The Last Day...

Our last day on the official itinerary - about half the team is leaving tomorrow starting with pre-dawn pickups at 4:00 AM and continuing through the day, and the rest have scattered departure dates until the end of the week.

It was a free day for all in the lovely town of Antigua. Some chose to sleep in, but most of the group woke in time to have breakfast and some more of that fantastic hot chocolate. Various amusements then included a walk up to Cerro de la Cruz for views of the volcano and city, shopping, visiting with new friends, more shopping, visiting a museum, Spanish lessons, and at least one well-needed massage.

John and Eileen discussing directions

We all met at 7:00 PM for our last meal at the five-star Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua, a very impressive establishment with a chef who won the right to participate in the Bocuse D'Or competition in France in 2011. The location was in a restored convent with lovely grounds, rose petals in water, lots of candles, and our hostess was even dressed in a convent attire. The meal was superb - although there was a bit of a delay while they finished growing the wheat for Eileen's pasta dish. We finished off with our final round of 'one good thing, one bad thing, and one thing we learned'.

back at the hotel, there were some last-minute t-shirt signing, a bunch of hugs and well wishes, and some final forays into the late-night establishments of Antigua City. Day is done.

Hosta Luego!!!

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Packing Wrapup

After our final round of 'one good thing, one bad thing, and one thing we have learned', Eileen suggested another round of comments related to packing - to cover what we would bring next time, what we would leave behind. Here are some of the replies that I was able to capture:

What at least one person will consider bringing next time:

• soap
• a smaller suitcase
• a bigger suitcase
• less clothes
• more clothes for each day - to leave behind
• a brush
• more running shoes (size 13)
• cheap work socks
• rain pants
• safety goggles
• vitamin C and echinacea
• another sweater
• a pillow
• heating blanket
• parka
• another set of earplugs
• Sharpie permanent pen
• Kleenex to the closing ceremony

What at least one person will consider leaving at home next time:

• far too many clothes
• thousands of face wipes
• shaving supplies
• second pair of boots
• second book
• phone
• pre-conceived notions

Other comments included:

• It was good to move the volcano hike to the beginning of the trip to take advantage of the known good weather, and also because everyone would have been too tired at the end.
• It would have been nice to be able to do more for the families, although everyone understood why it had to be like that.
• It would be nice to have a hotel with consistent hot water.
• Our team was AWESOME!

Krista and the Ultima Dia con Los Familias

Content by Krista

The Hotel in Tecpan where we have been staying has been cold and lacking in certain necessities by our standards such as hot water and clean towels and sheets etc. However there is no comparison to what these two families lack in their everyday lives and yet they put more than a foot forward to trudge through life and make the next day better than the last. I remind myself that what I have is a million times more than many others here and despite the hotel not being a 4 star, I have somewhere to sleep tonight that is safe and “warm” unlike many people here.

I, like my team mates have had the ultimate pleasure of working side by side a man with great strength and determination not only as his trade as a Mason, but also as a husband, father and grandfather. It is his family whom he is building this house for. The relationship has been strengthened by our determination to learn and to help someone much less fortunate than us affected by Mother Nature’s wrath. We were able to bridge some language gaps and share stories bringing us closer as a team and establishing a bond of trust with our new found friends for life.

Team Timoteo all gathered in the new bedroom.

As our team sat at breakfast this morning you could see the somberness on everyone’s faces myself included, knowing that we would be saying goodbye later today not having finished what we had started. We headed off to the work sites in different directions and had our final day with Timoteo and the other team with Juan. Team Timoteo chopped through and moved what we often referred to as the endless piles of dirt, and moved so many concrete blocks from one spot to another I don’t dare count. I learned how to lay brick and watched with curiosity as Timoteo measured and fitted blocks, trimming them when needed with his Machete as the sparks flew sporadically. It was a great day but it was filled with emotion. Timoteo gave me a huge hug shortly into the day and told me how thankful he was and how much he would miss us when we left today. I developed a great bond with this man and we both had tears well in our eyes as we expressed how much the other had grown to care for them.

Packing up to head to the other site for our closing ceremonies was also a difficult task as it meant saying goodbye to the children next door that I have grown to love and have enjoyed so much seeing their smiling faces everyday. This family nest door to our site was a huge part of our experience here and we got to see first hand how so many people share such a small space to live, work eat and sleep in, with nothing more than a dirt floor and space being shared with the animals.  

Juan

Timoteo and his wife

The closing ceremonies consisted of many, many expressions of thanks and gratitude towards the people that volunteered their time to help these two families that were affected so deeply by the Agatha storm move forward and rebuild their homes. The team and families shared in prayers, expressions of thanks, and of course tears of happiness for the families to move forward with life but also sadness of saying goodbye for now. Before we left both families we had the opportunity to travel up through the field to where Juan’s previous family home had been washed away by a mudslide that leveled his home, killed his wife, son and brother and left him with a broken leg and arm to care for his other younger son. This new home is bitter sweet as this family continues to grieve the loss of their previous home and loved ones as they put on a brave face and attempt happiness with a new home in a safer location away from the hills.

As I stood having juice with Timoteo and his family as we awaited our ride back to the city I thought to myself how incredibly amazing this experience was for me and how blessed I felt to be surrounded by amazing people that are caring and willing to put forth a small amount of effort to make and incredible difference in the lives of many, in our own country and abroad.

