Monday: The first day of work on the house

Monday we got up for a 6:30am breakfast and left for the house at 7:30am. It is about a 20-25 minute drive to the house.  There are many security gaurds with M-16 rifles along the roads or shot guns standing outside stores.  Part of the route takes us past a prison and the guards wear masks so you cannot see their face.  The house is about 1/2 complete.  It was started 2 weeks ago and Habitat groups have been helping he masons for each of those 2 weeks, so we are the 3rd habitat group to work on the house.  Which is unusual for that many groups to work on the same house, but my guess since this is a family from the Cristo Rey church, many groups have requested to work on these houses.  Our first job is to sand the concrete, which we do alot the first day.  But we also help mix and move concrete for finishing the walls and sifting gravel for making a plaster that will eventually go on the walls.  Our habitat person is Delilah, she is studying to be a chef and this is her first week working for Habitat.  She speaks very good English and is primarily our translator, but she also works along side us.

Picture of Mary, Delilah, Jon and Don mixing cement in the road next to the house

Picture of Mary, Van, Jon, Kathryn, Pam, Jim and Delilah in front of the house before we got started working

Pciture of Christian the grandson of the owner 

Picture of Don and Benigno, the person the house is for, mixing concrete

Picture of Betty (recieved a house in 2010) and Kathryn sanding walls to prepare for painting

Picture of the house from the eastside.  Pam, Kathryn and Mary are sanding the walls.

Picture of Van, Mary, Pam, Kathryn, Delilah and Don during a break from making concrete

Picture of three cows meandering down the road in front of the house.  On the left hand side you can see a pile of sand used to make concrete. 

Picture of Kathryn using wire to connect the rebar that runs throug the cinder block walls.  The rebar helps strengthen the house against damage in earth quakes.   The cinder blocks are also filled with concrete to give them more strength.

You guessed it another picture of Don, Mary and Kathryn making concrete.

Pictutre of Kathryn putting concrete to fill the cinder blocks

Picture of my Cousin Mary who lives in Madison next to the Electrician who was wearing a Wisconsin Badger cap.  Small world isn't it. 

Picture of Jim Hack getting to use his machete to fix the handle of a hammer.

Delilah our Habitat interpreter carrying cinder blcok to finish the walls

Our lunch and break area is under a big tree.  We really like the shade since the house is usually getting direct sun light, very hot.  We drink lots of water.