Today was our last day on the build sites. It is a bittersweet moment for all of us. We have come to know and love our families and masons. When you only have a short time, you get real close real fast. We will miss them.
When we came there was only a foundation. Today, the houses are two rows short of the gable ends and the roofs. We all wish we could see the final result, but the masons have two more weeks of work to do.
Throughout the week we wondered if we were actually helping or if we were just in the way of the professionals. Today, we knew we made a difference and were actually helping. We knew we made a difference as we formed the "bucket brigade" to send "mescela" or mortar from one end of the build site to the top of the scaffolding where the head mason poured it into the walls. We knew we made a difference when we formed another brigade to move a pile of gravel. We knew we made a difference as we moved the last block out of the yard and into the house. We knew we made a difference when we saw a pile of rebar ribs ready for the masons to use while we were gone. We knew we made a difference when we turned in our work gloves and trowels for our masons to use long after we´ve gone. We knew we made a difference when we turned in 6 garbage bags full of clothes, a box of shoes and several boxes of children´s toys and craft supplies to Habitat Guatemala. Yes, our work here made a difference.
The closing ceremonies where the families, the masons and Habitat Guatemala expressed their gratitude also showed us that we made a difference in these families' lives. Their gratitude was expressed with gifts, prayers, tears and food for all of us.
As much as we tried - and boy did we try with our own words and prayers - , I don't think we succeeded in expressing how much we appreciated being here, how much we are taking away from this experience and what an honour it was to be a part of building a home for these families.
It was a day of blessings for all.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Why Do You Come Here?
As the days go by we are getting to know the Guatemalan masons on our worksite. They are hard working, great guys who are as curious and interested in us as we are in them. Today, with the help of our interpreter, we shared some basic information about our age, family status, work, etc. We also talked a lot about the Canadian climate which they are fascinated by.
One question they raised was why do you come here? A thought provoking question for sure to which we responded:
We have come to show you that we care about you and the people of Guatemala. We want to share our good fortune and many blessings with you. We want to help create a caring global community. We want to learn more about you, your people and your country.
In another conversation the mother of one of the home owners simply says "Thank you for your sacrifice in coming here". We respond "It is not a sacrifice, it is our pleasure and honour."
One question they raised was why do you come here? A thought provoking question for sure to which we responded:
We have come to show you that we care about you and the people of Guatemala. We want to share our good fortune and many blessings with you. We want to help create a caring global community. We want to learn more about you, your people and your country.
In another conversation the mother of one of the home owners simply says "Thank you for your sacrifice in coming here". We respond "It is not a sacrifice, it is our pleasure and honour."
I can´t believe how much French I know!
Just when you think you´re on a roll with speaking a little Spanish in sneaks a French word. Sil vous plais, merci, tres grand, pardon, etc. are frequently heard from us Canadians. Who knew we knew that much French!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Ants Go Marching
Today, at the coffee plantation, we saw a line of leaf cutter ants. It was right out of a National Geographic special. Imagine a two inch path at least 100 feet long running through the forest underbrush. The dried leaves, twigs, rocks and other debris were cleared away and all that you could see as far as you could look was a row of ants each carrying a small piece of leaf on their back. Wow. Sadly, we couldn´t follow the path to its final destination, but we were all thoroughly impressed.
Apparently, the plantation owners are OK with having them as they attract a certain fungus that they like having on their property.
A very cool thing to see.
A Zippy Surprise
What an amazing day!
I´m feeling a little guilty - we´re having a lot of fun! Our team has formed an instant tight bond where we share everything from bowel movements to food concerns to favourite music. Hey, when you share a hole to pee in, modesty goes out the window real quick!
Anyway, after a half day of work moving more bricks and bending more rebar, we took the afternoon off and toured a coffee plantation. This cooperative employs 1200 people year round. The building infrastructure is minimal, but the number of plants is grand - we can only imagine how many people and how many hours it must take to pick all those beautiful coffee beans. At this plantation they grow high altitude, Bourbon and Courto (?) coffee beans that are a mix of sun and shade beans. They dry the beans but send them out to be roasted.
The property also included a tree reserve made up of tall North American pines, Guatemalan bamboo, and other trees. The biggest surprise of all were the four Zip lines that were part of the forest. Imagine me zipping over the tops of coffee plants, water ponds and bush. What a thrill. I know my son Aidan would love it. The finale of the tour was a taste of coffee back at the main office. Simply amazing and certainly an unexpected treat.
The weather continues to be a little rainy at nights and early morning but warms up to hover around 20 degrees. The evenings require a sweater.
Now, for all you Canadians - how would you explain the difference between the use of Hey and eh? We had a lengthy discussion on this topic with our Habitat Guatemala volunteers who happen to be American. Go ahead try and come up with an explanation and examples of each.
Today´s build also included a very special ceremony. We are about half way up and decided that we should burry some Canadian toonies in the building for good luck. So, we pulled out some Canadian coins. Our Guatemalan builders were very interested in seeing our coins and the strange animals on them. We never could figure out how to say beaver, but the charades were pretty impressive. Finally, we put one twoonie on each side of the entranceway. This way, a piece of us will always remain with these families in Guatemala.