My name is Krista and this was my first Habitat build, and it definitely will not be my last!

A Moving Experience

Content by John

I had a most profound experience in Santiago on Lake Atitilan with Brooke on Sunday, October 17.  

We left the boat  and wandered through the market area up to the Cathedral through the milling throngs of the local people.  Just as we arrived at the Cathedral, a small procession was moving its way towards the steps of the Cathedral – men with musical instruments playing beautiful music and men, women and children all singing with joy on their faces.  They moved up the steps into the Cathedral and we moved up to the top of the steps to watch what was happening inside.  The Mass was just starting with the Cathedral packed with people overflowing into the area at the top of the steps where we stood.  Brooke and I removed our hats and stood motionless watching the scene in front of us.  

The most beautiful music came out of the door as some interesting instruments were being played and the whole congregation in lovely melody.  A woman then read a passage – maybe from the bible.  I was interested in the role of this woman in the normally male preserve of the Catholic Church.  A young woman then sang – with the most beautiful voice.  Again, another female taking a significant part in the ceremony.   

A long sermon followed during which time I was observing the people in the area outside of the main door where we were standing.  A man stood for a time with his baby – thoroughly enjoying his offspring – and the interaction between father and baby was moving to watch.  Off to the right, I noticed a woman, probably the mother, watching this interaction with a wonderful smile on her face.  It was the mother and soon father and baby joined mother and she then talked with the father as she breast-fed the baby.   There was clearly a strong love and affection between this couple as they sat there – with the woman continuing to exhibit an infectious smile on her face.  Two little boys were sitting on the floor in front of us – Dad, or maybe grandfather was standing next to them – their play was delightful to watch – gentle play with each pushing and touching the other.  They seemed so real, as did all the people around us.  

Later in the ceremony, when the ‘greeting’ took place with people shaking each other’s hands, I was deeply touched with all the people around us, were insistent that they shake our hands.  We were included even though we looked so different physically with our western travel clothes.  There was a real connection as each person held my hand and looked me in the face.  I felt very humble that these people were making this genuine gesture of inclusion.  

I can go on and on – it was a most moving and wonderful experience for me – and I know that Brooke was also finding this a profound experience as we talked about it afterwards.  I felt very privileged to have had this experience.

Megan and Panajachel

Content by Megan

I'm sitting back in the hotel lobby in Tecpan. We had our last earthquake tremor yesterday morning. I am reminded that makes 3 earthquakes in 24 hours. 

The last two days have been a much needed rest from cold hotel rooms, 400 wheel barrels of dirt and moving 500 cement blocks. I miss Timoteo and my family.

 

We drive to Panajachel and I see nothing by sheer cliffs of mud. Many have taken over the road. There are "attention" signs everywhere we look. Mudslides took my family's house and life. I am very aware of the power of nature here. Mud, sheer cliffs and missing road. More mud, sheer cliffs and MORE missing roads. I just want to make it to Pana, safely.

I felt very moved while my team and I walked through the Mayan ruins. These stones and pathways have been standing longer than Canada has been a country. The grass was emerald green, the sun was hot and the trees towered like high rises in NYC. I see well fed dogs running around the green lands. I watched the locals smoke hand rolled cigars, while they chanted around an open fire. They had candles lit, beads hanging from the stones and a duck tied to a stone. I make the mistake of asking "What's with the duck?" My guide informs me it is for a live sacrifice that will happen shortly. My stomach sinks and we leave the tribe. I see lovers kissing in the grass a bit further up. This place is sacred, and full of blessed, loving experiences. I think of my family and friends at home. I miss my loved ones. I walk through the grass, see cows, listen to birds and cannot imagine that I am standing in such a place.

Panajachel was breathtaking. The city is full of life. Shops everywhere and shop keepers yelling out that they have the better deal. We awoke early to take a ferry across the lake to Santiago de Atitlan. It was like living in a postcard. To my left I see a volcano smoking. To my right lush green tropical lands. In front of me crystal blue water and sunny skies. Behind me, the port with shops and restaurants. The sun heats up my back (I remember I have a wicked sun burn!) and Krista and I sit on the bow of the boat laughing about how lucky we are.

Once we arrive, we start shopping. Everything can become a deal. The shop keeper says "120 Q?", I say "40Q", He says "80Q", I say "40", he says "Okay, good price for you!". I am able to barter everything down and I pick up some amazing gifts for my friends and family. I walk with Krista, Mel, Trent, Amanda and Colin. We laugh and sing and shop. We all find a sweet cafe to have papas fritas (french fries) and something to drink. The sun is still hot. There are lush green plants in every corner of the cafe. We sit on the patio and Trent finally gets to have his local, hand rolled cigar. We laugh more. Bob Marley plays in the background the entire time we sit in the cafe. "Don't you worry, about a thing! Every little thing, is gonna be alright!"



Colin retrieves his prized possession...



The morning in Santiago ends and we head back to land while rain hits the boat, like a bat hitting a baseball. We are rocked on the lake. The wind is cooler and the sun is gone. The volcanoes hover over us, smoking quietly. I say a little prayer to get safely back to shore. The boat rocks again and I know I'm not the only one saying prayers.

