Today we finished the foundation for the house. It was amazing! We arrived at 8 a.m. and stayed until 3:30 p.m. when the job was finished. We first placed the rebar in the trenches and then began filling in the trenches with cement.
After today, I have a new appreciation for the work that my dad did in Peru. The first days on the job in Peru the men were mixing the cement by hand. I had no idea what this entailed until today. The entire foundation was filled with hand-mixed cement. We formed groups and traded off the responsibility but it was extremely physical work. It was good for the kids to experience and they worked hard, but they tired quickly. One of the other girl chaperones (from St. Louis) and I hit the ground running with the cement mixing. At one point, her and I got in the zone and actually synchronized our shovel strokes without even realizing it. The whole worksite stopped to watch us. We were oblivious. At one point she casually pointed out, ‘You can tell we’re Midwest farm girls.’ Yes, we are. : )
To see the finished foundation was overwhelming. We have accomplished so much in just 2 ½ days. I am so proud of the kids! We were all working toward one goal today and didn’t quit until it was completed. This is what I’ve been missing in my life. This has been an incredible experience.
Today was especially nice because although the humidity was still there, the skies were mostly overcast which made the grueling work a little more bearable. It was great.
Anyway, I got to finish off the day helping Gerry teach his dance class (apparently my Cuban friend needed some Salsa 101 pointers… just kidding!). It was excellent though because Gerry is a great dancer and we got to show off in front of his group a little bit with our dance skills. (Mom, if it helps, we showed off in cooking class demonstrating how to make Salsa and Merengue). : )
I am physically and emotionally drained right now. It has been one fantastic day. Tomorrow I am transferring to Flamingo to hang out with Muni for a few days. I’m really excited!
Chao for now,
Jessica Lynn
After today, I have a new appreciation for the work that my dad did in Peru. The first days on the job in Peru the men were mixing the cement by hand. I had no idea what this entailed until today. The entire foundation was filled with hand-mixed cement. We formed groups and traded off the responsibility but it was extremely physical work. It was good for the kids to experience and they worked hard, but they tired quickly. One of the other girl chaperones (from St. Louis) and I hit the ground running with the cement mixing. At one point, her and I got in the zone and actually synchronized our shovel strokes without even realizing it. The whole worksite stopped to watch us. We were oblivious. At one point she casually pointed out, ‘You can tell we’re Midwest farm girls.’ Yes, we are. : )
To see the finished foundation was overwhelming. We have accomplished so much in just 2 ½ days. I am so proud of the kids! We were all working toward one goal today and didn’t quit until it was completed. This is what I’ve been missing in my life. This has been an incredible experience.
Today was especially nice because although the humidity was still there, the skies were mostly overcast which made the grueling work a little more bearable. It was great.
Anyway, I got to finish off the day helping Gerry teach his dance class (apparently my Cuban friend needed some Salsa 101 pointers… just kidding!). It was excellent though because Gerry is a great dancer and we got to show off in front of his group a little bit with our dance skills. (Mom, if it helps, we showed off in cooking class demonstrating how to make Salsa and Merengue). : )
I am physically and emotionally drained right now. It has been one fantastic day. Tomorrow I am transferring to Flamingo to hang out with Muni for a few days. I’m really excited!
Chao for now,
Jessica Lynn
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