves then remove from heat and allow to cool. Add 5 TBSP of oil, plus salt and pepper to taste. * Cut onion into half-circle slices. Wash and dice tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Sauté onions and tomatoes in 1 TBSP oil until soft. Season with salt, pepper and vinegar. * Sauté chicken in 2 TBSP of oil * Arrange plate to have a bed of lettuce with the tomatoes and onions in the center, and the chicken around the circle. Pour dressing over the entire thing... it's delicious! Current Mood: satt sein | | Sunday, April 30th, 2006 | | 11:54 am |
Heute war ich bei ein Deutsche Hochzeit
I've been doing absolutely too much: too much doing and too much thinking. Yet, I've also been doing not enough: not enough reading and not enough sleeping. Well, I shall try to record a few of the facts for future reference. Gestern... um, wait... I mean "yesterday." Yes, well, yesterday my lovely host took me on a tour of Aachen. We visited the Dom here (which seems to have begun it's "constructionary" life in the year 800), and I got to see several things to do with Charlemagne. The tours were all in German... and I'm trying to understand it all! Angela also told me several of the tails told by Aacheners. It seems to me like all of the German tails of old about a city and or a church have something to do with the devil (a bit disturbing, I might add). Anyway, we got to see the main historical things of Aachen, including the Lindt factory whereby I purchased some good German chocolate! This morning I went to church with Angela and Roland. It was a classic-style church, and it's the same one in which they will be married this summer. Then we darted home and were quickly off again and heading to another church. So I attended the first German wedding I've ever been to. German Christians (at least the ones to whom I have spoken in length about the subject) have quite a different view of marriage from what American Christians do. I specify "Christians" because I know that marriage itself means different things depending on different beliefs, so I'm trying to compare "apples to apples" if you will. At any rate, these cultural differences are interesting to me, because I find cultures interesting. It is fun to talk to people about their culture as long as nobody insists on being "right" or the only way to be. There are some slight ceremonial differences even between people in the US, but entire practices are most frequently omitted from German weddings that are pretty common place in the US. For example, at the wedding today, the bride and groom showed up in a vehicle together. All of us (guests) waited outside the church to greet them on their way in. We were all seated while some music played, and then we all stood up (not for the bride, as she was already there, but) for the preacher! He spoke three different sermons: one that had to do with the "rock soup" story, and what individuals bring together becoming good, the second that had to do with how God loves people to be together, and a third for which I was falling asleep. At the end of the wedding, after some traditional vows were said, the bride and groom waited at the front of the church and we all lined up to greet them. Then guests waited outside, and threw rice and rose petals on the newly-weds. The final piece was the releasing of heart shaped helium balloons. Each balloon had a postcard attached, requesting whoever found it to write its location put it in a post box (postage already paid). The idea is to see which balloon traveled the farthest. The first thing that "surprised" me was the fact that the bride and groom arrived together. I asked if that was the groom and it was clear that I was expecting a traditional "American" wedding. It was quickly pointed out to me that our tradition of having the father "give the bride away" comes from a system that treated women as property to be traded. That made me frown. I never really thought about it that way, and prefer to think of it as part of including family in the ceremony. I said so, but decided thereafter to keep my mouth shut and simply observe the differences as they came. Ah well, it's not as though I really have to think about this subject much. It's just even over here in Germany I'm surrounded by people with this insane urgency to get married! ;-) I'm just teasing all of you engaged people ~ you know I think it's beautiful that you're so happy... but also crazy. I'm nearly beside myself because of how behind I'm getting due to these Aachen adventures. Always after we return from where-ever we've been, no matter how late, I try to get some work done. But that's just been making me over-tired and probably cranky. Angela and Roland have been absolutely wonderful, and I hope they've been enjoying my company. They realize I'm exhausted though, and so tomorrow we've not planned to do anything (ok, so I've planned to get work done...). One last comment for the day: it's freezing here! It's done nothing but rain and be cold. I've worn my sweater and some of Angela's just about ever minute I'm here. I should have packed warmer clothes! Current Mood:  chilly | | Friday, April 28th, 2006 | | 5:51 am |
ich bin hier und es ist wunderbar!
I am alive and well and perhaps better than ever. I was able to occupy two seats on the flight from Atlanta to Dusseldorf, allowing me plenty of room to curl up and sleep, in between having meals brought to me... so nice. Frau Neuss met me at the airport to take Simone's 50 lb. suitcase, then she helped get me on my way to the bahnhoff. I got a ticket to Aachen, and made it here without a problem. I have Bartley to thank for my safe and speedy arrival though, because he read me the details (the address I am now at) from a very important email when I didn't have internet access. Roland, Angela's fiance, met me with a big smile when I got here. He has set my computer up to get wireless internet access and is in the kitchen making lunch, for which Angela will soon be home. I'm so glad to be here, and I have managed to do most of my important communicating in German successfully so far today :-) Current Mood: chipper | | Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 | | 5:43 pm |
zuruck nach Deutschland
Well, I know it has been a long time since I've posted anything regularly... but let's just say that there has been a lot going on - so much that I haven't had time to decompress it all to the free world of blogging. All stories that could be told must wait for another date. I am just writing to document another trip to Europe. I will be going to Mulheim an der Ruhr, near Koeln, Germany. I'll be attending the 4th International Slow Sand and Alternative Biological Filtration Conference... pretty sweet! Check out the link if you're interested: http://www.biofiltration-con2006-iww.com/I'll be presenting my work, have a poster up, and get published all at once. Angela and Roland are going to greet me before the conference, and then I'll get to see Simone, Beana, Mindy and possibly Brent afterward. I'll be writing several papers for classes, reading lots of book (being a big nerd) and coming up with an awesome lesson plan on biodiversity for my Ecology students to do when I get back. That's the short story. Maybe I'll be able to update when I'm there. |
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