We arrive safely. Colin, Krista, Mel, Amanda and I go to another cafe. This one overlooks the water and it's now pouring. The rain is coming down in sheets. We take a table, order another drink and wait out the weather. We tell stories. We laugh. We laugh more. We have guacamole and nachos. We laugh more. Bob Marley plays in the background. The sun comes out for our walk back into the city.

Tomorrow is the last day with my family. It is the day that I am able to help Timoteo and his family with their house. I think about it and the bond we now have and my heart breaks. I don't want to leave this family. I want to stay here and help them. I already know that tomorrow is going to be one of the toughest days of my life. Wish me luck.

Saturday Report

Content by Joanne

 

We had a big day today. A half-day build, then back to Tecpan for a quick shower and pack-up for our ride to Panajachel on the shores of Lake Atitlan. The weather is still perfect - no rain in sight.

Team Timoteo

When we arrived today, Timoteo greeted us all by name - he has definitely been studying from the notes he made yesterday. It was very touching.

Our work today included our continued favourite - DMA (dirt management activities). We even had to expand the DMA activities to include dump control - scraping down the dump site further down into the river bed. Reports were that this was an aroma-challenged job.

We leveled off the half of the front garden that was not covered with bricks, and then set up a brick-chain to move the bricks from one side to the other.

More members of the team were able to try their hand at brick-laying with great success, and we were able to squeeze in some sand-sifting which is rapidly becoming the job of choice. We are now on the second level of bricks - it is moving much faster now.

R&R Activities

After a quick lunch of soup, taco salad, and vegetables, and an even quicker shower, we packed up all our gear for storage and took a day-pack for the overnight in Panajachel. Just outside of Tecpan we stopped at  the Mayan ruin site of Iximche. It had a royal residence, a sports field, and quite a number of temples and alters in a fairly large and peaceful location. The area in the back of the site was where we spent most of our time, though. At the last alter site, there were two traditional ceremonies being held.

The first one we came across was preparation for a Mayan sacrifice complete with a still-live duck on a tethered rope. There were about 10 people in a loose circle around a fire that held candles and once-raw-eggs. The head-of-house was saying prayers (as far as I could tell) while taking swigs from a Brava beer. At various points in time, the spouse put some liquid in her mouth and sprayed it over the back and front of each member, some cards were put into the fires at the alter site, and a young boy loosened up the ducks neck - although that may have only been for our benefit.




On the other side of the alter was another ceremony, but this was one was to Maximon. This ceremony seemed to be an initiation or a training session between a priest and a younger man. There was lots of chanting, smoking pipes, fire, walking through the fire, standing in the fire on one foot, and exploding cherry bombs inside of cans. Not a good idea to stand too close to that one. It was fascinating to watch, but we wisely decided to leave before the duck played his starring role next door...

A Most Awesome Birthday Present

The drive to Panajachel took us past waterfalls and glimpses of the large lake below. Winding roads took us down to the lakeside and a much-more-touristy area where we had a bit of retail therapy before supper. Our hotel is once again very nice, although the wireless internet was not functional, and the supplied computer had a spanish keyboard, rubbed-off letters and a slow connection. At supper we celebrated Lisa's birthday (today), and John's birthday (tomorrow), and the late-night activities for some included hearing some live music and watching salsa dancing.

Megan and the Last Full Build Day

Content by Megan

"Te amo, Maggie! Te amo..." This sentence means "I love you". This is how Timoteo greeted me this morning after wrapping me up into a bear hug. I blushed and he kissed my cheek. "Gracias, te amo!" is how I reply. I have worked along side Timo for four straight days. He has watched me dig the endless pile of dirt, get a horrible sunburn, be covered in concrete, laugh, cry and push harder than I ever have in my life. We laugh and tell stories about our very different lives. No matter the language barrier we still find a way to connect. Everyday we play a game that my mother taught me. We sit down and say "something good. Something bad and something we learned". I have played this game my entire life at dinner time. Now my entire Habitat team and this amazing family from Guatemala, also plays with me, everyday. I have to thank my mother again. My highlight for today was the best coffee that I have ever tasted in my life!! We all sat down, played my game and drank coffee. I am here and I really am making a difference.

We have also become very close with the family next door. Jan, Sonja, Anna, Julio and Gregorio are the children that fill my days with laughter. I teach them bits of English and they love riding in the wheel barrel, although my back says "No! Stop!", I wave my hand and they pile in to have me push them up the hill again. I do this 70 times and each time, the laugh like it's the first. Anna kisses me and points at my sunglasses, "Maggie! Maggie!", she jumps around and slides them over her face. We laugh and tickle each other. Sonja stands to the outside of the group. She is very sick. She has missed four days of school and did not come out of the house, until today. Her mother keeps her inside, in bed next to the wood stove. The wood stove that is not vented outside. She smells of damp smoke. She coughs, and shivers. Her nose is constantly running. I call her over and she hugs me, "Ola Maggie!" she says and leans her head to my chest. I do not care that this child is dirty or sick, I just care that she gets better. I wipe her face and she smiles. I do not want to leave these families and go back to my life. I want to stay here and continue to make a difference in their lives. No matter the troubles, the illness, or the poverty, they find a way to laugh with me. Everyday, we laugh.

I come back to the hotel and my entire group from Habitat is becoming more like a family everyday. We walk around the market and connect with the locals. I make a trip to the pharmacy and find that their security system is ....

