1) This title bring my personality to life -- and sets an expectation for the tone of voice and the familiarity with which you will be reading about my work and your personal experiences.
2) It's catchy and easy to remember -- making it easier for people to return to the website because it remains top of mind.
3) Makes what could be seen as a mundane or even off-putting topic (composting latrines), more approachable to readers -- increasing people's likelihood to take that first read.
4) The title is well suited to my target market (family and friends) -- we all have a bit of silly in us (and love a good potty joke :) ).
On family vacation this past week, her argument won me over. In the end, I have a market-approved title, and if the title doesn't bring you back to the blog, I hope some of my stories will.
That being said, I leave tomorrow for Panama to begin training as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Environmental Health sector. My volunteer position is as an Environmental Health Extensionist. In other words, I will most likely be building latrines, constructing water systems, promoting hygiene, and doing whatever project my host community wants me to do. As you can see, the questions about my next two years abound, but I'm excited to find out the answers in time. I'll keep you posted. :) As of right now, I really only know that snail mail can be sent to:
Cuerpo de Paz
Tricia Wilbur
Edificio 240, 3er Piso
Calle Victor Iglesias
Ciudad del Saber, Clayton
Corregimiento de Ancón
Panamá, Rep. de Panamá
Over the next two years, I will also be working on my Master's thesis as part of the Master's International Peace Corps Program in Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida. I'll be conducting interviews and observing multiple communities in order to gain a better understanding of the perceptions and user knowledge of composting latrines. While these latrines can produce a nutrient-rich fertilizer, composting latrines often go unused because of the higher maintenance required for the latrine. Hopefully, this thesis can lead to a more appropriate solution that meets the social, environmental, and economic needs of the rural Panamanians. Sounds a bit idealistic, but what new Peace Corps Volunteer isn't a bit idealistic as a "save the world" type, even if their dealing with poop?
Anyway, I'm very excited to get down there, and if anyone is interested in living in a hut for a few days, I'd love to have visitors. Well, thanks for reading and I hope to entertain you with stories and maybe some potty humor in the future. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment