Thursday, March 10, 2011

Day 6: Last Full Day on the Build

Thursday March 10, 2011

Everyone was a-buzz this morning due to the fact that it was our last full day on the job site. Several people in the group commented on how our time in El Salvador has flown by. It was also suggested that we stay another couple weeks, just to see our project through to completion. Don’t worry we’ll all be boarding the plane together on Monday morning.

No water again but we weren’t worried. Well except maybe Chris, who made a concerted effort not to get too dirty in case he wouldn’t be able to shower at the end of the day. That effort lasted approximately 20 minutes.

Today our house began to take shape. We started putting concrete blocks down and filling them in with mortar and chispa (a more coarse type of mortar). It was hot and the sun was beating down on us as per usual –the result? Shorter fuses. The biggest challenge our group has faced is the lack of tools or jobs for all of us to be busy at one time. We moved blocks and mixed the mortar and chispa, we tied wire and filled cemented blocks, we poured water on blocks and the footing itself to keep the dust down, we did just about anything we could think of and still at times there was nothing to be done.



It didn’t help that we got rained out this afternoon. We had a late lunch and right as our break was about to end, the storm clouds rolled in. It began to rain and in El Salvador you don’t work in the rain. We once again took refuge in Edith’s house where we had an ice cream snack and waited for our bus to pick us up since it didn’t look like the rain was going to let up anytime soon.

There was a combination of relief that the work was over for the day but also disappointment that we wouldn’t make more progress.

We were informed on the bus that Zacate had no electricity and that we wouldn’t have power at the hostel. This meant no showers. As luck would have it, we only had to wait 10 minutes for the power to come back on. We got cleaned up and some of us went to the internet cafĂ© while others opted to stay behind and nap or relax. Our last dinner at the hostel was rather surreal, as Will once again commented on the fact that it felt like time had just disappeared on us.

Tomorrow we only work until 11:30, when we’ll be picked up by the bus to be taken to our closing ceremony. While we’re sad to be leaving our only partially finished house, everyone is excited about the beach and the resort. Hopefully we leave the rain behind in Zacatecoluca!

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