As I am sitting here, writing this blog, an earthquake just shook me like a rag doll, reminding me I am far from home. The lights flashed and the lamp above my danced in the air. Everyone came running out of their rooms, saying "Did you feel that?!! That was an earthquake!!" I am nervous of how the rest of my stay here in Tecpan will turn out.

Security here is a man sitting beside the cash desk with either a sawed off shotgun or a machine gun. I also see everyone here carrying machetes, like someone would carry a purse. I see children, women and men carrying them as they walk along the streets. They wak and swing them around. I smile and thank God I am in a locked bus. The way of life here is very different.

We only have one more full day with my family. I am not looking forward to saying goodbye. I have fallen in love with Timo Taehho and his family. I have fallen in love with this entire experience.

Friday Update

Content by Amanda and Joanne

We're ready for our last full work day on the site today. We have a half-day on Saturday and another half-day on Monday, but this is the last full day so everyone is starting to get concerned over leaving our new friends. The houses will not be finished - that was never expected - but we have a strong base, and the bricks are starting to go up row by row, so we can actually see above-ground progress.

Team Timoteo

Timoteo was already hard at work on the site when we arrived, and had removed all the wood used for forms. He was accompanied by his son since the kids are all finished school until January, and we were keen to start laying brick. That was not to be right away, though.

Our first task was to scrape the cement off all the wooden forms so that they could be used again - that was easy.

Our second task was to lower the level of the floor inside the house to the top of the cement footings - about 30 cm. So - you guessed it - more shovelling dirt into wheelbarrows, down the hill, across the street, over the fence (well, the fence in our drop site is pretty much gone now), and into the river-bed. We are collecting quite a bit of dirt at the drop-site so we even have to do some dirt-maintenance activities down by the river. When that was all done and leveled, Timoteo confirmed our worst fears by letting us know that the front garden area (where we put the previous dirt, leveled it out, tamped it down, and even made cement pancakes on top of) had to be level with the inside floor - so now we had to dig through hardened dirt - and the remains of a concrete pancake to get the dirt in the wheelbarrow, down the hill, across the street..... you know the drill. By the end of the day dirt was pronounced a four-letter word.    

Tim Horton's Guatemala Style

We had a special break-time today. Guatemalan coffee!! It was very sweet - and those of the group that are coffee experts proclaimed it to be the best they had tasted. I do not even like coffee, and found it very good - or perhaps that was the sugar... Timoteo's wife was there for the occasion and also his four-year-old grand-daughter (or it could have been his daughter - I still do not have the family tree worked out), and apparently kids drink coffee at a very young age.

While we were working on dirt-management-activities (DMA), Timoteo was concentrating on getting the corner blocks set. These are the very important corner stones and needed to be 'just so', so we left him alone with his plumb-bob to his delicate task. We also did sand-screening to get all the big bits of sand from the sand pile. This is needed to get a nice smooth cement for between the bricks - as any rocks would make it difficult placement exactly right. An enjoyable activity - to be sure - and we got to avoid DMA for a while (bonus!!). Krista taught us the proper technique to protect our back, and we had a good old chin-wag while preparing extra sifted-sand for Timoteo to use next week.

By the end of the day, Timoteo had all the corners done and started connecting the walls - which was a task he felt comfortable delegating to Long Colin. Colin did an excellent job - although not quite as fast as Timoteo (OK, nowhere near as fast as Timoteo) but when the bus rolled up at 4:00 the first row was 2/3 done.

Oh Canada!

Team Juan

When the alarm went off this morning all I could think was "no way is it 7am already". Muscles aching and a little lack of sleep due to the rocking party the hotel decided host last night I forced myself out of bed and was ready to start the day. Expecting everyone to be a little groggy in the morning I was shocked to show up for breakfast with everybody ready to go. 

Once we arrived at the work site, immediately everyone was slapping on the sunscreen and looking for something to do. Myself (Amanda), Tim, Melanie and Brooke started mixing the concrete right away to fill in the holes for the mason so that he could keep going laying the bricks up while the shoveling experts Eileen, Lisa, John began to clear out the dirt for the flooring. These two difficult tasks were completed by lunch time and we all sat down to take a rest. 

Lunch times are always full of great conversations and sometimes followed by a relaxing stretch in the grass. Ready to go again we are all assigned very important jobs by the mason. Lisa, John and Melanie are assigned to chip away at the bricks which takes about 20 minutes for each brick. In the mean time Eileen, Tim and Brooke are mixing concrete and filling the holes to keep up while the mason and I are laying the bricks carefully and making sure they are level. I was very privileged to have the trust from the mason to do this job. I learned a lot about the techniques they use.

The house is looking great and going up very quickly with the awesome team work and great instructions from our awesome mason Juan. At the end of the day when the team gets to look at the work we have accomplished we all feel very good leaving the work site. Although everyone is tired from all the hard work we’ve done, we’re itching to get back at it tomorrow. Although today was our last full day of work we are confident that our next two half days will be effective and get as much work done as we possibly can. It will be hard to leave this family of 10 although knowing the impact we left and how much appreciation they have for us helping them leaves us with ease and I am sure everyone plans on coming back to do more good for families as kind and as appreciative as this wonderful family.

