Day 8, R & R

This was our final full day here.  We said goodbye to the hotel we had stayed at up in the mountains for the whole week (Hotel Alicante Montana, Ahuachapan, El Salvador), to head towards the beach, much closer to the airport.

It was about a three and a half hour drive, with a lot of Oceanside views, to our last destination before heading home, (Hotel Rancho Estero y Mar, La Paz, El Salvador)

 

This hotel was right across from the beach where we played in the waves, even Dale.  This hotel was interesting because it had animals all throughout.  There were parrots, peacocks, an alligator, turtles, horses, monkeys, and others that I just didn't have time to see.

 

After everyone settled in to our rooms, we met for lunch, then headed off to the beach.

 

 

 

We had a special surprise when we checked in to the hotel.  A local group raises sea turtles and frees them into the ocean.  They are trying to bring back the levels of some of the endangered species that are found off the coast of El Salvador.  It was pretty awesome, we were able to help sea turtles get back into the ocean.

 

They roped off an area on the beach for us to free the turtles, and so no one would accidentally step on them.

 

There were a ton of little turtles that they were going to set loose.

This was one of the turtles that I sent back home.

 

                                                      It was such a unique experience.

Looking at the onlookers, they were just as excited as I was.  You could almost feel the electricity, or maybe it was just pins and needles running though my back from the manual labor the week prior.

 

 

After the day on the beach, we met for our last dinner together, and got some sleep, before our early wakeup to get to the airport, and to our lives back home.

 

 

 

 

Well, that about sums up our experiences with this trip.  I learned a lot, that I will take home with me.  It was a very humbling and eye opening experience.  The group was so great, and I made some new friends, even some that we will stay in El Salvador.  If anyone is inspired to go on a trip like this, I urge you to do so.  Take the plunge and just commit.  It will be a very rewarding experience.

 

I have to give credit to a few people

 

First is Anthony Bianchi, our photographer.  Without him, this blog would not be as alive as it was, capturing what we experienced through the lens.

 

 

And to Dale and Andy, our fearless leaders.  Who coordinated everything, planned most of our trip, lead our talks, and kept us going throughout this trip. 

 

 

Thanks for putting in the time, and planning everything for us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last work day, such a happy day!

We will start off with Flory's Flowers

 

 

Today was bittersweet.  For anyone on the outside following us on this adventure, today was great!  It was our last work day, we get to go to the beach tomorrow for some sun fun and rest and relaxation, only to depart home on Sunday morning and share our adventures and experiences.  For us here, it was the end of the connections, and relationships that we had created over the past week...which was harder than I expected.  The good news is, that there is always more work to be done, as long as we have leaders, and time available to help.

 

Even though our broken Spanish barely communicated with the masons, the families, and the locals here, we were all part of something bigger than any single one of us.  We did a lot of work on the houses.  And for every day that we spend as a group working on these sites, is roughly equivalent to 3 days for the workers.  They truly appreciate us being there.

 

Having finished digging that darn hole for the septic, and putting up the walls as high as we could, we finally took our last scoop, or painted our last stroke.  We then went to lunch where we had a very special celebration for the week.

 

After a very warm and heartfelt thank you from members of the community, and from Habitat El Salvador, it really hit home what an impact our short week here could have.  With no more work, we could really hear the gratitude, and the magnitude of what we had just done for the community.

 

      Here are our interpreters that we had for most of the week,

Alex on the left, and Miguel on the right.

Our musical entertainment for the celebration!

Everyone was on the dance floor with a smile on their faces!

The one thing that was translated of all the thanks, and happiness that hit home to a lot of us was this.  God will reward you, because we can not repay you.

 

 

Our Team!

 

Day 6, The End is Near

Day 6 already.  We are looking at our second to last work day, and it is still very, very hot and humid.  Once again, the walls reached higher, and the holes were dug deeper. 

 

We connected even more with the people living in the community, and the masons and families on our sites.  As with everything, relationships are made, then broken, but memories and pride can last much longer.

 

This is one group, at one of the houses we have been working on all week.

 

This is the other group that we had working at the other site.

This is a tool to pound the earth to pack it in that has been going on at one of the houses as dirt is filled in the house. 

We mixed the cement on the street with a hose and a shovel, and worked on filling the cinderblocks as the walls were built up.

This is the hole we keep digging, and digging, and digging.  Tomorrow it will be done...

 

Flory's flowers.

Today was not a full day of work.  In the afternoon, we gathered some people from the community from young to old, and played a game of soccer.  We had a few of the people from the community we are building, our interpreter/guide, a mason, and a bunch of our group out playing.  The thing that was so remarkable to me was that playing soccer, there was no language barrier, just everyone out there having fun.

 

This is Pepe, a neighbor of one of the houses we are building.  He was pretty good for his size, and kept running all day.

 

 

Those that chose not to participate in the activity side, were very active, and we had fans and a cheering section.

 

Anthony and I were on the same team.  When we asked Pepe on the field what team he was on, he said ours.  Then the next play, he took the ball and scooted right by us.  Anthony is being a fatherly figure, and a true Italian (notice the hands when speaking) about Pepe's conduct.

We also had someone try something new today.  Dan "hurt" his hamstring... most likely getting out of work tomorrow, or at least limited work.  Kudos to you on your creative excuse for getting an easy day tomorrow!

Hump Day in El Salvador... It's HOT

 

We all have made it so far with no major injuries, illnesses, or hospital visits, which is great.  Today was another day at the jobs we are working on...the walls grew higher, and the pit grew deeper.  The only thing different about today was the fact that it was a full day of work, and it was the hottest day so far that we have been here.

 

Moving Dirt is FUN!

 

 

 Building walls is FUN!

 

 

Sanding the walls is FUN!

This is the hole for the septic system, that some of you are familiar with, and for those who don't know...digging in the heat is hard work. (actually everything in the heat here is hard work)

 

 

When it is 87 out and 89% humidity, sometimes people make modifications to their clothes by cutting the arms off and making sweat bands.  It works two fold, keeps the sweat from dripping into your eyes and stinging, keeps your arms cooler, and what a fashion statement!

 

This is a tradition called a "siesta".  A siesta is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after a midday meal... such as lunch.  Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those where the weather is warm.

For your viewing pleasure, Flory's flowers

 

 

In the same community, this is one of the Habitat homes that was finished, and is now inhabited.  Once again, we can see the pride in ownership with the home, and we actually got to meet the family that lives there. 

 

This is the family that lives there (minus the father).  The father works during the day, but on the weekends, they sell plants for extra income.  The backyard was filled with cocoa plants and other assorted different plants waiting to be sold.  Something I took away from this was when one of the twin girls (who is 16) was excited to have a Habitat home, so she could have a nice home to bring friends over, to study with.

Just like last time, we had some quality time with the locals, especially the children.

 

James is not just an excellent digger, he is also good with the neighbor children.

And finally there is our leader Dale.  Not only did he coordinate this trip for us all, he is also a local doctor.  He issued some duct tape to cover my blister, which worked wonders.  Thanks Dale!