Team2Build

Friday is the "final" work day: do as much of the third trench as possible, clean the dusty, muddy rooms and floors, leave clothes and cruddy shoes at the site--and the final farewell ceremonies. Thoughts of "why can't we stay longer" as well as "it will be good to sleep in my own bed" abound. It's amazing how close we got when working on a common goal. A good time was had by all! "I think we all would love to take the breakfast buffet home...but we have one more crack at it tomorrow morning." (Eunice) What will we remember? What will we miss? Some thoughts... "I will remember and miss the camaraderie of a group of strangers coming together--working, laughing and sharing stories and labor, and then leaving as friends." (Kathe, Colorado) "The laughter, the ... read more

"We feel like the Seven Dwarfs heading out to work at the Blue Cross Foundation's Outpatient Clinic in Czechowice-Dziedzice -- all in a row -- except there are only 4 of us (Amy, Andrea, Christina and Sally). We're all female, and we follow Ted (Tadeusz)! After our family meeting yesterday, we enjoyed Ted's company with us at lunch. Sonia also joins us and interprets. We have come to enjoy Ted's "quirkiness" and the quiet drives in the van -- even having a clue where to go -- turn right before McDonald's, follow the road by the church and turn at the railroad tracks. John (Yahn) must be half saint to be working and painting with 4 women all day, but he just smiles and shakes his head. Suavik, the therapist whose office we have invaded as ... read more

After a hearty breakfast and devotions in the Qubus Hotel lobby, our team walked across the street in a drizzle to the Blue Cross Foundation office for safety training and a team photo indoors. We are assigned to three different project locations in Bielsko-Biala: an outpatient clinic, the readaptation center, and an administration building. Each are located approximately 20 minutes from our hotel, and we are transported by various means. Tasks include removing wallpaper, preparing walls for painting, scraping, taping, starting on a ceiling, sanding fence boards, doors and windows, painting and staining. Later this week, and hopefully after the drizzly rains stop, we can tackle a "tunnel", which is a 20-meter long trench for wastewater plumbing. We form mini-teams at each of our locations and are working well together. It is hard to "spokojmie" -- ... read more

A hearty Polish breakfast refreshed our team on Saturday morning, and several of us ventured out for first experiences in withdrawing Polish Zloty from ATMs. One of us actually emptied an ATM! Today promised to be sunny and warm, and it is -- a wonderful day for a city orientation tour via electric tram. We boarded right outside our hotel entrance to explore the beautiful old city of Krakow, including the Kazimierz district. Our group also had a chance to visit the Oskar Schindler Factory Muzeum, viewing typical life for Krakow residents from pre-WWII era through the German occupation time period. The remainder of the day is free time for everyone to explore and enjoy Krakow on their own. Several took the opportunity to tour the Wieliczka Salt Mine (UNESCO site) with its 3-mile underground walk, ... read more