During our pre-dinner shower time, we had an earth tremor (don't use the 'e' word - people may get nervous). The beds shook, the chairs moved, and the hanging lights swung. It only lasted about 8 seconds, but it was certainly enough to get this girl off the bed, out the door, and quick-as-a-bunny out into the street. The locals thought I was nuts - but hey, this is new for me....

Supper was pasta, coleslaw, and meat-loaf - once again a very good meal. Some pre-packing for our change of locale tomorrow, internet catch-up, and chat time. More bricks tomorrow !!!!

Thursday Report

Content by Melanie and Joanne

Thursday was another perfect day for work. Sunshine interspersed with clouds. Although it does not seem too hot, sunscreen is needed. We are all getting tanned, and some a bit sunburned from the southern sun. Amanda even has a very cool band-aid tan and Melanie has a mohawk-style sunburn!

This was market day in Tecpan. People were setting up their spots the previous night and this morning the whole central town was filled with people selling material, baskets, live chickens, pigs, and an interesting offering of  'live crabs strung together by string' - you have to wonder where they came from ....









Team Timoteo

There was a pretty strong desire to get the last of the dirt moved from the garden area, so that was the first order of the day - loading more wheelbarrows and moving them down the hill and over to the river. Next step was tying more re-bar - this time putting the corner supports in place, and placing more of the upright bars at appropriate sections along the walls. This was pretty tight work, with the hardest part as finding where to put your feet. Once this was all done, we were ready for the next step... concreto !!!





Mixing concrete is quite an eye-opener:

Trent Scraping the Plate



- First you get 6 wheelbarrows full of sand, 3 of rocks, and 3 bags of cement. When we were all set,  Timoteo let us know with a chuckle that it was six Guatemalan sized fills - to the rim. We were taking as much content as we could manhandle up the hill - which eventually meant that we had to get three more. So I guess you could say that wheelbarrows have a 1.5 exchange rate....

- Next you put the sand on the bottom, and pour the cement on the top.

- Shovel the sand mountain from one side to the other to mix is up
- Then you shovel it back!
- Next you make a pancake out of the mixture - a  flat area about 12 feet across
- Sprinkle the rocks all over the top - this is the blueberry sauce on top of the pancake
- Now you make a canal around the outer rim, to hold the water runoff and allow the outer edge to be a barrier against runaway 'syrup'
- The syrup (water) is then spread all over the top of the pancake and allowed to soak in.
- Then you mix - starting from the inside. If you need more water you open up the water canal, and if your mix is too lumpy you add a bit of pancake mix from the outside.
- Load into buckets (not too full, please this stuff is heavy), and continue until the pancake is all gone
- Scrape the plate with a hoe and start again ("Not down to the dirt - we're not planting you know" - Timoteo)

 Team Juan

We left the site yesterday with a huge sense of pride and purpose.  All of the materials from the road made it into the cornfield of dreams.  The concrete was poured and the small compact "home" now had a foundation that was left to dry overnight.  Our arrival in the morning was met by a surprising pile of bricks and sand and gravel.  We were expecting the bricks -- the sand and gravel was a bonus.

Corn Dolly?

The team split somewhat with Tim and John playing middle men in the corn path and Amanda and Lisa taking the load the first 100meters.  Brooke was our tireless loading machine.  Melanie and Eileen spent three hours sifting every last granual of sand into a pebble clear dust suitable for mixing cement.  We are an amazing team.  The mason, the neighbors, the community -- all of us are rooting for this family.  With the help of one and all, full rows materialize on the structure.  Lunch is met with camaraderie, laughter and always the kids providing winning smiles and bashful glances.  Our muscles are starting to stiffen after the few minutes of relief sitting in the warm Guatemalan sun and yet we are determined.  Lisa and Eileen take over the sifting and the rest push through the endless corn with the sand.  That will be our goal for today.  Get the sand done.  3:52pm mission complete.




The team cheers as the last wheelbarrow rounds the bend into the clearing.

My name is Melanie and I used to love corn.

Wednesday Report

Content by Joanne and Tim

Up early again for our second day on the build site. Breakfast was eggs, beans, porridge and warm buns. Another beautiful day in paradise as the two vans take off. Tall Colin has left us today to go and meet another group arriving soon, and Long Colin was switched from Team Timoteo to Team Juan to help cart the truckload of supplies from the drop site to the build site. A brief inter-site visit to ensure first-aid kit coverage and we were off.

Team Timoteo

Consulting with Timoteo and his son over placement of the doors

When Team Timoteo arrived, Timoteo was already hard at work. The trenches we dug yesterday to 30 cm now needed to be 64 cm, so we all dug in with hoes and  pickaxes and shovels to get the job done. The next task - which was a massive one - was to take away all the dirt that we had piled in the 'garden' area. Since it was now higher than the foundation level, water would drain back into the house as opposed to down the hill. For a family that lost their house to water previously, this was not a good position to be in. All in all, over 250 wheelbarrows full of dirt were taken from the build site, down a hill, over a plank, across the street, and over a hedge. In the afternoon Timoteo's son and one grandson (ages 12 and 13) came to help - which was a gret boon to our tiring muscles.

How to tie Re-Bar like a Pro.

Another task we did included tying re-bar. Although the re-bar comes preformed in a triangular shape, all of the soldered areas had to be reinforces with wire. Timoteo gave us some training and we were soon experts (at least in our minds). Once all of the individual lengths of re-bar were reinforced, they were placed in the trenches, and lashed together.

