Estudio de Topografia

The surveyors started work last week (they are creating a contour map of all construction areas to at the 1 meter detail level). It’s so nice to finally have someone out there actually accomplishing something! Not just us working here in the office laying the groundwork.

Another company was supposed to start digging the well yesterday, but they put us off again. I haven’t had to be too pushy yet, but I embarked on it today in an email (Ok, I’ve been a little pushy all the way along, but this was the first obvious time).

I’m really unsure what results I’ll get, however. I know exactly what would happen in the US, but here there’s a possibility it will completely backfire. There’s a reason why so many people here are good at talking all the way around a subject and then back again in very pretty language, because often that is how you get people to do stuff for you. I’m definitely not that good at it.


I think some of it comes from so much of the population trying to get things done from a place outside of power. In the US, generally we use the power that we have over someone (a contract, fear of being fired, etc) if nothing else will work. Here, because contracts are hard to enforce (the legal system is incredibly slow and unpredictable if you aren't one of the 'in' crowd) and people have their jobs in the first place because they're family, that just doesn't happen. Those are broad generalizations, but they have truth to them.