The working week

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Of course, this trip isn´t entirely about sitting in bars and drinking, although the carribbean is only a short flight away - idea! The main reason why I´m out here is to work with the organisation "Houses to Homes (casas a hogares)". They build houses for people living in little more than sugarcane shacks and who hardly have any form of income. For this reason, all they have to do is contact the organisation and they can get a house for free. They´re nothing fancy mind, but the concrete walls do make a hell of a difference, especially when we were caught out in the rain whilst building!
Although we move around the area quite a bit - and consequently you often move to different sites. However the main stages of the building process are:*clearing the old shack away and pulling it down, upon which you suddenly work out that everything moving is potentially lethal, namely spiders the size of your hand! *Digging trenches for the foundations and mixing up concrete after lugging the sand and cement around *Laying the first 4 rows of bricks and more mixing * laying the next few levels of bricks and finally *Sticking on a corregatted iron roof, attaching the door and windows and handing over the keys to the family
This week I´ve been in one of the smaller villages on the outskirts of Antigua called Alotenango. Started on Monday with an easy bit of painting - the houses are painted once completed but then need a second coat after 6 months or so. After that it was time to start moving stuff around and we spent the next few days digging out trenches for foundations and mixing cement and setting bricks. At one of the sites, the sand was about 50 meters from the needed site and so we hand to lug the entire pile up steps dug into the ground, whilst avoiding a myriad of washing lines, small kids and dogs. The kids are really funny though. Most have never seen a camera so when you take pictures of the landscape, they want to see as well and love being caught on film themselves. Most are happy to run of to the local shop and get you some food too which is handy around lunchtime!
We work (the volunteers, mostly from england too I might add) with a team of Guatemalan builders who oversee the work and help out. At the start of the day i.e. 9ish, everyone jumps into the back of 1 of 3 trucks and we head off to the site. Mostly you just have to hang on but other times it can be more interesting, such as when we had to shift some enormous 11-12 ft planks that are used as scaffolding. Would you believe that the wouldn´t fit in the truck?? The solution: stick the tailgate down and drive along with the volunteers sitting on the planks with the wood hanging out the back! It´s even better when it decides to rain at the same time!
The work itself is pretty tricky and tiring, especially with the heat and humidity, although when you´re so high in the mountains, it´s a tad cooler.Usually you work for 3 hours, then lunch in the shade. Afterwards more work, then back in the truck to head back. Quick shower, dinner then out to a bar with the others!

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Photos

Chillaxing Guatemalan style
After dismantling the old shack. All of the old materials had to be carried through to the area in the back there. From right to left: Kate, one of the volunteers; Fernando "Chiki"; Edgar; The soon-to-be-owner

The volunteers
The rest of the group on this site - another was underway elsewhere. L to R: Ella; Beth; Dave; Karen

Finally cleared
Before: a shack. Now: well, you can see. Whilst clearing this site, we came across the biggest spiders I have ever seen. Also a number of ants that, although small, have a git of a bite! Huge spiders not pictured.

Digging Foundations
At a different site but still in Alotenango. L to R: Becki; Kate; Arlene

Playing cards
After lunch we thought we´d have a pre-work break with "Orejillas", a guatemalan card game that involves pulling the ears of whoever loses. Thankfully, I never lost!

Mixing cement
After hauling buckets of Sand, Gravel, cement and water to the right place, we mixed it to pour it into the foundations. Not pictured: an absolute legend of a chap who helped me carry all 18 buckets of sand and gravel. Otherwise, we wouldn´t have finished.

How to carry scaffolding planks
Really, it doesn´t look that bad from this angle

Health and safety?
My face doesn´t really betray the fact that we´re sitting on the planks, with the tailgate down whilst driving along at 40 odd mph

The truck behind
Our other vehicle for transport with two of our Guatemalans in the front, Eño and Tomas. Posers!

Another day at work
In Alotenango. In the foreground, Ella bringing in water with volcanoes Fuego and Acatenango in the background

Fuego and Acatenango
Fuego, on the left, has nothing growing near the cone due to recent eruptions

Taking it easy
Eño having a kip in a wheelbarrow. Pauli, in the background, is another one of the workforce

Slowly but surely
With the foundations in place, we start to add the cinder blocks. Cuchi in green, on top of the next house, fitting the roof on. It´s how ours will look in a couple of days.

One of the kids who´ll be living in the house
After seeing me take some other pictures, he wanted his done too. In the background, his friend gets in the photo too

Taking shelter in one of the shacks
As homly as it was, a river was forming through the middle of the shack to join the one outside the door, and a mist was coming in through the ceiling