Master Photographer Anna

After lunch the kids arrived, and we had great fun with them again. Dan wanted a group photo once all the re-bar was in place, and Anna (age 11) complete with baby strapped to her side, took the picture for us.

Apparently she is a budding photographer, having been the only one to catch a picture of a fast-moving chicken in their house next door.

Team Juan

As we departed for the work site on this day, we fully expected to spend the entire day moving sand, stone, bags of cement and cement blocks on the narrow 150 meter long dirt path winding through the corn fields running from the road to our work site, a real life "field of dreams".  However, as we arrived at 9 AM, we learned that the 20 and 40 kilo cement bags had already been moved by Julian and 3 others at 5 PM the previous evening and that the cement blocks had not yet been delivered. We immediately got to work moving the sand and stone ... the team worked very efficiently together with some of us filling and others pushing old, rusty, heavy and unbalanced tin wheelbarrows roughly midway down the path before handing them off to 2 others who took them the rest of the way and then back to the hander offers. Juan's young son Pablo and another child were with us all morning and every so often they lucked out and hitched wheelbarrow rides from one of us, laughing out loud, making race car sounds and bending forward as though riding a horse.

Our mason, whose name is also Juan, had arrived at 7 AM that morning and had made significant progress in laying the re-bar down in the one foot deep trenches that we had dug out the previous day. By the time we finished lunch he was ready for us to assist in filling the trenches with concrete. He requested that we mix the concrete in a proportion of 10 sand, 5 stone and 5 cement ... I was sure that he was referring to 10, 5 and 5 shovels and that we would be continuously mixing, but Colin explained that he was in fact referring to wheelbarrows. I had never seen such a large "volcano" of concrete being mixed by hand before and was stunned.  But once we got it all mixed and passed it through in buckets to fill the trenches, we were asked to prepare a new volcano, this time using a ratio of 15, 7.5 and 7.5!

We were so determined to get this stage of the work completed before leaving the work site that we asked our bus driver if he would wait for 10 minutes or so while we finished and he kindly obliged.This was a great day. The team work was awesome and everyone seemed so satisfied with what was accomplished.

After arrival back at the hotel, the shops were still open, so we went around town for a small amount of retail therapy. We found the real grocery store at the end of town, and noted that perparations werre underway for market day tomorrow. Starts at 7:00 - don't be late!!

Megan and the Second Build Day

Content by Megan

I am sitting in the lobby of the hotel and listening to Justin Beiber. The girl at the front desk has his song "Baby" cranked and is folding fresh laundry. I am very happy to be just out of a hot shower and enjoying a cool beverage. I am lucky in this life.

It was a busy day on the build site. It started at 8:30am. I was lucky enough to try Gautemalan porridge. It was sweet and a perfect breakfast.

We pulled up to the site and Timoteo was already hard at work. Our trenches from yesterday needed to be 64 cm and the dirt piles by the side of the house needed to be moved to the river, so our first job today was to start shoveling. I took a hold of a shovel and my muscles screamed. I did not want to shovel anymore. I grabbed the wheel barrow and began to carry load, after load down by the river and dump. By lunch time I was up to 64 loads of dirt. My arms are throbbing and my back aches.

The sun dips behind the clouds and then comes back out with a vengeance. No matter how much sun screen I apply, it sweats off. The heat drys out everyone. The sun dips again behind the clouds. Thank God!

School finishes and the family of 6 beside us come running up the road. I sit down and feel the force of the girls as they run into my arms. They hug me tightly and say "Ola, Maggie!!!" Georgina kisses my cheek. Her older sister Anna hugs me again and they run into the house. I love these girls!

As the afternoon grows I am up to 100 loads in the wheel barrow and the girls jump in after so I can push them up the hill.

I have been informed about how our family received a house from Habitat. Hurricane Agaitha came threw in the Spring and took our his two story house down. there is NOTHING left but a small pile of rubble. He also lost his 1 year old baby and 12 year old son in the storm. He has survived with the rest of his family by pure strength. They are truly homeless, but very happy. I find it humbling that someone can go though so much and still laugh.

We taught him some English words today, like shovel, saw, hoe and lunch. He waves his hand at one point and says "Maggie, hoe! Maggie, hoe!" The entire team looks at each other and laughs aloud.

I have learned so much about this culture. Everyone here has upper respiratory infection, because they cook inside with a wood stove, and no vent to the outside. They don't flush toilet paper. It goes in a bin beside the toilet, due to how old the city's plumbing is. I find this horrifying. You can see everything in the garbage. The children are only in school for half of the day, and the rest of the day is spent with family. You cannot drink the water from any tap. The woman have a local "bathing area" which is in the middle of the city and everyone uses it. The dogs are nothing like the dogs in Canada. They are feral, breed like rabbits and almost all look the same. As though a German Sheppard had puppies with a pitbull.

The day is winding down and my team all relaxes together, talking about the day. Dinner will be soon. Served hot and fresh. I am warm in the hotel and very clean. I think about my day and the people I have met. I am very lucky in this life

Tuesday Report

Content by Joanne

Everyone was "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" for our first full work day - although some were suffering shower-deprivation from a hot water issue. Breakfast was very tasty, we were all given our box lunches, and we loaded into our two vans for transportation about 8:15.

