Build Day 1

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Day one of the build. Our team members are chomping at the bit to get this work of building started. Half of us are dropped at the first location (Jenna's group aka Team Piranha) where we are building for Doris who is 35 and has 4 children. Then the second group is dropped at a house we are building for a young family (ages 17 and 22 with a 1 year old daughter). This is Erik's team - Team Ramrod.



The greetings are shy. But the teams are ready for work. Everyone jumps in with much eagerness.

The houses are being built right in the middle of an existing coimmunity. It's incredible to be building a house right in someone's backyard' complete with the faint smell of woodsmoke, cactus fencing, and barbed wire clothes lines. The children are curious but sometimes reserved. We had fun when they called out "Hello Gringa!"



Team Piranha is building for Doris, who makes and sells tortillas with with her mother, right out of their open air kitchen. I had the opportunity to make tortillas, with instruction from the grandmother right in the kitchen. Making the rounded flat dough, placing it on the griddle that sits over an open fire, flipping it, patting it and finally removing. It was so touching. She spent so much time with me and was absolutely lovely. Reminded me of my grandmother. She never moved out of that kitchen all day. It was over 100 degrees F in that kitchen with nary a breeze. Never taking a break to eat or rest. 2 cordobas a tortilla (30 cordoba = $1). For our afternoon snack we bought tortillas from her and added fresh queso from a nearby store. OH YUUMM. Delicioso.

Team Ramrod found their female owner to be very nice, hardworking, but a bit reserved. She was married at 15. The neighbor children were very friendly - playing with the team members and snorting like Peppa Pig.

There are animals everywhere. Cows, pigs, dogs, cats, birds, horses. Just loose in the street.



In short, gatorade is good and AC is amazing. On to day two!

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