[Noisebridge-discuss] News from Frantisek, now in Mexico

[jim]

>From Frantisek, February 8,2010 

Frantisek Apfelbeck <algoldor at yahoo.com> 


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Greetings to Noisebridge!

I'm very sorry to take so long to get back to you guys. Yes, the things
went bad. 

With the help of many enthusiasts from Noisebridge and also San
Francisco Linux Group, I've got all the equipment nice and running
before leaving for Cuba (check my web page
http://frantisekapfelbeck.org/multimedia.html 
for the complete list of hardware). Basically all the hardware had been
confiscated at Havana airport because the cooperating association did
not fill the proper paper work (I spent there more than 7 hours, no
water, toilet etc. and I had to sleep at the airport later on, what a
great start!). 

We spent a month and a half trying to reclaim the equipment and I can
tell you the bureaucracy was terrible. At the end I had to leave the
island before the official response because the emigration was after me
(and you can believe me the interrogation which I went through was not
exactly “piece of cake”). I've been waiting now for two months to find
out what is the final verdict and no answers and I'm starting to be a
bit worried about my Cuban counterparts. I'm pretty sure that the
equipment is gone, stolen directly from customs storage area (as is a
custom there). 

I'm very sorry to let the supporters of this project down, I've done my
best to complete the mission but I was actually quite lucky to leave the
island (just in time, it was close shave). Please keep in mind that it
was not complete failure! I've proven that with help of devoted people
I'm able to get together decent equipment, make it work and deliver it
"nearly" to the end users. The next time I'll make sure that I'll take
it all the way!

Please feel free to contact me for more info, but be ready to use all
your brain  potential and Tolkien's style of imagination trying to
understand what is going on there. I've been living a little bit under
similar system as a child, however I've felt a bit like Alice in the
Wonderland, just the wonders where kind of wrong sort of ...

I'm keeping busy, volunteering for non profit organization Natate in San
Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico http://natate.org We are
cooperating with different indigenous communities, Zapatistas included,
trying to bring here international volunteers and get Mexican ones out.
You would not believe it, but they do not have nearly any computers here
and because I've still some Noisebridge stickers in my baggy, I'm
starting to prepare another "multimedia center project", however this
time with support of well established internationally aware organization
(Natate) and in much more paper work friendly environment (it is a bit
more easy to donate to Mexico than to Cuba not mentioning the
transportation). And all the computers in the office are running UBUNTU,
juchůůů!!!!

I should see you again around May, I'm now looking for some interesting
payed position for 4-6 months in sustainable development around Bay
Area, if you know about something let me know!

Hasta la Victoria,
Frantisek 

--------------------------------------------------
from frantisek's cover letter: 


By the way on 30.1.2010 I successfully completed 29 years of age! 

I've finally started to read the Noisebridge and Linux group digests.
I've to say, that I agree with you that the books should not leave the
spot because if they do it would be over ... 

Concerning me you already now but just to recapitulate the last few
months I've left Cuba in the mid December and I've been travelling
around Central America for some two months or so. I've visited Mexico,
Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua mostly hitch
hiking or taking the local buses. 

I've settled down now in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico.
I've got a very nice volunteer position with a non profit organization
Nataté which is involved with international volunteering focusing on
sustainable development of local communities. I'm now studying the
cultural environment here and I've found lots of space for promotion of
free source (our office is actually all running on Ubuntu, thanks God!).
I've been here already two years ago so I know the area a bit and it is
culturally very rich region but very poor concerning standards of living
and education. I'm also starting my own “fermentation project” so I'm
going to be pretty busy here.  

I've been waiting for some two months for an official response
concerning the multimedia center reclaim and I think it is over. I'd
like to ask you, if you could put it on the next Noisebridge discussion
meeting, so the case is closed. I'm really sorry for this, but I can not
do anything with that anymore. I've attached a text document which I'd
like to ask you to read there in my name (please correct the mistakes
first :-))!   

And now about the future, what am I going to do this spring and summer?
I've an opportunity to come back to Alaska and fish there for few months
and get quite a decent wages (I have to pay around $3000 of depth and I
need to save some money for my future stay in Japan which I plan at the
end of 2010 (up to year and half long)). 

However I am considering to turn Alaska down and to apply for a payed
position in the field of sustainable development around San Francisco
Bay Area for 4-6 months. I'm interested a lot in organic agriculture,
but I'm also considering other jobs in food production and preservation
with microorganisms like yogurt production, cheese making etc (that is
actually priority). I'll be also checking Ecology Center Berkeley and
other institutions alike. I know that it is quite broad spectrum of
projects but I've a lot to learn and I need to know all pieces of the
puzzle. The good news is, that I've an opportunity to apply for J1 visa
which allows me to have it nice and legal. It would cost me around $1000
which I don't have of course but I would sort this out, somehow (or if
the employer would not mind, I would let it go and do it the traditional
way, I've got the social security number, I'll be in USA legally and I
can get a driving license as ID, that should be enough to keep me and
the employer quite safe). 

I wouldn't mind to be just volunteering but I have to get some cash to
keep me moving. If you would know about something please let me know!
I'm now contacting quite nice few friends, organizations and companies
however every other contact is good because it increases my chances. I
wonder how do you feel about the economics now? Good or bad, some
hopes?  

And before I finish the most important thing. I've further specified
what I would like to do and I'm actually partly doing that. As I have
said before I want to be a project leader in the projects in sustainable
development of local communities. I think that I want to focus on spots
hit by some disaster. As for my own specialization I want to continue to
study food production and preservation with the use of microorganisms.
Well so here I'm! Getting now more experience in this in Nataté,
planning the same in USA for 4-6 months and after that going to Japan. 

I have to say that it was hard for me to resist and not to go to help in
Haiti but I do not think that it was the right time for me to do that. I
can not see how I would be able to leave in the middle of work.  

Sincerely, 
Frantisek