Wouldn´t you say that´s a great day - building a home for a deserving family, creating lifetime friendships and trying something new and exciting for the first time?
I´m feeling a little guilty - we´re having a lot of fun! Our team has formed an instant tight bond where we share everything from bowel movements to food concerns to favourite music. Hey, when you share a hole to pee in, modesty goes out the window real quick!
Anyway, after a half day of work moving more bricks and bending more rebar, we took the afternoon off and toured a coffee plantation. This cooperative employs 1200 people year round. The building infrastructure is minimal, but the number of plants is grand - we can only imagine how many people and how many hours it must take to pick all those beautiful coffee beans. At this plantation they grow high altitude, Bourbon and Courto (?) coffee beans that are a mix of sun and shade beans. They dry the beans but send them out to be roasted.
The property also included a tree reserve made up of tall North American pines, Guatemalan bamboo, and other trees. The biggest surprise of all were the four Zip lines that were part of the forest. Imagine me zipping over the tops of coffee plants, water ponds and bush. What a thrill. I know my son Aidan would love it. The finale of the tour was a taste of coffee back at the main office. Simply amazing and certainly an unexpected treat.
The weather continues to be a little rainy at nights and early morning but warms up to hover around 20 degrees. The evenings require a sweater.
Now, for all you Canadians - how would you explain the difference between the use of Hey and eh? We had a lengthy discussion on this topic with our Habitat Guatemala volunteers who happen to be American. Go ahead try and come up with an explanation and examples of each.
Today´s build also included a very special ceremony. We are about half way up and decided that we should burry some Canadian toonies in the building for good luck. So, we pulled out some Canadian coins. Our Guatemalan builders were very interested in seeing our coins and the strange animals on them. We never could figure out how to say beaver, but the charades were pretty impressive. Finally, we put one twoonie on each side of the entranceway. This way, a piece of us will always remain with these families in Guatemala.
Wouldn´t you say that´s a great day - building a home for a deserving family, creating lifetime friendships and trying something new and exciting for the first time?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Build Day Two
Day two at the build started off with lots of rain. Luckily it stopped after a while and we were able to dry off. We were tieing rebar together for earthquake protection - an added layer of rebar in the middle of the house. We´re on row 5 of 11 rows of cinder block before we do the gable for the roof.
The build is really well organized and our Master Mason is super at giving us jobs to do. He doesn't speak English, but he gets his message across. He always has a smile. I think the mason team has fun at our expense - crazy gringos.
Went out for dinner tonight at a restaurant filled with orchids.
Amazing to see the conditions people can actually live in. We have such a great country.
Gotta go, long line up for computer, just a short blog tonight!
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Work Begins
Today was our first day of building. We have two families and two homes to build. They are 500 square feet cinder block construction. They are a square with four rooms equally divided. In the back, the deluxe models have a bathroom and a kitchen.
Our work included: cutting rebar, sifting sand to separate out the rocks, moving cinder blocks, mixing mortar, chiseling cinder blocks into U shapes (without busting them!), putting mortar between the cinder blocks that the professional masons had placed into position on the walls and twisting rebar. We finished two rows today. It was tiring, repetitive work - most of our backs and shoulders are quite sore. But, it was great to feel useful and to actually build a house. The families are so appreciative.
The families and builders do not speak English. We (thirteen Canadian volunteers) speak very little Spanish. Communicating is tough, so we mostly point, smile and do whatever they show us. It seems to be working just fine and everyone is still smiling.
The chefs at our hotel are very concerned about feeding us Canadian food - we had spaghetti and meat sauce for supper. We´re trying to encourage them to feed us more traditional food. We had ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch. Although they were sitting outside all day - we are definitely taking some food risks!
The commraderie amongst the volunteers is awesome. After supper we´ve been sharing some wine and playing cards and chit chatting. Although tonight will be another early night - we´re all exhausted.
The line up for this computer is growing, it´s time to sign off.
All the best.
Our work included: cutting rebar, sifting sand to separate out the rocks, moving cinder blocks, mixing mortar, chiseling cinder blocks into U shapes (without busting them!), putting mortar between the cinder blocks that the professional masons had placed into position on the walls and twisting rebar. We finished two rows today. It was tiring, repetitive work - most of our backs and shoulders are quite sore. But, it was great to feel useful and to actually build a house. The families are so appreciative.
The families and builders do not speak English. We (thirteen Canadian volunteers) speak very little Spanish. Communicating is tough, so we mostly point, smile and do whatever they show us. It seems to be working just fine and everyone is still smiling.
The chefs at our hotel are very concerned about feeding us Canadian food - we had spaghetti and meat sauce for supper. We´re trying to encourage them to feed us more traditional food. We had ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch. Although they were sitting outside all day - we are definitely taking some food risks!
The commraderie amongst the volunteers is awesome. After supper we´ve been sharing some wine and playing cards and chit chatting. Although tonight will be another early night - we´re all exhausted.
The line up for this computer is growing, it´s time to sign off.
All the best.
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