Monday November 22

Rosie had the pleasure of witnessing my Buckwheat hairdo this morning!  Up early for our first day at the two building sites.  Team Tony consisted of Barry, Dave G, Gerry (Geraldo), Camille, Helen, Jen, and Rita.  We were  VERY fortunate to arrive on site which was already cleared and trenches dug.  The rebar was already cut and put together over the weekend by the two masons, Stanislaw and Juan.  We mixed concrete and soil and then added to the trenches to have a level measurement.  We then helped to lay the rebar then began cutting wire and tying off.  The family was on site as they live right next door.  Adan and Arminda have 4 children.  They welcomed us into their home with pride and warmth.  Their current home consists of pieces of wood patched together with a piece of metal for a roof that was held down by rocks.  There was not a single nail holding the house together.  There was no floor just dirt.  Adan built a table while we worked.  They brought the table into their home and Arminda covered it with a tablecloth so that we could eat our lunch in comfort and shade.  Cannot explain how this simple gesture overwhelmed all of us.  We played with the children and took lots of pictures.  Even though we do not speak the same language we managed to understand each other.  Left the site at 4 pm and had our usual meeting, refreshments and much needed showers before dinner.  Might visit the carnival down the street...we'll see how much energy we have left.

Team Paul´s site had not been started, so we (Paul, Chris, Jill, Jeff, Wendy, Bill, Terry, Rosie, Dave, Carolyn, John, Cheryl and Johnny the translator) spent the day building trenches for the walls.   The 6 room (approx. 500 sq.ft) home, took us the entire day to dig.  My visions of tanning in the sun at lunch were diminished by¨nine thirty when the heat and sweat was getting to the majority of us.  We started taking frequent breaks and drinking LOTS of water....and by lunch, Paul was asking us all "have you peed yet"???  This is the universal question during the builds to ensure everyone is drinking enough so that dehydration does not become an issue.  We were greeted twice during the day by a parade of cattle a (with a few horses thrown in) wandering down the street.  We also had the blessing of a real toilet!!!!  There was a home across the street from our build who graciously allowed us use of their facilities, we were very, very appreciative!!  Julia, the mom we met prior, and the recipient of the home, joined us most of the day, as well as her son Christian.  She told Jill of her own visions of building a basketball hoop at the back of the property when the home was completed.  Our masons were Francisco and Alex, who continuously measured our trenches throughout the day until we reached 32 inches.  As difficult as the day was physically, there is no doubting it was a great way to start our week here.  Until tomorrow......