Construction

Friday - Construction

This was, by far, the hardest day of all - physically, at least. In the morning, we made bottle nets, and then we made concrete using a shovel, wheelbarrow and manpower. Boy did I ever get my hands dirty! We poured the concrete in moulds that were made and measured to the correct dimensions. Then we flattened it out and set them to dry! It doesn't sound too hard... but it really is! We also moved finished concrete slabs (about 5 girls per slab... or 2 guys haha). In the afternoon, we went to install a stove for a family. It was a very humbling experience. They had so many children to take care of, who were probably quite malnourished. They were all very short for their age. They were so grateful for the stove we were installing for them, and they had so little. They even gave us cocoa... which tastes wonderful! You open up the yellow shell and take out the white seeds and suck on them. I wish there was more we could do for them, but with this one stove we are helping to eliminate a major source of their respiratory health problems.

Saturday/Sunday - Relaxation

We spent the day in another town at a beach hotel. It was a well-deserved break after a gruelling week! We had a room with a beach-side view. I went surfing for the first time! It was extremely exhilerating =) There were tons of street vendors.

The one thing I didn't expect was for the water to burn my nostrils and eyes. I felt sorry for the children who peddled jewellery to make a living. They weren't any older than 10-12 years old, and worked from dawn till dusk trying so hard to sell their hand-made jewellery. I wish I could bring them back with me. Again the children were quite malnourished. One boy who was 10 was no taller than the average 7 year old back in Canada.

I'm super tired but recharged to take on this upcoming week!