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Published: August 8th 2011
Today we went to the build site for the whole day. In the morning it was really hot and humid. It gives us a new appreciation for hot and humid days in Ottawa. I´m sure we will feel chilly when we get home.
Jessica and Vance weren´t feeling well so they decided to stay back today. Fortunately, everyone else has been feeling fine. We have been vigiliant about making sure everything is cooked and telling the kids what is a good choice and what isn´t. We aren´t having any milk products since we can´t be sure if they are pasturized. Any fruits that are high in water like watermelon are off the list. This morning we had some small bananas. They were delicious. They are so much sweeter than the ones we get in the grocery store.
Today we saw a scorpion. The people here were very careful to show us how they remove the stinger and then we could look at it closely.
Some of us tried Nacatamales for breakfast. They were a combination of rice, corn meal, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and meat with seasonings wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked. It was very tasty.
At the build site we were divided into groups. One group moved pails of gravel - it was very hot and heavy work. Another group worked on adding bricks to the walls of the school and putting the mortar in place. Another group constructed the rebar structures that are used to keep the walls of the school rigid. The process involved forming squares out of a piece of metal that was about 16 inches long - this is used as a spacer for 4 pieces of rebar. The rebar is tied to each inside corner of the square with small pieces of metal that are cut by hand, tied by hand and twisted and trimmed by hand. Another job involved adding rocks and gravel to the road coming in to the build site so that the one truck could get in without getting stuck in the mud and the oxen with their cart could carry stuff back and forth easily.
We have also been vigilant with the youth in making sure that they wear their hats (when they remember to bring them to the build site), put on sun screen and most importantly, take a water break when ever
they need to and often.
Some of the youth have headed off to visit a cathedral in the town of El Sauce and participate in a mass. Whenever we go somewhere away from the hotel, someone from the SchoolBOX team always accompanies us. We are not allowed to walk on our own. Their primary rule is our safety.
The kids today were really cute and we have all taken a great liking to Orlandito. We all want to bring him home. He was not wearing any shoes today and after we inquired, it seems he doesn´t own any and not even any sandals. We are hoping that we have a pair of shoes that will fit him. We have given them some candy and a soccer ball but most of the gifts will have to wait until later in the week.
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Tara Miller
non-member comment
wow! Way to go!
it is inspiring to see this work happening! All because a group of people not only talk the talk, but actually walk the walk. We take school for granted in this country. Only seeing these photos and reading the blog do we begin to understand that it's not like that everywhere.