Host family

It was hard saying goodbye to my host family on Saturday. They were very welcoming and hospitable during my time there - I felt like part of the family. Deyanira runs a small corner store and takes care of her two boys, Alejandro and Sandro. She is an excellent cook and loves talking with her guests. I was really able to improve my Spanish as I communicated with the family. Deyanira's mother lives with them as well and loves spending her time talking with friends and neighbors in a rocking chair in the entrance to their store and home. Alejandro is in 6th grade, loves animals, and is an excellent artist. His mom hopes for him to be an architect some day. He knows a few words in English, and we had a lot of fun teaching each other new words in our languages. He loved throwing a football out in the street with me, showing me the turtles that were hibernating in their garden, and playing UNO every night. Alejandro had an infection in his tooth while I was there, so he was in a lot of pain for a few days. He is heading to Leon with his mom today to get a root canal. Sandro is in 4th grade, and he loves playing soccer with his friends and watching TV. He is sensitive but has a lot of energy and keeps his mom busy! He also loved playing games at night, so the checkers game I brought for them was perfect! The family has many pets, including 4 parakeets and a parrot named Rosita. The boys love their kitten, Christina, and their two dogs, Kenny and Pinky. They have a lot of visitors stay with them and are a happy, loving family to get to know. The boys were very sad when I left, but I told them I would come back some day soon!

Last day of work

There wasn't a whole lot to do on Friday as the work crew was ready to lay the rebar halfway up the walls. We were only working a half day so it worked out. I sifted more sand, removed the guideposts for the corner pillars that we put in on day one, shoveled sand and gravel for concrete, and carried more bricks. Other people polished bricks for the front side of the building, tied new rebar together, and mixed the concrete to be poured into the pillars. It was a fascinating process to watch the workers level off the rebar, tie boards with wire on opposite sides of the brick walls to pour the concrete into, and then shovel the concrete in quickly before it dried out. I amazed by how much work was done without any power tools or electricity - from removing a tree trunk to mixing concrete and creating metal pillars by hand. 

We had a nice surprise before lunch when the kids from the school asked if they could talk to us on our last day. The older kids in the group each stood up and personally thanked us for coming to help build their new school. They often worry about the dangers of learning in a building made of dirt that could collapse  in the event of tremors. Also, the old building is so small, the teacher has a hard time getting all the kids in and separating them out by age to teach them. It was a very touching experience as one by one they thanked us and God for sending us not only to construct the new school but to get to know the people in the community and work together with them on the project. The teacher thanked us as well and truly appreciates having a new, safe place to teach her students. Some people in our group spoke as well about how much we get out of the experience and truly appreciate the opportunity to work with the community. Then, a few of the students asked if they could come around and give each of us a hug showing their gratitude. 

We ended the work day with some soccer with the kids and a heartfelt goodbye to an amazing community of people who I hope to see again someday in the future. 

Bricklaying

Halfway through the week, we were able to start laying bricks. We had to mix the mortar using cement, sifted sand, and water. The local children were chipping in by carrying bricks over to the wall. 

We had over 30 people working on the construction, so everyone was able to take breaks from the heat and hard work every now and then. I took these opportunities to practice my Spanish with the community members and get to know the children in the school. 

These two boys, Hector and Erix, hung around the worksite after class was over  to watch us work, play soccer and frisbee, and talk with us. 

Once all four walls were started, we gathered together inside the new school for a picture. Only one day of work left!

Amazing progress!

Over the last 4 days, we have made a lot of progress on the school construction and have gotten a chance to get to know the people in the community of Piedra de Agua. 

Stage 1 - Mark the layout of the building and dig holes and trenches for the foundation

Stage 2 - Cut wire and form rebar for the foundation (all done by hand). 

Meanwhile, we are working on developing a permanent water system for the school by using water from a well that belongs to a nearby family. 

Stage 3 - Mix and pour concrete once the rebar pillar frames are placed in the holes. In order for this to happen, we mix cement, gravel, water, and sand that has been sifted. The mixing process is quite complicated when it is done by hand as you have to ensure that there aren't any dry spots in the concrete as well as keep the concrete moist until it is placed in the holes. After some concrete is poured into the holes, large rocks are placed in there to provide more stability. Then, we fill it to ground level with more concrete. The trenches are filled as well once rebar frames are placed connecting the pillars underground. 

Hard at work

I'm a bit behind on my updates, so I will try to capture all that we accomplished on the school construction from Monday to Wednesday. 

The road to Piedra de Agua Arriba where we are building the new school has some

amazing views of the countryside, but it is very steep and narrow. We decided yeaterday to take a different route that was a little longer but much easier for the drivers. Here are a few shots from the drive. 

On Monday, we arrived at the school location and started out by digging holes for the pillars and trenches between the holes, cutting wire, and making the rebar for the frame. We also had to find a way to get water to the school site, so one of our volunteers started on a siphon from a nearby well.