Team Juan

Team Juan had a 15-20 minute drive through some great scenery to their build location - in the middle of a corn field. As the group was evaluating their surroundings, Tall Colin stated the obvious when he said 'Well, I guess we are really going to be starting from scratch'! The small patch in the field was cleared of corn and leveled, but that was it - a blank slate. The first order of business was to make some stakes out of wood and a machete (a new tool for some), and mark out the corners. After this a hose and water was used to create a natural level, and a plane was created. Fishing twine created a guide, and team went to work digging a trench for footings where the concrete would be poured. The only thing that eventually stopped the group was - no concrete - the delivery truck was not there yet.



At lunch the group ate some incredibly fresh and massive corn. After opening the husk, some lime and salt was sprinkled on - it was delicious! However, with no delivery truck in site, the group was out of work. No problem - they just loaded back into the van and went to visit Team Timoteo - arriving just in time to help shovel out the sand and aggregate from their delivery truck, and help out doing - you guessed it - digging more trenches!! Perfect timing.



Father and Son duo showing the locals how
Canadians shovel snow.... or gravel.





Team Timoteo

Team Timoteo arrived full of vim and vigor at their build site to find a cleared corn field, a valley where there had obviously been a mud slide, and no-one else. They checked out the location, including the mud flats where the family home used to stand, and the washed out road just below it. Within a few minutes Timoteo arrived with his bag of tools and the team got to work.





They cut down another row of corn, moved dirt from one side to the other, and started to work on the trees that were growing along the side of the plot of land. Some of the trees were rotten and easy to remove, but a number of them were still living and were not so interested in being uprooted. There was a very amusing time when Trent and Joanne worked one tree for 20-30 minutes, after which Megan stepped in and gave one quick twist, picked up the whole truck, and walked off with it. Very impressive! 



Female Power!



The team had just started marking out dig lines when the delivery truck arrived, so the architectural activities were suspended while the group unloaded bricks, sheets of tin for the roof, sand, gravel, and bags and bags of cement (and they were heavy!) During this activity, Team Juan had arrived, so there was a real group effort at digging the trenches - their previous experience with this task was greatly appreciated.





The background to the Team Timoteo was a constant group of friends - the children from the family next door. Long Colin was a natural with the kids, and they soon were our constant companions. There were races on the road, push-up contests, lots of shy smiles, hopscotch, and of course the great draw - cameras. One 10-year old boy was quite proud to be helping with wheelbarrow activities.



Future Ansell Adams Learning from a Master Photgrapher!



At 4:00 PM our vans arrived from the quick trip home, hot showers (for most), some free time to walk around town, and some electronic catch-up in the 10-foot circle around the router where we are able to get wireless internet access. Supper was beef stew, rice, soup, and salad, as well as a round of 'One good thing, one bad thing, and one thing learned', where everyone gets to talk about one good thing that happened to them that day, one bad thing, and one thing they learned. This is a great group activity and lead to lots of insight, chuckles, and reflections. Oh - and everyone finally got hot water thanks to some group sleuthing!







Megan and the First Build Day

Content by Megan

The water looks like soot. Its circles down the drain and I sigh. I'm having the hottest shower possible. My entire body aches and I would do anything for a back rub. Anything. I wash my hair and see black fall into the floor of the tub. I am covered in dirt, cement and dust.

The morning was a freezing cold start at 7am. The entire team sat huddled around cups of coffee, fresh  fruit and pancakes. The mood is calm. We are all preparing ourselves for the work ahead. Our Habitat build starts today. We are split into two groups and go to two different job sights.

The ride is only 15 minutes. We take a turn and I see pure destruction. Half the road is missing and a cliff is covered in mud. A land slide happened here and wiped out almost everything. Its hot when I step out of the van and my chest begins to burn. There is nothing left to this village. It is dirty and full of garbage. I look around and say aloud "Thank you God, for living in Canada." My heart aches again and we start the hike up the road to our building sight.

Don Timoteo is a father of six children and five grandchildren. He and his wife are the only two locals helping us on this build. He sees us, waves and tears begin to fill his eyes. I hug him and say good morning and he cries even harder. He expresses nothing but gratitude. He cries more and says thank you, thank God and buries his head into his hands. The tears fill my eyes and I remember why I'm here. We all clasp hands and say a prayer. Again I have tears fill my eyes.

The sun is beating down on us, the dirt is lingering in the air and I have sweat dripping off my nose. We are digging, lifting and sharing stories of our lives before this build.

There is a family of six beside us. The children play in the dirt. They're all sick. They have runny noses, missing teeth and everyone of these kids are coughing. Although they seem very happy. I walk down the road and they follow me like a pack of wolves. I bend down and open my arms. "Ola, Ninos!" They all smile and a little girl named Sonja runs into my arms and hugs me tight enough to take away my breath. We play hop scotch, tag and they show me their new kitten. Every where on the build I go, I have children laughing behind me.
They tickle me, giggle, and love my camera. I snap pictures of them and then teach them how to use it. They run and laugh and laugh more. Sonja's brother speaks a small amount of English. He says "Wanna see my house?" I smile and agree. We step on to the porch and I am filled with pity and sorrow. There are no words to describe what surrounds me. This is poverty in it's purest form. There is garbage everywhere. The house only has three rooms. There are no windows and no doors. The sink is also the tub. They have dirt floors and no clean water. The bedroom is and open room with two beds. One for the six children and one for their parents. I hold my chest and tears fill my eyes. Sonja takes my hand and shows me her bed and room. I smile and she giggles. She pulls on my hair band. I take my hair out from a pony tail and all the children surround me in this little room. "Bonita!!" and the touch my hair. No one here has even seen blonde hair before. Sonja's little sister braids my bangs and she then kisses me.

I am filled with humbleness and want nothing more than to take all these children home with me. I want to help them.

The day comes to a close and now I play on a laptop in a nice, clean hotel. I cannot believe what I have seen today. My heart is still sore.

Thanksgiving Day - after the volcano

Content by Joanne

Yes, that is a puff of smoke on the second volcano!

After our volcano experience, we drove on to our homebase Tecpan, making a quick stop for cash, pharmaceuticals (in a store complete with armed security), and ice-cream! On the way, we passed the auto-parts center of Guatemala - Chimaltenango City. Not necessarily a place that I would recommend for a longer stay, but interesting nonetheless. The scenery was rolling hills, trees (with the occasional palm-tree) and lots of chicken-busses belching smoke.

On arrival at Tecpan and our hotel at the Hotel Villa de Don Pancho, and we are quickly ushered in to the large eating area for our delayed lunch.

After lunch we met our families. I can not remember all their names right now - I am just getting the team names down.

The first family includes the father and his wife, along  with one grown daughter, a young daughter, and a young grandson. His house was washed away by hurricane Agatha in May, at which time he lost a son and daughter (the mother of the grandson we met) to the storm. During this catastrophic day, his son-in-law (the father of the grandson we met and husband of the daughter who perished), was severely injured and now on crutches and unable to return to work in the fields for 12-18  months. Imagine...

The second family was represented by the father. His family includes 6 children and 5 grandchildren, and they too lost their house in Agatha. He gave a bit of a speech in Spanish about how thankful he was. Our interpreter did not try to keep up, as the father was quite emotional and everyone understood the meaning. There were very few dry eyes in the room.

We then had some cake and soda, followed by a meet-and-greet with the families. The children were eventually drawn out by seeing their pictures on various cameras, and they even got to take a few shots.

It is going to be excellent....

Megan and the Mountain - Thanksgiving Day

Content by Megan I feel like I am drinking a piece of heaven. I inhale the rich mocha smell and let the warm liquid hit my lips. This is the best hot chocolate that I have ever tasted. Made fresh this morning from fresh cocoa beans picked yesterday. The rest of my team sits quietly in the cafe, discussing what our day is going to be like, while I bask in this cup of pure lust. Our team leader Tim, informs us that we will not be building until tomorrow morning. I am some what relieved due to my roommate not getting to sleep until 3 hours ago. "Today we will hike to volcano!" Everyone groans but me! I throw my fist into the air and say "yes!" My team looks at me puzzled and I just blush. We pile on to a small bus and drive 2 hours into the small village at the base of the volcano. I get out and smell dust and sulfer. "Chica, cavallo?!! Good price for you!" A young boy hands me a rope with a very thin horse at the end in the hopes that I will rent the horse for the ride. My heart aches for this poor animal. He is old, starving and lame. "No, gracias" I reply and pat the horse's forehead. He looks at me as if I am to save him and my heart burns again. The team buys water and snacks. I get a kick out of the fact the local village sells Cheetos. I take in my surroundings. There are too many chickens, roosters and dogs running around. They all look unhealthy. There is volcano dust on everything. The cars have it. The people have it. The horses have it. I squat down and call "Ola! Perro!!" and extend my hand to a small chestnut dog. She wags her tail and slinks over. She snuggles into my leg and closes her eyes in comfort. I think how can I fit this dog into my purse. The guide yells and we make our way up the base of the volcano. 7500 feet up. Straight up. My calves are burning, my brow is covered in sweat and I am now also covered in volcano dust.  I head to the front of the group and yell back encouraging words. We stop and I finally look up from the trail. My breath leaves my lungs and I get tears in my eyes. This view is nothing that I have ever seen before. I see lush green trees and more land than my eye can take in. I see a volcano actually smoking. I see a village with tin roofs. Brand new roofs from the recent eruption in the Spring. I also see the small chestnut dog following me up the hill. She sees me and wags her tail. I call her Perro again and she runs to my feet. "Ola, Perro" and I pet her forehead. She and I are not on this adventure together. As we approach the top, I see the land smoking and the heat escaping from the rocks. I cannot get over this heat. Perro is still tagging along and  it makes me smile. I stop constantly and take pictures of how beautiful this world is. I sigh and thank the heavens again for giving me this.  We stop at the top and a bag of marshmallows is open. We take a small stick and roast marshmallows on lava. I am amazed by this - but Perro just sleeps by the heat and I rub her belly. This is way a house build should begin.

Pacaya Here We Come

Content by Joanne

There is a change in itinerary today, as we are going to try and harness the new-team-energy and match it up with the current good weather and walk up the Pacaya volcano. We do get a shuttle part-way up, but after that it is a three-hour hike (up and back) - wish us luck!!

To get the best views, it is recommended that we leave early, so we have to be all packed, fed, and ready to board the bus at 7:00 AM - I guess you should wish us luck on that one as well!